Computers also make more mundane types of fraud possible. Take the automated teller machine (ATM) through which many people now get cash. In order to access an account, a user supplies a card and personal identification number (PIN). Criminals have developed means to intercept both the data on the card's magnetic strip as well as the user's PIN. In turn, the information is used to create fake cards that are then used to withdraw funds from the unsuspecting individual's account. In 1999 there were 251 reported cases of ATM fraud in the United States; in 2002 the New York Times reported that more than 21,000 American bank accounts had been skimmed by a single group engaged in acquiring ATM information illegally. A particularly effective form of fraud has involved the use of ATMs in shopping centres and convenience stores. These machines are free-standing and not physically part of a bank. Criminals can easily set up a machine that looks like a legitimate machine; instead of dispensing money, however, the machine gathers information on users and only tells them that the machine is out of order after they have typed in their PINs. Given that ATMs are the preferred method for dispensing currency all over the world, ATM fraud has become an international problem with multiple solutions. In August 2003 an individual in Australia pleaded guilty to stealing $A 623,000 from bank customers by using a small camera and an electronic recording device at multiple ATMs. Australia is now considering a ban on the purchase of equipment that criminals might use in ATMs to defraud customers. However, the range of equipment under consideration is quite large and useful for a variety of legitimate purposes as well.
