Paarl police have issued a warning to members of the public to be extra careful at ATMs in Paarl during the coming festive period.
Police spokesperson Capt Louise du Plessis says ATM fraud incidents are occurring at ATM’s in the malls, shopping centres and bank ATM’s.
Over the past weekend of 28 to 30 October, roughly R50 000 was taken from complainants by ATM fraudsters, according to Du Plessis.
“These fraudsters are generally black males who are well dressed who distract the complainant at the ATM by bumping into them, then swopping the cards or by deliberately pressing digits on the digit pad while the complainant is busy inserting his/her card.
“The other method is where the fraudsters tell the victim the ATM is broken after the screen goes blank. The card is then never returned to the complainant.”
Follow these guidelines to keep your funds save:. Never withdraw money alone at an ATM. If you are alone it’s best to ask the security or a bank assistant to stand by you.. Make sure that your surroundings are safe before inserting our card.. If you feel unsafe at an ATM, rather withdraw cash from a till point at a shopping mall.. Immediately block your card with your bank as soon as someone attempts to interrupt the withdrawal you were making.
