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Payment card and ATM fraud steals your card details rather than persuading you to pay — from a skimmer clipped over an ATM or fuel-pump reader, to a paper-thin shim slipped into a chip slot, to malicious code injected into an online checkout (Magecart). You often find out only when unfamiliar charges appear. The defences are practical: cover the keypad, tug at card readers before use, prefer contactless or a mobile wallet over swiping, watch for tiny unfamiliar 'test' charges, and set instant transaction alerts so a cloned card is caught in minutes, not on a statement.
Criminals attach hidden reading devices and cameras to cash machines to copy your card data and PIN, then drain your account with a cloned card.
A paper-thin device hidden inside a card reader records your chip card's data during a normal transaction, leaving no visible sign of tampering.
Criminals hide card-reading devices inside fuel pumps, silently copying card data from every pay-at-pump customer, often for weeks before anyone notices.
Malicious code hidden in a genuine online store's checkout silently copies your card details as you type them, even though your order goes through normally.
Criminals copy stolen card data onto counterfeit cards and spend or withdraw cash as you, while your real card never leaves your wallet.