NATIONAL Police in Spain have given advice on their Twitter account as to how to avoid fraud when using cashpoint machines.
Nowadays, given that the public's use of notes and coins is much more reduced than pre-pandemic, ATM machines are more likely to be used to check balance, pay bills using a barcode, make transfers or move money between accounts.
Cover the keypad when entering your PIN, even if there's nobody else about (photo by the National Police on Twitter - @policia)
The majority have a contactless facility, meaning customers' cards are not inside a slot when they are using the cashpoint, making theft less likely and eliminating the crisis caused by a card being 'swallowed up by the machine' – a particularly tiresome situation when the bank branch is shut, and over weekends.
All this has made life more difficult for fraudsters, but having to still use a PIN to access services means there is still potential for organised crime gangs to find ways of breaking into someone's financial details and extracting funds.
Police say anyone using a cashpoint should look for one which is well lit-up if it is night-time.
Generally, this will already be the case with ATM machines inside bank branch foyers, which will also have CCTV to capture any suspicious activity, but if you need to use a 'hole in the wall' on a street, look for one in a brightly-illuminated area, as near to a lamp-post as possible.
This will make it harder for thieves to hide in the shadows, and also make CCTV footage easier to examine.
Also, National Police say, cashpoint users should look out for any strange objects or any unfamiliar features.
Typical ones might be a micro-camera or mirror above the keypad, or a sudden flashing light whilst the ATM is in use, or other 'appendages' on the machine that do not have an obvious function.
Thirdly, cover the keypad with your spare hand when typing in your PIN, police say.
This prevents anyone standing near you from seeing it, and stops hidden devices affixed to the machine from recording your movements to get your PIN number.
You should also do this when entering a PIN in a card-reader in a shop – retailers will pointedly look away, for your own peace of mind, but if another customer behind you is standing too close, ask them politely to step away.
If they refuse or ignore you, the shop assistant should step in on your behalf, although most members of society realise standing back from a card-reader someone else is using is purely 'shopping etiquette'.
Any suspected cases of fraud connected to your bank account, cashpoint use or card should be reported immediately, either to the National Police on 091 or via the emergency services helpline, 112, where several languages are spoken upon request.
Banks should also be contacted, and should have a 24-hour telephone number to enable you to do so, although most will expect a police report before taking action such as blocking payments or issuing refunds.
This is not the case if you call to cancel or block your card, though, as banks will do so straight away on request.
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