The Bank Customer Experience Podcast is kicking off 2026 with an episode on new ATM fraud methods and how to prevent them. Podcast host Bradley Cooper spoke with Michael Strange, director of technology services, Cook Solutions Group and Alyssa Luecke, fintech solutions consultant, Cook Solutions Group on this evergreen topic, as criminal groups never stop innovating when it comes to breaking into ATMs.

Strange said that the biggest method we are seeing is a resurgence of jackpotting attacks that is being driven in part by "complacency" on the part of financial institutions. In some cases, the criminal groups are still using decades old techniques, while others are taking advantage of vulnerabilities with PCI ports.

Some financial institutions have responded to these threats through various gadgets such as alarms. However, Strange pointed out that many times there aren't any procedures in place on how to handle security events. For example, someone might take the top hat off the ATM, which activates the alarm, then they replace it. The financial institution will consider it a false alarm and ignore it when the criminal comes back again to actually finish the jackpotting attack.

To address these issues, Strange and Luecke emphasized the importance of overlapping security measures from object detection on cameras to alarms and encryption and more.

Strange and Luecke also discussed:

• How Cook Solutions Group is working with the U.S. Secret Service.
• The best security practices for banks.
• The strangest ATM attacks of 2025.
• What banks can expect in 2026.

Listen to the podcast in its entirety above.