Cash Machine Fraud

Cash machines are generally very safe but they sometimes attract criminal attention so you still need to follow common sense precautions when withdrawing cash.  To minimise your chances of someone stealing your card or card details at a cash machine:

• Put your personal safety first. If someone makes you feel uncomfortable cancel the transaction and use a different machine.
• If you spot anything unusual about the cash machine, or there are signs of tampering, do not use it. Report it to the bank concerned immediately.
• Be alert.  If someone is crowding or watching you, cancel the transaction and go to another machine. Do not accept help from seemingly well-meaning strangers and never allow yourself to be distracted.
• Stand close to the cash machine. Always shield the keypad with your free hand and your body to avoid anyone seeing you enter your PIN.
• Once you have completed a transaction put your money and card away before leaving the cash machine. If the cash machine does not return your card, report its loss immediately to your card company. Destroy or preferably shred your cash machine receipt, mini-statement or balance enquiry when you dispose of them.

Fact:

There were more than 62,000 cash machines in the UK at the end of 2009. Britons make the largest number of cash machine withdrawals of any country in the EU – 2.9 billion transactions in total in 2009 – worth over £193 billion.  The busiest day of the week at cash machines is Friday while the average amount we withdraw from a bank-owned machine is £67.