ATM fraud leaves councillor traumatised
A VISIT to an ATM last Saturday afternoon turned into a costly and traumatic ordeal for uMhlathuze councillor Tobias Gumede who was defrauded of R8 000.
Gumede went to the Nedbank ATM outside the Lira Link branch in Richards Bay CBD and while attempting to withdraw funds, the machine would not proceed with the transaction.
'An error kept appearing, indicating the wrong amount had been input, so I removed the card and went to the other ATM.
'A man arrived at the machine I was having a problem with, but then suddenly leaned across and swiped something across the screen I was busy with, and walked off.
'A SMS notification then came through on my phone, first indicating a withdrawal of R4 000, then a minute later another R4 000,' Gumede said.
'It happened so fast, by the time I was able to stop the card, the money was already gone.
'This has really left me shocked, and now I have to wait between four and six weeks while the bank investigates the matter; meanwhile I am left without any money.
'I am a community worker and have daily expenses. Much of my work involves travelling, but now I'm in a fix.'
Gumede believes criminals are operating in the area as other people have also been scammed in the same manner.
He was disappointed that there was no urgency in attending to the matter, and he questioned why additional security measures have not been put into place to prevent criminal activities outside the facility, since this was not the first incident.
Richards Bay SAPS Communications Officer, Captain Debbie Ferreira confirmed that ATM fraud cases have been reported and said the public must be extra vigilant when withdrawing money from ATMs.
'It is advisable to always go with someone else to an ATM and if you notice any suspicious activity near the facility, cancel the transaction and leave,' she said.
Via its website, Nedbank confirms that various types of ATM fraud occur, namely card skimming, shoulder surfing and card swapping.
Card skimming is when a fraudster distracts you while you're at the ATM. They remove your card and swipe it through a skimming device, returning it to the ATM without you knowing.
Shoulder surfing happens when someone stands close enough to watch you enter your PIN.
Card swapping is when a fraudster distracts you and swaps your card with one that looks like yours.
It is always good practice to press the 'cancel' button on an ATM before inserting your card into the machine.