Australians travelling to Bali have been given a fresh warning to be on the look-out for skimming devices at ATMs.
The news comes after a 35-year-old Ukrainian woman known as ‘BK’ was deported and banned from returning to Indonesia after serving a two-year jail sentence for credit card skimming crimes in 2022.
Bali Ministry of Law and Human Rights head Pramella Y. Pasaribu told The Bali Sun that card skimming is still an ongoing issue on the popular holiday island.
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‘The … [Ukranian woman’s] case is a clear example of the Bali Ministry of Law and Human Rights’ commitment to maintaining state sovereignty and protecting the public from law violations,’
‘We will continue to improve coordination with related agencies and strengthen supervision of the presence of foreigners in the Bali region.’
Balinese authorities warn tourists to be vigilant about which ATMs they use and recommend machines attached to banks rather than those found at small shops.
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A row of bank ATMs by the roadside in Kuta are pictured
A fake card insert hiding a white chip was removed by a tourist in Rome. The tourist posted it online to show how widespread the scam is
Tourists are also urged to look out for other scams, such as makeshift signs saying ATMs are out of order.
This is because criminals can target ‘legitimate’ ATMs and direct tourists to another machine that has a card skimmer installed.
Card skimming occurs when hardware is installed onto an ATM or EFTPOS machine which steals information from a person’s card and their PIN.
This information is then used to create fake accounts and steal money from the unsuspecting ATM user.
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The Australian government’s Smartraveller website says petty and opportunistic crimes such as card skimming are rife in Indonesia.
In Bali, card skimming is a common tourist scam, with reports of it taking place in Canggu, Kuta and Uluwatu, according to Southern Cross Travel Insurance.
The scam is common-place around the world, especially in tourist areas.
A TikTok video filmed in Rome by Danielle Sheerin showed her removing a fake card insert, which was identical to the one on the machine in 2020.
The tourist said she ‘couldn’t believe’ she had found a false plastic casing, and posted it so others could ‘be careful’.
Balinese authorities have warned tourists to be wary of card skimming at ATMs
Ms Sheerin said she was alerted when she saw a white chip on the inside of the false card slot.
‘I just pulled this one randomly after seeing another video online and sure enough it was on the very first one I tried,’ she said.
Many companies warn Aussies about the simple but potentially devastating scam.
On Finder’s website they urge travellers to be alert to such devices.
‘Look for iconwin signs of tampering or features that don’t fit with how the rest of the ATM looks, such as if the keypad is overly raised or looks too shiny and new,’ it said.
‘Also look out for tiny cameras that could be planted anywhere around the machine which may be used to capture your PIN as you enter it.’
Southern Cross Travel Insurance also recommended customers to look over their bank account history often to identify fraudulent activity.