ATM Fraud

jezza wrote:

A.I.B are stupid.

No, their customers are. I am nearly the only person Ive ever seen giving the card slot a feel, tugging the panelling to check if its loose, then covering with my hand as I enter the PIN. I do it every time. I even requested a new card after using an ATM in town when I was locked that looked mighty suspicious (due to me being pissed I foolishly used it regardless)

It was a BOI machine in Westmoreland Street. When I told AIB of why i wanted my card cancelled/replaced and the reason, they didnt even ask where the ATM I used actually was so they could check it I know its a rival bank but still, come on!

But as said I am utterly paranoid regarding security. I once dropped out of a queue Id been in for 10 mins for an ATM when I noticed two black lads standing around 8 feet from the ATM, outside the queue. Normally I wouldnt think twice, but what arose my suspicion was that they were chatting mostly in English out loud, casual chat about whatever, work, what they did last night etc. But every so often they would say a line or two in their native language. Their chat in their native language increased when they saw me glancing at them. I immediately left the queue, returned a minute later and the lads had scarpered. Could be coincidence but you cant be too careful (and before the racism cries sound, it wasnt racism, it was common sense. If you saw four Asians walking around the tube with backpacks the day after the London attacks you would be suspicious, and in the same way if you see two foreign lads acting suspiciously near an ATM you notice it too)

Nala wrote:

My aunt works for a large security company and told me that 60% of the atms in this country are rigged, she said that it is mostly non-nationals that do it and that should I ever be going to use an atm and see any non-nationals standing nearby, or sitting in a car, that look anyway suspicious, to not use that machine.

this is freaking me out !!!

Lex_Diamonds wrote:

Sounds like racist scaremongering to me. "And the black people secretly inject aids into you while you are waiting for a bus!"

Do they !!??

Thats it I am never using the Buses again !

Lex_Diamonds wrote:

Sounds like racist scaremongering to me. "And the black people secretly inject aids into you while you are waiting for a bus!"

Sounds like bury-head-in-sand syndrome to me

The reason Id be more suspicious of a pair of Africans standing beside an ATM as opposed to Irish lads is that, for whatever reason, Irish criminals simply seem unable to do this scam as good as the foreigners. I dont have the stats to hand, but the fact is that the vast majority of ATM scams, credit card skimming in restaurents etc is done by foreigners, usually either Romanian or Nigerian people. Im merely taking a precaution against what a disproportionate amount of their people are involved in. The vast majority are not involved but you still cant be too careful. If I was a Nigerian living in Ireland id be wary of my countryfolk scamming my ATM. The fact is most of them are fine, its the minority (as for gypsies from Eastern Europe I know one or two. You certainly have to watch your back, but theyre nowhere near as dangerous or sneaky as the Irish travellers Ive met)

Id apply the same logic as to how Id risk-assess the Irish. If Im walking in the North Inner city and I see a crowd of five Irish young lads approach me, I get ready mentally for a fight. Im ready, I have my fist clenched. I dont need a fight, but I realise theres a tiny possibility that one will occur because they dont know me, and thus I need to be ready. Me refusing them a fag could kick off a bout in which I would probably get a good kicking, but if I have to take a beating, I wouldnt mind smashing a nose or two before finally falling. The foreigners do the racial assesment thing too. Ive often seen Africans either give me an odd look or bow their head when they pass me. Why? Because they see a young white Irishman wearing a tracksuit, walking around a rough area, and they think Im a risk. Im certainly no threat to them, but I cant say Im offended, its the same as I do to them at ATMS.

However, if I see a group of 4 or 5 Chinese lads I dont get ready for a fight. The reason being that from the Chinese I know most of them are very law abiding and cause no trouble (its actually amazing to me that the Triads are the strongest foreign crime group in Ireland. I only ever knew one Chinese skanger, and he was born/raised here, the rest all seem so law abiding and work themselves to death its almost unimaginable that they would engage in serious crime). Group of ex Soviets approaching? Yes, Im on possible row alert, primarily because the Poles/Lithuanians etc are so like the Irish they need the same guard to be kept. As for the Africans it depends, if they look tough I prepare for battle, if they dont then I dont bother.

Lex_Diamonds wrote:

Yeah I understand what you are saying, im not denying the assertion that the majority of atm fraud is carried out by non-nationals.

It was just the nature of the paragraph I quoted, kind of a whisper in your ear, cant be quite verified urban legend type deal that seems designed to undermine opinions of foreign nationals over here in general.

It mighta sounded like scaremongering but the aunt in question is pretty straightforward and not one for making things up or gossiping. And she isn't in any way racist either. But the fact of the matter is, it is mostly non-nationals that do it.

I completely agree with BizMaker on this one, every single news report I've seen on atm skimming has involved either eastern europeans, or nigerians being prosecuted.. Not once have I heard about an Irish person being prosecuted for skimming, so either we're a lot better at it or not involved as much. I'd go for the latter. It's not racist, it's just common sense ffs..

put the money under your mattress and you'll be better off. at least you can bate em if they try and rob you that way. the banks are only a shower anyway..