Tourists are being warned to remain vigilant about ATM scams in Bali after a woman was this week deported for using credit card skimmers.
Fresh alerts have been issued for travellers to be on the lookout for skimming devices and other signs of scams — including makeshift signs declaring ATMS are out of order.
Tourists are also warned to be careful about which ATMS they use, with authorities recommending machines attached to banks over those in small shops.
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Balinese authorities told The Bali Sun card skimming remains an ongoing problem on the Indonesian island which is a popular destination for travellers from across the world, particularly from Australia.
It comes as a 35-year-old Ukrainian woman was this week deported and banned from returning to Bali, after serving a two-year jail sentence for credit card skimming offences in 2022.
Card skimming involves installing hardware onto an ATM or EFTPOS machine to steal a person’s credit card information and PIN to create fake cards and steal funds.
“The … 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,” Bali Ministry of Law and Human Rights head Pramella Y. Pasaribu said.
The Australian government’s Smartraveller website warns petty and opportunistic crimes such as card skimming regularly happen in Indonesia.
Card skimming is one of the most common tourist scams in Bali and has been reported in Canggu, Kuta and Uluwatu, according to Southern Cross Travel Insurance.
The ease with which card skimming devices can be used was demonstrated in a recent TikTok video which shows a woman remove a false cover — identical to the one used on the machine — from an ATM card slot in Rome.
The woman said she was alerted when she saw a white chip on the inside of the fake card slot. “I couldn’t believe I actually found one — be careful,” she warned.
Consumer comparison website Finder has also advised travelled to beware of similar devices.
“Look for 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 warned online.
“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 advised people to regularly look over their bank account history to identify fraudulent activity.
