Analysts say ATMs are very vulnerable to phishing, as hackers con people into giving up their bank numbers and then make fake ATM cards to withdraw money. Gartner says banks could prevent these losses by simply programming their ATMs to scan the hidden security track located on every card’s magnetic stripe. The first track, obviously always scanned, contains the card holder’s name and account number. The second holds special security codes that a user does not know and, therefore, would be unable to give up during a phishing expedition.
If every bank scanned a card’s second track, they would immediately be able to determine if a card is legit. So, problem solved, right? Not quite, as Gartner says only 50% of U.S. banks have programmed their ATMs to do so.
If you want to have fun at lunch time, go to your local bank branch and ask the teller if their ATMs are programmed to scan the security strip on your card.
Via My Way News
