The ABCs of ATM Skimming

Josephine Andoh
The ATM outside of The University of Maryland's South Campus Dining Hall (Josephine Andoh/The Black Explosion).

Forty-five.

That’s approximately how many skimming devices, or gadgets that steal credit and debit card information, have been recovered across Prince George’s County this year, according to an Oct. 15 police report.

In the latest case, police allege 34-year-old Pioter Fedorenko placed a camera and skimming device on an ATM at a gas station in Brandywine, Maryland on Oct. 2. 

That day, the suspect put three skimmers on ATMs across two gas stations. They placed a camera on at least one machine, according to footage obtained by the investigators. All three devices were recovered before the suspect could steal any personal financial data. Police charged Fedorenko with the crime, and he’s now awaiting a pretrial set for Jan. 5. 

The FBI defines ATM skimming as the placement of an electronic device that steals information from a bank card’s magnetic strip. This information includes the cardholder’s name and account number, as well as the card’s expiration date and verification code.

Skimming devices can be placed at ATMs and on card readers at many locations, including retail, grocery or convenience stores. Once retrieved, the stolen data can be encoded onto a blank card and used to take money from a person’s bank account.

ATM skimming increased in frequency in late 2024, according to data from the FICO Card Alert Service, which uses predictive analysis and data from financial institutions to identify and stop credit and debit card fraud.

The FBI estimates that U.S. banks lose hundreds of millions of dollars each year due to ATM skimming, according to the FBI. However, it also negatively affects ordinary people.

“In a society where having money really matters, especially if you’re not rich, it can be very … stressful for someone to lose all their money or to have their money stolen,” said University of Maryland sophomore psychology major Ada Ekwutife. 

Samuel Handwerger, a UMD accounting and information assurance professor, experienced this stress firsthand. Around a year ago, he said he was in Brooklyn and wanted to buy something from a bodega.

“I took my credit card out to pay for [a] drink, and the tap wasn’t working, so the clerk [took] the card from me and [swiped] it through,” he said.

The next day, Handwerger said he noticed that there were around “20 or 30” fraudulent transactions on his credit card. He called his credit card company and got a full refund, but the process took a while.

Handwerger theorized that the tap option on the card reader was purposefully disabled and that the clerk swiped the card to prevent him from noticing the skimming device.

“If I had swiped it through myself, I might have felt a little tug or a little something unusual … and the whole ruse would have fallen through,” he said.

Since then, if the tap option is unavailable at a location and he does not need the product or service, Handwerger leaves.

Fortunately, there are many measures people can take to avoid ATM skimming.

“Businesses that have ATMs or [card readers] should be checking them on a regular basis to make sure that there [are] no devices” on top of them, said Breanna Rienzi, a senior business management major.

Investigators from the Prince George’s County Police Department advise individuals to do the following:

  • Use contactless credit cards or “Tap to Pay” options instead of swiping your credit or debit card.
  • Use ATMs located inside banks whenever possible.
  • Be cautious if the chip reader on a payment device does not work.
  • Be careful in stores with heavy customer traffic, which are more likely to have skimming devices.

If an individual suspects that an ATM or card reader skimmer is on a device, police advise them to inform store personnel and contact the police department.