ATM-Crime Alert
BEFORE YOU BANK
• 'Your eyes are your first tool of self-defence,' says Sanette Smit, COSMO's self-defence expert. 'Look out for people or cars close to the ATM.'
• Be alert at an ATM if the surrounding ones are out of order.
• ATMs in shopping centres are often in secluded corners or on the bottom floor of the mall, says Smit. Only use them at busy times when there are people around.
• Never leave your car ignition running or doors unlocked while you quickly run to an outside ATM.
• Keep your daily card limit as low as possible to reduce the amount that can be withdrawn if your card is stolen, says Pierre Steyn, managing director of the South African Banking Risk Information Centre.
• Set up Internet banking. You can see when fraudulent trans¬actions are made early on, instead of waiting for your monthly bank statement.
• Use debit and petrol cards to avoid carrying a lot of cash. Cash cannot be recovered but cards can be cancelled.
• Don't respond to unsolicited e-mails that require your bank¬ account number or personal details, even if you do bank with that institution.
• Don't tell anyone your PIN number.
WHILE YOU'RE BANKING
• 'While you're using the ATM, ignore all distractions, such as people asking for help at the next ATM,' says Smit. While you look away, your card can be swapped.
• Check that you leave the ATM with your own card.
• Put your money away as soon as it comes out of the machine. Count your notes later and keep the receipt – you don't want anyone picking it up and seeing what transactions you've made.
• Be conscious of your body language. 'You need to appear strong and confident,' says Smit.
• If you notice anything suspicious, cancel your trans¬action and leave,' says Inspector Bernadine Steyn of the South African Police Service. Should anyone fol¬low you after you've made a transaction, go to a crowded area or into the nearest shop.
• Try not to use ATMs at night. If you must, take a friend with you.
• If you are attacked from behind while using an ATM,' says Smit, 'grab his groin and twist and pull, or hit him with your elbow.'
• If somebody in front of you is attacked and you're trained in self-defence, help the person, says Smit. However, if the attacker is armed or seems to have accomplices nearby, assess the situation carefully. In this case, it might be better to hand over your cash and belongings.
For more information about self-defence workshops, call Sanette Smit on (021) 461 0036 or 082 415 3960, or visit www.selfdefence.co.za.
WISE UP ON THE LATEST ATM SCAMS:
A small object (such as a paperclip or piece of cardboard) is inserted into the card slot so that, when you push your card in, it appears to get swallowed, though really it's stuck. Then various scenarios are possible.
The criminal, seeing your distress, offers to call the bank from his cell phone. But the 'bank official' you reach is in fact an accomplice who asks for your PIN number to cancel the card. You leave the ATM, mistakenly thinking your account has been closed. The criminal then retrieves the card with a pair of tweez¬ers and can draw money from your account.
Or the criminal pretends to be a bank official who has come to help you because your card has been 'swallowed'. He tells you to key in your PIN number and then press 'cancel' to close the account. He will have seen your number and, when you leave, be able to use it with the card retrieved from the slot.
Sometimes nobody needs to ask for your PIN number. Instead, a home-made card reader is taped to the card slot with a white tube – which is actually a camera pointing towards the keypad. If you move away, assuming your card has been swallowed, the crim¬inal can retrieve it and get your PIN number from the camera.
LOST-CARD EMERGENCY NUMBERS:
Absa: 0800 111 155
Nedbank: 0800 110 929
FNB: 0800 110 132
Standard Bank: (0II) 241-1111