Public warned about savvy ATM criminals
The bank card of a man was grabbed from the ATM while he was busy withdrawing cash, on June 4.
The Benoni SAPS urged the public to be careful when withdrawing cash from ATMs after the incident, which occurred at a petrol station on Fifth Avenue, in Northmead.
Lieut Nomsa Sekele, Benoni SAPS spokesperson, said the victim had trouble making the withdrawal, after which he was approached by an unknown man.
“The unknown male came to him and told him to cancel the transaction,” she said.
“When the card came out (the suspect) grabbed it and ran away.
“The complainant later received three messages, each alerting him to a withdrawal made from his account.”
At the time of publishing, the police were looking for one male suspect and no arrests had been made.
Sekele urged anyone who has been a victim of ATM theft or has information regarding ATM-related crimes to come forward and for members of the public not to accept assistance from strangers while withdrawing cash.
“Be careful of the sounds the keypad makes when someone is near and keep the pad covered while typing in your pin,” said Sekele.
