Thieves stealing debit card numbers via fake bank door locks

Thieves stealing debit card numbers via fake bank door locks

This is why I always swipe a card that isn’t a credit or debit card, such as a grocery store discount card, to open the bank door. I’ve tried this with dozens of branches of different banks over the years and it’s never failed to open the door.

I read about this trick on the internet many years ago (don’t remember where): the door lock doesn’t actually verify the authenticity of the card; it only checks that it has a readable magnetic strip. It doesn’t matter what kind of card it is. The door lock is only there to make you feel safer, or maybe to keep homeless people out; it doesn’t do anything to verify that you’re a customer of that bank.

A fake door lock could, however, steal the number you just swiped. This would be easy to plant since they’re often in a low-traffic, easily accessible location. But I’m not too worried about thieves stealing my discounts at the grocery store.

(via Schneier)