M&T Bank Unveils New Anti-Skimming Device

Blocker is designed to deter would-be criminals from tampering with ATMs.

M&T Bank (Buffalo, N.Y., $78 billion in total assets) announced this week it has developed a new anti-skimming device for ATM machines.

Dubbed the "Blocker," it is a protective device which uses coated steel plates around the card reader to deter criminals from attaching their own card reader over the ATM’s card reader, which is how criminals skim data.

M&T said it has applied for patent protection for the Blocker and is willing to make the device available for licensing to the banking and ATM equipment and servicing industry.

"The replica card reader is the most crucial part in skimming," said Michael Shryne, M&T’s senior vice president for Alternative Banking and Retail Services. "Customers don’t realize the ATM has been tampered with because it looks as though nothing has changed on the ATM. This inexpensive new technology improves ATM security by deterring tampering with the bank’s machines." The device was invented by Carolyn Criscitiello, a vice president in Alternative Banking and Retail Services at M&T.

Bryan Yurcan is associate editor for Bank Systems and Technology. He has worked in various editorial capacities for newspapers and magazines for the past 8 years. After beginning his career as a municipal and courts reporter for daily newspapers in upstate New York, Bryan has ... View Full Bio