The prevalence of an ATM card-skimming scam that tourists travelling to Bali should be aware of, has been revealed by an incident posted on social media. An Australian tourist recently uploaded an image of the scam on the famous Facebook group for Australian tourists vacationing in the renowned Indonesian destination.
The image showed a Commonwealth Bank ATM located in a supermarket in the Seminyak area. Someone had covered the ATM’s card slot with a “broken” notice. This was done to get customers to use the nearby ATMs instead, which are thought to have a card-skimming equipment installed.
According to the Australian tourist, he saw a man in Seminyak continuously placing the “broken” sign on a Commonwealth ATM Bank machine to encourage customers to use another machine.
“Three or four people came through and went to the next ATM over, but I told them the ATM was fine and they could use the Commbank one,” The Australian tourist wrote in a popular social media group for Australians travelling in Bali.
“The guy kept looking at me like I was doing something wrong. As soon as I left, I saw him put another sign on it.” The Australian tourist continues.
Another traveller warned all foreign tourists to be vigilant while travelling to the Island of God since this ATM card-skimming scam explicitly targets foreigners.
The Australian tourist said, “This happens a few times each week. Every week, I saw them putting the broken sign on a perfectly fine ATM card machine.”
Group members acknowledged that this is a common issue in Bali. “This is a scam they’ve been doing for a long time,” one individual explained, revealing that the fraudsters patiently wait for unsuspecting customers to use a nearby ATM, which is likely equipped with a skimmer — a device meant to record cardholder information for illegitimate reasons discreetly. Card skimmers are often put on genuine card readers, including ATMs and payment terminals, allowing thieves to steal payment card data.
Another group member stressed the general security of Commonwealth Bank ATMs in Bali, attributing it to continuous staff monitoring that reduces the possibility of skimming incidents. However, the unmonitored nature of other machines allows scammers to exploit them by labelling Commonwealth Bank ATMs as “broken” or “out of service,” directing users to more susceptible choices.
A different group member said, “If the machine were broken, it would display an electronic message or a black screen. Commonwealth ATMs are the safest.”
Given the possible risks of ATM card skimming scam, most tourists who visit Bali often advise others to use cash rather than foreign ATMs to reduce the possibility of falling victim to such scams.
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