Traditionally when you visit an ATM the goal is to get cash for yourself, your friends or whoever you owe money to this week. It’s not that often you feel like giving an assist to scammers looking to rip you off. One vigilant tourist was able to spot an ATM skimmer in action and elected to share his findings with the world.
Ben Tedesco, who works in cyber security because of course he does, noticed the skimmer while on holiday in Vienna, Austria. “I went to grab some cash from an ATM, being security paranoid I went repeated my typical habit of checking the card reader as I have 100’s of times… today’s the day when my security awareness paid off!” he exclaimed in the caption of his YouTube scam bust. Considering the efficiency of skimmers, it’s a good thing Tedesco caught it.
The machine (a Samsung Cash Machine) is located by St. Steven’s Cathedral which seems like either the worst or best place to extract sensitive information from would-be victims. Our guide’s breakdown on what tipped him off to the skimmer’s existence is fascinating, as he offers up little details that you could easily miss the next time you need to get a $20 out for boxes of Fruit Roll-Ups. Give the clip a gander, take notes if you like, and ONLY TRADE IN GOLD SWORDS.