PlanAHeist.com » Money Fraud

Steal Credit Card Numbers Wireless using RFID

riscphree — Thu, 21 May 2009 20:11:57 +0000

While i’m on the topic of RFID hacking here is a nice video about stealing CC info with RFID.

Rogue’s Gallery Of ATM Skimmers

riscphree — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 20:31:57 +0000

Since you guys liked yesterday’s post where a reader found an ATM skimming device so much, Network World has got a bit of “Rogue’s Gallery” of the credit card-number stealing machines so you’ll better know what to look for out in the wild. For instance, this photo shows how thieves will mount a camera on the ATM so they can record you typing in your PIN. It’s placed over the statement dispenser using plastic that matches perfectly with the “host” ATM. Sneaky.

Skimmers: Reader Finds Card Skimmer On Bank ATM

riscphree — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 20:29:31 +0000

Dan says over the weekend he discovered a card skimmer attached to the ATM at his local WaMu branch. He pulled it off and took photos of it.

http://consumerist.com/5200818/reader-finds-card-skimmer-on-bank-atm

Check Washing Pt. 3 – Alcohol Tests

riscphree — Mon, 26 May 2008 23:48:16 +0000

Next up were the alcohol tests. I used 91% rubbing alcohol, very cheap at wal-mart. I soaked each check for 10 minutes in the acetone.

The first check was with the Pentel RSVP pen.

This was the second best check out of the bunch. Not only had the ink just about disappeared, but the back of the check was perfect. There is only one downside. That red dye I was talking about earlier really showed up this time. There were also a couple red spots on the front of the check. Not to apparent, but they are right by the “Pay to the order of” part.

Second check was with the Pilot G2 Gel pen.

Not a very good job, this ink just wanted to stay on there and smear. There is a prominent red dot in the middle of the check as well. A second red dot almost in the same place as the last check too. Again, the back of the check was absolutely fine.

And finally, the third and last alcohol test, the Bic Round Stic.

The best results all day. This check I would feel comfortable washing and trying to use it. There was one SUPER small red spot you can hardly see and another larger, but still damn small red spot, both of which are barely noticeable. You can’t make out any features of the check, who it was made out to, how much it was worth, etc. The back of the check is completely fine as well.

Next up, Final thoughts!–>

Check Washing Final Thoughts

riscphree — Mon, 26 May 2008 23:42:31 +0000

This was a very cool test to see the likely hood of my checks being washed, I don’t use checks often and I probably never will after this

The best results with the inks tested were with alcohol. Even though I didn’t try with regular acetone, the nail polish really killed the back of the checks whereas the alcohol didn’t do anything to the backs.
I’ve heard of some people putting tape over the signatures, but I did not even try. I figured it’d be more of a pain trying to get the tape to either stay on or take off than to just forge a signature.
It looks as if you use gel ink pens, there is a really tough chance of anyone washing your checks. They seem to be a good ink to use against common chemicals.
Remember if you’re sending checks through the mail there are some precautions you can take to avoid check washing.
Always drop off your checks at the post office, never mail them from your home mailbox.
If you have to send a check, make sure it’s wrapped up nicely.
If you no longer need a check for whatever reason, SHRED IT!!!
One final note, all the checks that kept the back colors/text (the alcohol tests) all changed from a grey to a blue background. What does that mean? There was probably some dye in the paper to guard against this type of attack.

Check Washing Pt. 2 – Acetone Tests

riscphree — Sun, 25 May 2008 23:46:21 +0000

The first tests I did were with the nail polish remover, whose main ingredient is acetone. I soaked each check for 10 minutes in the acetone.

The first check was with the Pentel RSVP pen.

As you can see, I think you’d have a tough time cashing that. Not exactly good results and not to mention that the entire back of the check had turned completely white! All the security stuff was gone, even the line to sign your name!

Second check was with the Pilot G2 Gel pen.

This did a pretty damn fine job. No markings on the front that are totally obvious of washing, I think if I had left it in longer, it might have gotten rid of more of the ink. However, again, the back was completely white, so that isn’t going to work.

I should note that at this time I noticed some red dye in the acetone. I can only think of this as some security dye in the check, however, on this check and the first, neither had any red stains.

And finally, the third and last acetone test, the Bic Round Stic.

Not so great. Kinda suprised me that the cheapest pens available worked pretty decently. Again, the back of the check was completely blank.

Next up, Alcohol tests!–>

Check Washing Pt. 1

riscphree — Sun, 25 May 2008 23:41:08 +0000

When someone on the forums posted about check washing, I knew it was something I had to try. The term has been around for a while but there are less than half a million hits when you search on google for it. The process is actually extremely simple and anyone can do it.

What is check washing? It is simply the process of washing the check in order to get rid of any writing on it to (usually) change the payee and amount.

Understanding why check washing works requries some chemistry knowledge. You first need to know the polarity of the ink that the check is written in. You need to match the polarity of the ink with teh solvent. Unless you have some education in chemistry, you probably won’t know how to figure out the polarity of the dye contained in the ink, and is way beyond the scope of this article.

So thus begins my day of washing checks. I went to the local wallyworld to pick up some supplies.

91% Alcohol (rubbing alcohol)
Nail polish remover (acetone the main chemical)
BIC Round Stic pens
Pentel RSVP pens
Pilot G2 pens
2 aluminium cake pans

Next up, Acetone tests!–>

UPDATE!!!!!! I posted a short post on ink polarity for those interested here: How to determine ink polarity.