ATM robberies on the rise
According to The South African Banking Risk Information Centre (SABRIC), there has been a 9.6 percent increase in the number of people robbed on their way to deposit, or after withdrawing, money.
Following an ATM robbery at the Eastgate Shopping Centre on March 13, Ms Fatima Franks, a Bedfordview resident, shared her experience.
“I want to inform residents of an incident that happened at a bank in Eastgate. My daughter Nicole, and I, went to a local bank. Nicole has an international bank card because she works in Dubai. She was going to withdraw money to deposit into another bank account,” said Ms Franks.
“We were being watched by two men. A man stole Nicole’s card and managed to see her pin number. Everything happened within three seconds. When we realised what had happened, I ran into the bank and asked if I could use the phone to block the card,” said Ms Franks.
“The lady at the enquiries desk refused and we had to run to a different shop and buy airtime to block the card. By then, the suspects were able to withdraw quite a bit of money from Park Meadows,” said Ms Franks.
“We went to complain to the manager of security at the centre. They looked at the footage and noticed that the men had been waiting before we arrived. We went back to the bank and we were told we should be careful because it happens a lot. My concern is that when this incident happened, we had very little help,” said Ms Franks.
“We were devastated that they did not help us just because it was an international card. The woman who works at the bank said this has happened to a lot of people. We went and opened a case at the Bedfordview Police Station,” she said.
Anyone can be a victim of ATM robberies.
The National SAPS provided the following steps to decrease the chances of being a victim of ATM robberies:
- Be alert and conscious of your surroundings when using the ATM.
- Never give your card or Personal Identification Number (PIN) to anyone, for any reason.
- Do not write your PIN number on the card or anything that is kept with the card.
- Do not insert your card until asked to do so by the display screen.
- Never use an ATM with a blank screen and, if the ATM is obscured from view or poorly lit, leave immediately and find another ATM.
- Stand close to the ATM and use your body and hands as shields to make sure nobody sees you keying in your PIN number.
- Also, make sure you keep your hand over the card slot to make sure nobody can swop or take your card.
- Never accept help from strangers when using an ATM. You should be wary of strangers asking for help.
- Criminals work in teams – one to distract you while the other steals your card or money.
- If your card is retained (swallowed) by the ATM, it is advisable to phone your bank’s toll-free stop-card line immediately and stop your card.
- Never allow a bystander to call the toll-free stop-card line on your behalf – they could be tricking you into thinking your card has been stopped.
- Guards are placed at ATMs to discourage criminal activities and therefore cannot help you with transactions.
- If you need help, ask a bank official.
- It is advisable to set a daily ATM withdrawal limit at your branch.
According to The South African Banking Risk Information Centre (SABRIC), there has been a 9.6 percent increase in the number of people robbed on their way to deposit, or after withdrawing, money.
Mr Kalyani Pillay, SABRIC’s CEO, said the year-on-year increase of robberies is responsible for losses of more than R10-million.
Mr Pillay warned the public that they should try to limit the amount of cash they carried with them and wherever possible, make use of alternative payments systems, such as debit orders or electronic fund transfers (EFTs).
Save your bank’s phone number on your phone in case you experience a problem at the ATM, or if your card is lost or stolen.
The numbers to call are:
- ABSA 0800 111 155.
- African Bank 0861 000 555
- Albaraka Bank 0860 225 786
- Bank Of Athens 011 833 2117
- Bidvest Bank 0860 111 177
- Capitec Bank 0860 102 043
- Citi Bank 1800 950 5114
- FNB 0800 110 132
- Investec Bank 011 286 9663
- Mercantile Bank 0860 119 925
- NEDBANK 0800 110 929
- Standard Bank 0800 020 600
- SA POST OFFICE or POST BANK 0800 535 455
- Ubank 0860 00 8322
