Overview
- New consumer reports this week urge vigilance against manipulated ATMs and payment terminals, shoulder surfing and skimming during cash withdrawals and card payments.
- A debated, low-cost safeguard is to place a sticker with a wrong PIN on the card so thieves repeatedly enter the fake code and the ATM confiscates and blocks the card.
- Police-cited Bundeskriminalamt figures show about 23,900 PIN‑related card-fraud cases last year with over €38.2 million in losses, plus roughly 15,200 cases without PIN causing around €6.8 million.
- Victims are advised to block cards immediately via 116 116, inform their bank, report suspected device manipulation to police, and retain receipts to support chargebacks or other disputes.
- Coverage highlights the “Null‑Trick,” where an extra zero at the terminal inflates a bill, so users are urged to verify amounts and be cautious with dynamic currency conversion when abroad.