ATM Fraud and Robberies on the increase

I was scared to da bone when someone was telling me how her co-worker was kidnapped till the kidnappers could withdraw all the money in her bank account.

I dropped some friends at challenge around 6am on Saturday morning, One wanted to withdraw some cash with 5 others waiting to withdraw from the same ATM. That was how robbers attacked them and forced them to withdraw to the limit which is $100,000.00 each.

The one envogue now is kidnapping. The robbers will kidnap their victim ‘Usually in public transports’, take them to an unknow place collect their ATM and PIN and continue withdrawing till the account is empty before they release the victim. I can imagine you thinking ‘I’ll give them wrong PIN‘. Don’t even try that, the man that did it was shot on the leg without a medical attention, I don’t know if he died or survived the gunshot.

Assuming you have N1M in your account, they’ll hold you for 10 days while they withdraw N100,000.00 daily till they empty your account. Isn’t this worse than robbery? Robbers only still what they can get from you at that moment but this ATM robbers wrecks your account.

There is also this case of ATM fraud via internet and sms. You’ll get email or sms asking you to update your ATM details or it’ll be blocked, suspended or whatever, please delete such mails/text interswitch will never ask you to do that, if you need to update anything, you must do it through your bank right inside the banking hall.

My suggestion is; have more than one bank account, carry the ATM of the one u have less money in, just the money you think you might need for that day, do not carry more than you’ll need. If you are attacked, just obey them, do whatever they want, after all your life is more important. As for the internet/sms fraud, disregard them or better still, verify from your bank before taking any action.

Safeguard your ATM! if you have more tips, please share!

-Joke

It was suggested that if thieves attack you at ATM point and ask you to withdraw, enter your PIN backwards and that will alert the police and they’ll come and arrest the thieves. Natoday?

If it were to be true in Nigeria, when the ATM sends the Alert to the nearest Police station, the officer in charge will hiss, “this ATM thieves sef, abeg make una allow me chop my bolkoto finish”. Then he’ll remember therez no fuel in their jalopy 504. He’ll send a Junior officer to go and buy 1 gallon, about 1hr later, u’ll see them jumping off their 504 shouting ‘Wey them wey them’, they’ll arrest everyone there even the bank security men. If u were patient to wait and identify your self as the victim, they’ll ask “Oga, na u be the thief abi na u dem thief?” by then, the robber must have long gone and probably finished the money” Oga, why u no hold am, how u go allow thief escape like that? now u make us waste fuel come here, i no even chop my food finish, Oga oya pay for our fuel and my food now, when we reach station, u go write statement and settle my Ogas”

-Keep Smiling