DURBAN North SAPS has warned residents to be wary of using isolated ATMs late at night. This comes after a spike in card thefts in uMhlanga. According to Capt Raymond Deokaran, ATM thieves are using the ‘shoulder surfing’ technique to get residents’ pin and also swap cards in the ensuing chaos.

“We’ve had more than six cases in uMhlanga in the last month. I urge residents to be vigilant at ATMs and to never accept any help. It’s believed the suspects ‘shoulder surf’ which is a process where the criminal distracts the card holder as the thief peers over the cardholder’s shoulder. Then as they enter their PIN number the criminal subsequently steals the card itself.

“It’s also important to keep your information confidential and avoid lesser-used ATMs. People are well within their rights to ask someone to step back,” he said.

Deokaran urged residents to register for the notify service, which several banks offer, which automatically sends an SMS to customers when there is any activity on their accounts, such as withdrawals, debit orders and credit-card purchases.