ATM machines free to buy in the US

There are no regulations to determine who can or cannot own or operate an ATM in the United States.

Identity theft expert Robert Siciliano revealed on a Fox News report that there are dozens of new and used ATMs for sale online all over the country, and that he actually bought one for US$750 on craigslist.org where the previous owner had forgotten to delete the transaction history stored in the ATM before Robert picked it up.

This meant a 150-foot long print-out of all of the credit and ATM card numbers that the machine had processed in a four month period was available to be printed off, and if requried, the data could be used maliciously.

Siciliano told Fox News Boston: “I can go right on Craigslist or eBay and just type in ATM, and instantly you're going to find companies' ATM machines. I cannot believe I could go on craigslist and buy an ATM machine. It should not be that easy.”

He also demonstrated how a skimming device works, with many potential users unaware of the attachment on the card reader or camera on the machine. One interviewee claimed that if the machine was free to use with no fee placed on withdrawals, she would "definitely" use it. He advised that if an ATM is unsecured or looks out of place, do not use it, because you never know who put it there.

See original article on scmagazineuk.com