In the past two weeks there has been a very high volume of ATM (Cash Machine) fraud taking place in the North West London area. This has become a daily occurrence and we feel it’s our Achrayus to inform the Kehilla. With this article we will try and make you aware what to look out for and hopefully prevent you from becoming a victim of this crime.

These frauds are usually committed by organised gangs and they are not the work of individuals. There are a few different ways the criminals work to obtain your card details or money.

The process of any ATM is as follows. The customer enters their card, the machine will prompt for your pin, cash options will then be displayed and selected cash amount you wish to withdraw will then be confirmed. The important part of this process is to note what takes place once you have confirmed the amount to be withdrawn. First your card will be returned, then the cash will be dispensed, and finally if selected you will receive your receipt. 

Note if you have received your receipt and no money has been dispensed you are probably in the process of being scammed (unless you have selected the option for an account balance only). If the customer does not remove their card or cash within a designated time the machine will bleep and swallow and destroy the card and take back the cash.

1. The most common way that the criminals execute this scam, is by placing a piece of plastic over the cash slot (i.e. the slot where the money is dispensed from, on the ATM). This plastic is so well integrated on to the machine that to the untrained eye this looks like a regular fixture. (see picture 2)

When you withdraw your money you receive your card back and receipt. The cash however gets stuck behind plastic. The perpetrators who are often watching the ATM from a distance will then come and remove the plastic strip along with your money. This process only takes them seconds. With this scam neither your card nor pin number is required by the criminals. The banks are unlikely to reimburse your lost funds as they see the transaction took place using the correct pin number, and the victim is still in possession of the bank card.

2. The second scam that is common in the North West London area is as follows. A small camera is concealed in a strip of plastic or covered with duct tape to blend in with the colour of the ATM is placed directly above the keypad of the machine. The camera is constantly recording and therefore captures footage of the pin entered. Also, a fake card slot is placed on top of the machine’s card slot.

When the machine attempts to release the card after the transaction, the card gets caught behind the fake card slot. The ATM user cannot see his card and assumes that the machine has “swallowed” the card. Criminals wait nearby usually with a view of the ATM, and as soon as the machine user has given up and left, they come and collect the card which is hidden in the fake slot and will also have access to the pin number that is caught on the hidden camera. Neither the camera nor the fake slot will be noticed by the untrained eye.

Prevention of ATM Fraud:

Check the machine you are using, always cover your hand as you enter your pin number, and remember without your pin criminals can not obtain your funds.  We do not advise members of the public to remove any devices as they are valuable to the criminals and they will use force to retrieve them. Criminals often attach razor blades to the devices to make it very difficult to remove.  If you think anything is suspicious with an ATM machine in North West London report it immediately Shomrim North West London on our 24 hour hotline 0300 999 1234.

If there is anything unusual about the cash machine report it to Shomrim North West London on the 24 hour hotline 0300 999 1234 immediately. Under no circumstances should members of the public attempt to remove a device as it’s possible the offender may be nearby.

Do not accept help from “well meaning” strangers and never allow yourself to be distracted.

Stand close to the cash machine and always shield the keypad to avoid anyone seeing you enter your PIN.

Leaving a Cash Machine:

Once you have completed a transaction, discreetly put your money and card away before leaving the cash machine.

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