STRATEGIC PARTNERS
December 30, 2001
EDINBURGH, Scotland -- Sir George Mathewson, the multi-millionaire chairman of the Royal Bank of Scotland, fell for one of the oldest scams in the book at one of his own ATMs last week.
Mathewson was withdrawing cash from a Royal Bank machine in London when two men approached him from behind. The men noted Mathewson's PIN, then tapped him on the shoulder to tell him he had dropped a five-pound note (approximately $7.07.) When Mathewson bent down to pick up the supposedly spilled money, the men grabbed his card and fled.
In ATM circles, this practice is commonly known as "shoulder surfing." It is one of the most low tech types of ATM crime.
A Royal Bank spokeswoman said that Mathewson, who notified the police of the theft right away, didn't actually lose any money.
