European ATM Fraud Attacks up 149% Says EAST Report

April 10, 2009 - PRLog -- Edinburgh, UK, EAST (the European ATM Security Team) has reported a 149% rise in ATM related fraud attacks during 2008.  This reverses a previous trend and is primarily led by the 129% increase in card skimming incidents, with a total of 10,302 reported.  Despite this significant increase in incidents, fraud related losses increased by just 11% with a total loss of €485 million reported.  This smaller increase in losses, relative to the significant rise in reported incidents, is indicative that that deployed counter-measures, such as anti-skimming devices, are increasingly effective, as are fraud monitoring and detection capabilities.

EAST Director and co-ordinator, Lachlan Gunn said, "This increase in reported incidents is of great concern to EAST members.  While the year on year fraud loss figures show an increase, the half year figures show a declining trend for such losses over the past three six month periods, with international losses due to card skimming falling by 18% in the second half of the year.  This indicates that the EMV* rollout in Europe continues to be effective, although international losses are expected to continue while criminals are able to illegally withdraw cash from ATMs abroad that are not EMV compliant”.

Losses due to card skimming continue to occur globally.  Cases have been reported in Asia-Pacific, the Americas, Africa, Russia and the Middle East, as well as in Europe.  According to EAST 90% of European ATMs are now EMV compliant.  All ATMs within the Single European Payments Area (SEPA) are expected to be EMV compliant by the end of 2010.

With regard to the prevention of skimming, EAST members maintain close liaison with each other and with the vendors of anti-skimming devices.  European ATM deployers continue to invest in such devices and EAST maintains a comprehensive list of them for the benefit of the industry.

Physical attacks on European ATMs, have fallen by 29%, primarily due to a decrease in the number of reported robberies, although cases of ram raids and ATM burglary have risen by 32%.  While the cash losses for such attacks are well below fraud levels, the risks to people and the collateral damage to property continue to remain of great concern to the industry.  The deployment of banknote ink/dye staining systems continues and EAST also maintains a list of such systems for the benefit of the industry.
* EMV (also known as ‘chip and PIN’) is an industry standard for Smart Cards and card readers, supported by the European Payments Council and the major payment schemes
The full report is available to EAST subscribers and details of how to subscribe to EAST can be found at www.european-atm-security.eu

ENDS
(Background data on the report & EAST follow)
For further information and a PDF copy of the report (Media only) please contact the EAST Coordinator, Lachlan Gunn:
Email coordinator@eas-team.eu    Tel: + 44 1828 686344, Fax: + 44 1828 686888
EUROPEAN ATM CRIME REPORT 2008, Period: January to December 2008
The above release is based on a report prepared twice-yearly by EAST to provide an overview of the European ATM crime situation for law enforcement officers and EAST members, using statistics provided from 22 European states. The following countries, with an estimated total installed base of 357,241 ATMs, supplied full or partial information for this report:
Austria;  Belgium;  Cyprus; Denmark;  Finland;  France;  Germany;  Greece;  Ireland;  Italy;  Liechtenstein;  Luxembourg;  Malta;  the Netherlands;  Norway;  Poland,  Portugal;  Slovakia;  Spain;  Sweden;  Switzerland;  the United Kingdom.
EAST intends to obtain such information from all 27 European Union states as well as from Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

EAST has taken reasonable measures to develop the report this press release is based on and to report in a fair, reasonable, open, and objective manner.  However, EAST makes no claims, promises, or guarantees about the completeness of the underlying data.  In addition, as the information in the report has been passed to EAST by other parties, errors or mistakes may exist or be discovered.  Neither EAST nor its members, authors, or agents shall be liable for any loss, damage, or claim with respect to any such information being provided.  All such liabilities, including direct, special, indirect, or consequential damages, are expressly disclaimed and excluded.

ABOUT EAST
Founded in 2004, EAST is a ‘not-for-profit’ organisation whose members are committed to gathering information from, and disseminating EAST reports to ATM deployers and networks within their countries/regions. While the main focus of EAST is on ATMs, the group also focuses on all payment terminals that have a direct impact on crime perpetrated at ATM locations.
Our mission is to gather and provide information to the European ATM industry and to facilitate effective representation of ATM related security issues at relevant European central institutions, through a pan-European co-ordination of ATM security resources.
EAST has set up a framework network structure to improve co-operation with industry, law enforcement, and in particular Europol, in order to achieve awareness and better results in the fight against organised cross-border crime.  More information can be found at www.european-atm-security.eu

Contact:
Penny Haywood
European ATM Security Team Ltd
Edinburgh, UK
Tel: + 44 1828 686344
Fax: + 44 1828 686888
PRP@phpr.co.uk
http://www.european-atm-security.eu