In addition to these hackers Or hackers Who stole credit card numbers on the internet There are still other criminals. Most recently, students at the University of Florida steal information directly from their cards or at ATMs. Invented a device that deterred these theft With an affordable cost

Although the new credit and debit cards There will be a strip of slotxoelectronic chips. That is difficult to copy card numbers But there are still a lot of credit cards that still use magnetic stripe and require traditional card readers. Especially in small shops Or gas station Which is often the target of criminals

Professor Patrick Traynor of the University of Florida explains that credit cards can be accessed inside the card. With a credit card reader or a card reader, there is only one card reader that appears in the card slot of an ATM or a store.

But the method of criminals will ingeniously attach a fake reader head to the magnetic stripe reader of a real card. And when customers insert credit cards The reading head will copy the information. And used to make a fake credit card US law enforcement officers The theft is called a skimmer, which steals more than a billion dollars each year.

Skimmer theft is widespread. Especially in large cities Like in New York City But there are only four police investigators there who have been trained to detect counterfeit readings installed at ATMs.

Most recently, a group of students at the University of Florida. Under the leadership of Patrick Traynor, a device called 'Skim Reapers' could be used to deter these theft. With affordable cost

Such device It will look like an electronic card. Which is twice the length of a credit card With cables connected to the digital processing box When this card is inserted into an ATM or a credit card magnetic disc reader at a store I will be able to tell immediately whether the card reader has a counterfeit reader installed or not.

James Lilla, Financial Crime Investigator Amazed at the potential of 'Skim Reapers' that even officials Those who have not been trained can still use the device.

The 'Skim Reapers' price is around $ 50, but the inventors tried to make it lower. And smaller than before