Bhopal: Ex-MLA Loses ₹6.8Lakh In ATM Fraud In

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Bhopal is once again in the grip of cyber fraud as ATM skimming gangs strike despite multiple arrests in recent years. A former MLA has become the latest victim, losing over ₹6.84 lakh after fraudsters cloned his ATM card using a skimmer device. Cyber cops have launched an investigation.

Fraudsters typically use skimmer devices to read the magnetic strip on ATM cards and micro-cameras to capture PIN numbers. This stolen data is then transferred to blank cards to withdraw cash.

Despite police busting several such gangs, including foreign nationals from Uganda and Romania, the scam continues. Notably, in January 2020, a Ugandan national, Mukasa Andrew, installed a skimmer and camera at a Katara Hills ATM booth and later withdrew money from cloned cards. In August 2023, Romanian national Ayoniel Miu and his aide Firoz Ahmad Khan were arrested for a similar crime.

Investigations revealed that these fraudsters often acquire skimming equipment through the dark web or smuggled networks, mainly from China, and sometimes buy them in Delhi’s grey markets. Many of those arrested were tech-savvy individuals, including B.Tech students or self-trained via YouTube.

Modus Operandi

Step 1: A skimmer device is fixed where customers insert their ATM cards. It reads the data from the card’s magnetic strip.

Step 2: A fake panel with a micro-camera is placed above the keypad to capture the PIN.

Step 3: The stolen data is transferred using a card reader/writer device.

Step 4: Data is loaded onto blank cards and used to withdraw cash from ATMs.

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