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Cashpoint criminals target hundreds of ATMs

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Cashpoint criminals target hundreds of ATMs
Photo: DPA

Data thieves targeting customers at cash point machines caused €8 million worth of damage in the first six months of this year, according to figures out on Wednesday.

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Criminals tampered with more than 250 ATMs across Germany, as well as card-operated entry points to banks.

North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most densely populated state, was targeted most often (90 cases), followed by the south-western state of Baden-Württemberg (50 cases), the city-state of Berlin (25 cases) and Hessen in central Germany (23 cases).

According to card security group Euro Kartensysteme, thieves use data stolen in Germany most frequently in countries which use outdated magnetic strip technology.

In 2012, card data thieves caused €17 million worth of damage, indicating that there could be a slight decline this year.

Banking institutes put this possibility down to the development of security technology outside of Europe, making it harder for criminals to shop or withdraw cash with counterfeit cards.

EMV (Europay, MasterCard and Visa) technology scans the authenticity of the card as well as its data.

DPA/The Local/kkf

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