Luck runs out for bank card thieves who picked on an old man

A gang of three alleged bank card thieves ran out of luck when they were caught on December 2 after stealing an elderly man’s bank card at an ATM.

Information gathered indicates that the unsuspecting man was at the ATM at the Lakedene Shell petrol station in Benoni when the gang approached him.

The suspects were seen driving towards Boksburg, unbeknownst to them that security officers were following them after the victim alerted them to the incident.

Instead of stopping the suspects’ vehicle, the officers decided to attempt capturing the suspects in the act of withdrawing money from the victim’s account.

They stayed on the suspects’ tail until they reached The Square Shopping Centre in Rietfontein Road, Boksburg.

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One of the suspects was reportedly seen alighting from the car and going to the ATM, to withdraw money from the victim’s account.

It was at that point that the officers swooped on the suspects and caught two of them. The third one managed to flee. It is still unclear if money was withdrawn from the victim’s card.

The alleged bank cards thieves ran out of luck when they were caught as they were trying to withdraw money from an ATM at The Square Shopping Centre. 

They were found with about eight other bank cards and cellphones.

Officers from various local police units, security companies and the EMPD also arrived at the scene in Boksburg.

The Boksburg North SAPS spokesperson, Sergeant Justice Ramaube, confirmed the incident and said the suspects would be charged accordingly.

“It will be checked whether the suspects are linked to other related incidents,” he said.

Police are tracking the third suspect down.

The officers, who asked not to be identified, said the plan was to ensure that they gather the necessary evidence and recover the victim’s card.

Modus operandi

Ramaube said it is believed criminals steal bank cards by swapping them from unsuspecting bank cardholders at ATMs.

The Banking Association of South Africa warned that the most prevalent modus operandi involves the use of a card skimming device to fraudulently copy the bank card holder’s bank details.

In this way, they are able to gain access to people’s bank accounts after stealing the card.

The association explained that criminals need a combination of the magnetic-strip information at the back of the card and the PIN to carry out fraud.

The association warned cardholders to always keep their eyes on the card when making transactions, and also to make sure to inspect the ATM for any strange objects to ensure that their card is not skimmed.

Customers should also make it a practice to cover the PIN pad.

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