I want to make the community aware of ATM scams so that you don’t become a victim like I have.
When I visited an ATM recently I was second in the queue to draw money.
When it was my turn, l noticed a cellphone was left behind so l called the guy back to give him his cellphone.
His receipt was also still in the slot, so l had to call him back again to hand over the receipt.
But when I put my card in the slot, it was automatically kicked out.
I tried again and punched in my pin, but the same thing happened.
Then out of nowhere the same man suddenly appeared and began pressing buttons on the keypad saying it’s a new upgraded system and has to be constantly refreshed.
He began removing and inserting my card again.
All this time l was trying to get to my card from him and I protested against his help.
He suddenly stepped back so I could resume with my transaction but I realised my card was stolen.
This all happened within a few seconds.
I immediately called my bank to block my card and linked accounts and was assured by the bank’s card division that the last transaction was my own and no money were withdrawn after my last transaction.
However, later on I received an SMS stating that all my funds in my cheque account have been withdrawn and my savings were also transferred into my cheque account and withdrawn leaving me with a balance of R25 in my account.
I am currently in contact with the fraud department trying to retrieve any funds if possible.
Another victim claims to have had a similar experience at another ATM.
The guy trying to assist me had left his car keys behind.
A plea to the community, if you notice the person before you has left any item at the ATM after using it, step away from that ATM and don’t use it.
If possible notify a security officer. Had I been aware of this new type of card theft, I would have been more cautious.
The experience left me quite traumatised therefore, let’s make others aware.
