Urgent warning for Bali tourists: ‘Look for tiny cameras’

Australians traveling to Bali have been issued a new warning to be wary of skimming devices at ATMs.

The news comes after a 35-year-old Ukrainian woman known as ‘BK’ was deported and banned from returning to Indonesia after serving a two-year prison sentence in 2022 for credit card skimming crimes.

Pramella Y. Pasaribu, head of Bali’s Ministry of Law and Human Rights, said The Bali sun that card skimming is still an ongoing problem on the popular holiday island.

‘The… [Ukranian woman’s] The case is a clear example of the commitment of the Bali Ministry of Law and Human Rights to preserve state sovereignty and protect the public from violations of the law.”

“We will continue to improve coordination with related agencies and strengthen supervision of the presence of foreigners in the Bali region.”

Balinese authorities are warning tourists to be vigilant about the ATMs they use and recommend machines linked to banks rather than those in small shops.

A fake card insert containing a white chip was removed by a tourist in Rome. The tourist posted it online to show how widespread the scam is

Tourists are also urged to be wary of other scams, such as makeshift signs announcing that ATMs are out of service.

This is because criminals can target ‘legitimate’ ATMs and direct tourists to another machine with a card skimmer installed.

Card skimming occurs when hardware is installed on an ATM or EFTPOS machine that steals information from a person’s card and their PIN.

This information is then used to create fake accounts and steal money from the unsuspecting ATM user.

That of the Australian government Smartraveller According to the website, petty and opportunistic crimes such as card skimming are common in Indonesia.

In Bali, card skimming is a common tourist scam. According to Southern Cross Travel Insurance, this will take place in Canggu, Kuta and Uluwatu.

This scam is common all over the world, especially in tourist areas.

a TikTok video filmed in Rome by Danielle Sheerin showed her removing a fake card insert, which was identical to the one on the machine in 2020.

The tourist said she “couldn’t believe” she had found a fake plastic shell, and posted it so others could “be careful.”

Balinese authorities have warned tourists to be wary of card skimming at ATMs

Ms Sheerin said she was alerted when she noticed a white chip inside the fake card slot.

“I randomly pulled this one after seeing another video online and it was indeed the very first video I tried,” she said.

Many companies are warning Australians about this simple but potentially devastating scam.

On Finder website, they urge travelers to be alert to such devices.

“Look for signs of tampering or features that don’t match what the rest of the ATM looks like, such as whether the keypad is too high or looks too shiny and new,” the report said.

‘Also look out for small cameras that can be placed anywhere around the machine and can be used to capture your PIN as you enter it.’

Southern Cross Travel Insurance also advised customers to frequently review their bank account history to identify fraudulent activity.