ATM scam: woman robbed after accepting stranger’s help
A woman has been allegedly conned of R4 000 after accepting help from a man at an Absa ATM in a shopping complex in Midrand, north of Johannesburg.
The unidentified victim said she was about to use the machine when she noticed the man who had used the ATM before her had left his slip behind. She called the man back, and he offered to assist her, as he claimed the machine was “tricky”, Midrand Reporter reported.
It is alleged the victim accepted the suspect’s help and inserted her card into the machine. The machine asked her for her account number and she ignored it. It is unclear why the machine asked for her account number. The ATM then swallowed her card, and she called Absa to ask them to block the card. Meanwhile, the suspect disappeared soon after she ended the call.
After noticing the man had disappeared, she checked her messages and found that R4 000 had been withdrawn from her account.
Midrand Police Station’s head of communications Constable Matome Tlamela said: “We don’t know as yet how the man could’ve stolen the money. However, a common modus operandi is that they use a small machine to swipe your card’s information.”
“It is also unclear as to how he swiped her card, as the victim stated she inserted her card into the machine and the suspect did not touch it. This is a typical case where people are advised to exercise caution when using an ATM,” said Tlamela.
A case of common robbery is under investigation.
Last month, a woman in Krugersdorp, Gauteng warned residents about two “friendly” men who stole her month’s salary three minutes after “assisting” her at an ATM in a shop along Rustenburg Street.
It is believed the woman went back to her vehicle to look for another ATM when the man who was standing in the queue behind her approached her and told her the machine was working again.
“All of a sudden my pin was displayed boldly on the screen,” said the victim.
She repeatedly pressed “cancel”, but her card would not eject. The victim reportedly called the bank to stop her card, which she believed was stuck in the machine at that time, but it was too late. Shortly afterwards, all the money in her account was withdrawn.
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– Caxton News Service
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