ATM scammers failed to defraud hackers at Defcon conference

According to IDG news service, criminals running an ATM card-skimming scam made a big mistake in trying to hit the Defcon hacker conference in Las Vegas, which was kicking off a few days ago. A senior conference organizer who identified himself only as Priest said that attendees noticed that at ATM placed in the Riviera Hotel, which plays host to the annual event, didn't quite look right. When people would put their cards in the machine, it would scan their card information and record the PIN numbers they entered.

Once the criminal records the card information and PIN number, he can use that to create a fake ATM card and then empty the victim`s account. Conference organizers notified local law enforcement who hauled away the machine on "Thursday or Friday," said Priest. Credit card skimmers, small devices installed on top of card readers to steal information, and fake ATM machines are a common problem.

The criminals were smart enough to install their ATM in one of the few spots in the hotel where there was no security camera to catch them, but they probably didn`t realize that the hotel was soon going to be flooded with more than 8,000 security professionals, he added.