The number of compromised debit cards resulting from skimming activity declined in 2024, but financial institutions and customers should remain vigilant, according to new figures by credit scoring firm FICO.
More than 231,000 debit cards in the U.S. were compromised by skimming in 2024, representing a 24% decrease from the year before, when more than 315,000 cards were affected, according to a FICO blog post. Still, the firm noted that much of that decrease was because of a slowdown in compromise activity during the first half of 2024, with the second half of the year seeing a notable rise in activity.
“Based on preliminary data from the first quarter of 2025, I expect to see continued increases in skimming points of compromise and compromised cards for 2025,” wrote Debbie Cobb, VP for product management at FICO.
While the majority of compromises still occur at nonbank ATMs, bank ATMs currently represent 27% of compromise locations, according to FICO. Among the top states for compromise activity were California, Maryland, Colorado, New Jersey and Virginia.
