PETER STEPHENSON from Croydon writes:
Your article about the ATM scam refers. This happens far too often, but to those who have not been scammed, it may seem the victims have been a bit naïve and gullible.
Not so. We are dealing with thoroughly trained experts with acting skills that outperform Hollywood stars.
Thieves have far more expertise on the technicalities of ATM’s than bank employees have. My bank has not the foggiest on how thieves can prevent the ATM accepting a card, yet thieves can insert and remove cards at will.
That they can remove the card down their sleeve is a well practised art. And how do they get the pin number? I don’t know this, but it seems they don’t work alone.
Also read:
Your “helper” of course looks away while you wrestle with all the new instructions he is giving you, but that harmless looking fellow standing a few metres away is seeing more than you think.
Of course these instructions are carefully designed to confuse you. We are dealing with expert thieves, not idiots.
Some of these thieves look like professional business men, some dress as bank employees. Of course you feel saved after the ATM would not take your card and this ever so helpful and smiling bank employee comes to sort it all out.
Some ATM’s have guards watching them some of the time. Is it coincidence or engineered that the guard pops off to the loo just before the thief makes his play?
Yes, even the sharpest among you are still vulnerable, but as soon as you realise you have been had, get your card stopped. These thieves have already worked out a route and fast transport to another ATM.
My last card was cancelled within minutes of me realising they had it and still they got away with as much as the ATM would give them. At least the R40 000 odd can be prevented.
My last episode was supposedly recorded on camera, but the bank would not let me see the recording. It was reported to the police who gave me a case number.
So what happened then? Absolutely zilch, nothing. No help from the police or bank other than blocking my card.
From kids to grannies, you are on your own.
