A thief attempted to rob a young man of his credit card and pin number at the Standard Bank ATM outside BP Drive In Motors on Ballito Drive yesterday.

Service Station owner Hans Jansen van Vuuren said the thief was unsuccessful.

“He approached the man using using the ATM and tried to take his card while saying he was inserting his card incorrectly.

“The guy realised something was wrong before his card could be stolen but the man escaped in his vehicle,” said Jansen van Vuuren.

He said the man was dressed in blue overalls.

“Outfits like this make it easy to change directly after the crime has been committed,” he said.

Photos of the attempted robbery taken with CCTV cameras have been circulating on social media.

The Facebook group Durban Crime n All claimed the thieves were part of a syndicate targeting ATMS at the Ultra City and all along the Dolphin Coast.

Umhlali police spokesperson Vinny Pillay said they were not aware of a syndicate in operation but that ATMs were often targeted by opportunistic criminals.

“You should never allow anyone to see your pin number.

“Treat anyone who offers to help you with suspicion,” said Pillay.

Jansen van Vuuren said they had increased surveillance of the ATMs and the station as a whole.

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