A GLENASHLEY man’s morning got off to a rocky start today as he believes he was nearly scammed at the FNB ATM located at a shopping centre in Glenashley.
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Peter Coyne told Northglen News that he noticed something strange after performing the transaction which made him suspicious.
“Firstly, the cash was ejected first instead of the card. Then I was asked to punch in my cellphone number which has never happened before,” said Coyne.
Coyne’s suspicion heightened when a man in red overalls suddenly appeared out of nowhere and asked him to put in his cellphone number or cancel the transaction.
“He was persistent. I had to swear at him to so he would leave me alone, but then another man appeared in casual clothes and also insisted that I punch in my cell number or swipe my card on the right-hand side of the machine.”
ALSO READ: Be vigilant at ATMs, warns Redhill resident
After finally getting rid of the men, Coyne cancelled his card at the ATM.
“It was 7.10 in the morning so it was very quiet but a bystander saw what was happening and approached me to help. He told me those men were scammers and I should go to a bank to make sure that no unauthorised transactions were performed.”
Coyne said staff at the bank told him that his card had been cancelled and there were no other unwarranted transactions.
“The staff were very helpful and said they would escalate the matter to their fraud department,” said Coyne.
“This really could have turned into a terrible situation and I’m thankful that it didn’t. We all need to be careful at any ATM,” he added.
FNB offers the following tips when using an ATM:
Do
- Report suspicious items or people around ATMs to the bank.
- Familiarise yourself with the look and feel of the ATM so that you are able to identify any foreign objects attached to it.
- Follow the instructions on the ATM screen carefully.
- Cancel the transaction immediately if you are disturbed or distracted.
- Change your PIN if you believe it has been compromised.
- Memorise your PIN and keep it confidential, never write it down or share it with anyone, not even with your family members or a bank official.
- Choose a PIN that will not be easily guessed. Do not use your date of birth as a PIN.
- Cover your PIN when punching it in to prevent shoulder surfing.
- Secure your card and your cash in your wallet, handbag or pocket before leaving the ATM.
- Should your card be retained by an ATM, contact your bank and block your card before you leave the ATM.
Don’t
- Do not request or accept help from anyone outside the branch.
- Never force your card into the slot as it might have been tampered with.
- Don’t use ATMs where the card slot, keypad or screen has been tampered with.
- Avoid withdrawing large sums of cash.
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