Tips to follow at ATMs this Easter
Scammers and criminals are usually well-dressed, well-spoken and respectable-looking so spotting them can be hard.
The South African Banking Risk Information Centre (SABRIC) has warned residents to be careful when withdrawing money from ATMs.
“ATMs are convenient but unfortunately attract high volumes of people, which in turn, create opportunities for criminals to defraud users, using various tricks,” said SABRIC Nischal Mewalall.
He said scammers and criminals are usually well-dressed, well-spoken and respectable-looking so spotting them can be hard.
“They may even look like a bank official. Never ask anyone to assist you, not even the security guard at the ATM. Rather go inside the bank for help,” said Mewalall.
SABRIC urged residents to:
– Be alert to your surroundings. Do not use the ATM if there are loiterers or suspicious-looking people in the vicinity.
– Be cautious of strangers offering to help as they could be trying to distract you to get your card or PIN.
– Memorise your PIN; never write it down or share it with anyone, not even a family member or bank official.
– Cover the hand you use to punch in your PIN even when alone at the ATM, as some criminals may place secret cameras to observe your PIN.
– Set a daily withdrawal limit that suits your needs to protect yourself if your card and PIN are compromised.
– If you think the ATM is faulty, cancel the transaction immediately and report the fault to your bank.
– If you are disturbed or interfered with while transacting at the ATM, your card may be skimmed by being removed and be put back into the ATM without your knowledge. Cancel the transaction immediately and report the incident using your bank’s stop card toll-free number, which is displayed on all ATMs, as well as on the back of your bank card.
– Know what your ATM should look like so that you can identify any foreign objects attached to it.
Mewalall said residents can use the number at the back of their bank card to report incidents of card skimming.
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