Man used MP3 player to hack ATMs | The Register
A man in Manchester, England has been convicted of using an MP3 player to hack cash machines. Maxwell Parsons, 41, spent £200,000 of other people’s money after using the machine to read card details.
Parsons plugged his MP3 player into the back of free standing cash machines and was able to use it to read data about customers’ cards. That data could then be used to ‘clone’ cards and use them for bogus purchases.
Free-standing machines are typically found in shops and bars, and they allowed Parsons to plug his machine into the back of them in a way that would be impossible in wall mounted dispensers.
The MP3 player recorded customer details as they were transmitted over phone lines to the bank. Tones were read as they were transmitted and used to clone cards.
The case was heard at Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester. Parsons was sentenced to 32 months in prison for the scam. [source]