[www.keralites.net] Beware of con men at ATMs

Beware of con men at ATMs

By MD RASOOLDEEN | ARAB NEWS Published: Oct 16, 2010 00:08 Updated: Oct 16, 2010 00:08 RIYADH: The Riyadh police warned Friday all citizens and residents to be aware of con artists who target members of the public after they withdraw money from automated teller machines (ATM) in the capital. The public warning was issued after a man was arrested for allegedly duping a customer into believing that he was a bank officer who was there to offer a helping hand to those who do not know how to use the ATMs. According to police, the suspect preyed on elderly and vulnerable customers. "The criminals wait for such customers, approach the victim and take his PIN number while claiming that they want to help them. Then they deliberately perform an unsuccessful transaction and give the customer another fake card asking him to contact the bank," a police spokesman said. As soon as they possess the card and the relevant PIN number, the victim's money is transferred to another bank account that is difficult to be tracked. ATM cardholders can withdraw a maximum of SR5,000 every 24 hours. According to the police, such criminals have carried out similar operations in Riyadh , Dammam and Jeddah and siphoned off more than half a million riyals from the bank accounts of innocent customers. Member of the public have been warned to keep away from those who talk to them while carrying out ATM transactions. Unsure customers were advised to contact their banks directly to avoid falling into the trap of criminals who prowl near ATMs looking for their next victims. Customers duped by these unscrupulous con men can call the police who are keen to crack down on this type of ATM fraud. Since 1990, all ATM cards are linked to the Saudi Payments Network (SPAN), managed by the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA).  SPAN cards, ATMs and POS terminals, have been increasing on an annual basis. There are now more than 9,500 ATMs and 76,000 POS terminals connected to the network. In 2008, transactions that went through SPAN were more than 459 million, amounting to SR235 billion ($62.4 billion).