STRATEGIC PARTNERS
December 12, 2001
More than $30,000 has been stolen from Irish bank customers since August in a rash of ATM-related thefts as bank officials work with Irish police to bring an end to the situation.
Bank officials have asked Irish ATM customers to use machines located in enclosed places, including bank lobbies, retail outlets, and gas stations. Customers are also advised to shield their PIN numbers when they are being typed into the ATM.
According to the London Sunday Times, three categories of ATM fraud have been discovered. Thieves are placing magnetic ribbons into ATM card slots to disable the machines. They wait nearby as unsuspecting customers place cards in the machines, type in their PIN numbers, then leave in disgust thinking the machine has eaten their cards. The thieves, having memorized the PIN number, retrieve the card and go to another ATM to access the customer's funds.
Another method involves using surveillance equipment to record customers typing in their PIN numbers, then pick-pocketing them later to steal the debit card.
A third method involves placing a device inside a card slot that memorizes the PIN number as the card is swiped through. The information is then copied onto a blank card and used to access accounts.
Irish police officials have already taken steps to combat credit-card forgery. In May, a group of thieves with credit-card forging equipment were arrested in Finglas, located north of Dublin. In early September, eight more people were arrested in Dublin; forgery equipment and blank cards were confiscated when those arrests were made.
Trevor McEvoy, Allied Irish Bank spokesman, told the Sunday Times ATM customers need to practice discretion when making transactions.
"The public must be aware of other people standing around or queuing when using an ATM," McEvoy said. "People have become far too careless and therefore vulnerable."
