Far more scary then Virus and Spy Ware found on computers is some of the new methods that thieves are using to get debit and credit card information. Credit Card theft is on the rise, and there are even Russian crime rings that will sell valid numbers for extremely cheap. (Under $1.00 each!)

But some of the latest technology is downright sneaky. For the low price of $1600, potential thieves can buy a unit that that sits over the card slot on ATM machines. Using simply wireless technology the magnetic strip on the card is read, transmitted, and captured by thieves sitting nearby. Apparently older models of ATM skimmers simply stored the data until the unit was retrieved, but this allows thieves to get the data right away with little risk.

Luckily a lot of the newer ATMs make these units much harder to install, but it’s only a matter of time before the thieves find a way around that. In the meantime, it’s always worth the time to get a credit check or credit watch. Or better yet another incentive to stop using credit cards and debit cards altogether.