Southland News

Southland ATMs Feature New Activedge Secure Card Readers

April 16, 2019

credit card and atm

Card skimming is on the rise. In fact, according to a 2016 ATM Industry Association (ATMIA) Global Fraud and Security Survey, skimming is the most common type of fraud attack in the world. Thieves use devices on ATMs or card readers at retail stores and gas stations to pick up information they will likely use later to make fraudulent purchases.

In order to prevent this type of fraud from happening to Members who use our ATMs, Southland Credit Union has installed new card readers.

The new ActivEdge card readers work a little differently than what you may be used to.
Instead of inserting the card vertically, the card is fed into the machine horizontally – what ActivEdge calls a “long-edge first insertion.”

Feeding the card into the reader like this prevents external skimmers from capturing card data. Additionally, encryption features prevent criminal modification.

ATMIA’s 2016 survey says the estimated cost of a skimming attack averages $650 per card.

Southland wants to assure Members that with our new card readers, this type of fraudulent activity can be avoided when using one of our ATMs.