At first glance, a simple ATM withdrawal might seem like any other routine transaction.

But what one Aussie discovered recently could have serious implications for anyone using ATMs across the country.

What she uncovered is raising alarms about a hidden threat that many may never notice.


Victoria Devine, a well-known wealth podcaster, recently uncovered a credit card skimmer at an ATM.

She also discovered a hidden camera at the same machine, located outside the Dromana Hub Shopping Centre in Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.

Ms Devine discovered the device on Monday after noticing something unusual about the machine.


She had placed her finger beneath the light shining over the keypad, which revealed the hidden camera.

'There's a little camera, it records you putting in your pin code in and then the scammers come and collect this information,' she said in social media video.

'They look at the video of you putting your pin code in and time stamp it and match it with when they skim your credit card information. So this is really scary and also something to be aware of.'


She also noticed that the plastic card holder next to the keypad was sticking out and the plastic frame around the keypad was raised.

'That means that there's some overlay on it so that is something that gave it away for me,' she explained.

'This is called a deep insert skimmer and I tried to pull it off and I was unable to. This is how scary it is because that looks really legitimate.'

As a retired financial adviser, Ms Devine pointed out how difficult it is for most people to spot these well-hidden credit card skimmers in ATMs.

She warned against using third-party ATMs or point-of-sale systems found at places like petrol stations.

'This was an ATM that wasn't bank affiliated. If it's bank-affiliated, it's usually slightly safer because they have higher standards of checking,' she explained.


Ms Devine advised people to cover their hands when entering their PIN code and to change it immediately if they suspected they had used an ATM with a skimmer.

Many social media users thanked Ms Devine for sharing the video and offered their own experiences of credit card fraud.

'This is scary! Thank you so much for sharing and for the advice,' one commenter wrote.

Another shared their experience: 'My husband had his card skimmed at an ATM near Richmond train station in Melbourne. Be safe out there.'

'I had a card compromised two months ago and it was likely in the area because I don't pull cash out often and am usually local,' said another user.

Several others mentioned how they had become more cautious when using ATMs, implementing additional protective measures for their banking details.

'I’m always suspicious of those ATM's in shopping centres and [it] is exactly the reason why I always use [the] cardless cash feature,' a person commented.


Ms Devine took the matter seriously, contacting Next Payments, the owner of the ATM, and reporting it to Victoria Police.

Next Payments and Victoria Police have been contacted for further comment.

If anyone suspects their credit card has been skimmed, Ms Devine strongly advised them to contact their bank right away to request a new card or PIN code.

She also suggested that people use a different bank card for withdrawing cash, one that does not contain all their life savings.


Watch her full video below.




Have you ever noticed anything suspicious at an ATM or been targeted by a scam? Share your experiences in the comments below.