It was a great pain not to have the opportunity to post on my birthday, but thanks to all the folks on facebook, the made a great difference.

Ok, yours may not be a direct fake but then, the person with the original should be able to withdraw at ease, ok?. What happens if someone uses your ATM number/card to make transaction and it was not yours? It was not a joke, but then our first reaction was to laugh. We were brainstorming on developing targeted market penetration strategy for one of our products in the office when the phone of one of my colleagues beeped.

“What kind of nonsense is this?” can you imagine I’m receiving a text saying I just withdrew

NGN20, 000 through the ATM?”

Just as he was saying that, another text came in saying another NGN20, 000 has been lifted from the same ATM machine He quickly rushed to his car, where his Diamond Bank ATM was and while bringing the ATM card into the office, he received 2 other messages of NGN20, 000 each again. The scammer eventually lifted NGN85, 000 from the account; an act which we later found out was from Okota in Isolo, while we were in Lekki.

The bank insisted the transaction was made with his ATM but admitted they could not explain how he got to Lekki with his ATM in 20minutes, if he made the withdrawal in Zenith bank branch in Isolo. That was the only saving grace. He probably could have been arrested for carrying a fake ATM card; at least the “owner” now has the money! lol

But then, with the introduction of the new technology, “yahoo plus” guys are not stopping at anything to see that their aim of scamming by all means is achieved. I once read of the story of a lady who helped a guy withdraw money from his ATM, since he said he didn’t know how to use the machine. The lady got to the ATM another day only to discover she was carrying the wrong ATM; the guy had swapped the cards! It is needful to become street-wise in dealing with people and your property.

The gist? Be careful, your ATM can be stolen, swapped or cloned. This “thriving business” has been in the UK, America, Japan and all countries where technological advancement is moving fast and we have to be aware of the pitfalls, especially in a nation where system failure might not be a mirage. Though internet is awash with news of this scam, I’ll just offer some helpful tips.

Here are some helpful tips;

1. Never, ever give away your PIN number even if the MD of interswitch calls, mails or sends you a text message/mail. Eg. InterSwitch is upgrading their service, Please go & register UR ATM Cards NOW on www.interswitchnig.com. Only registered ATM cards will work on the ATM Machines. The real Interswitch website is www.interswitchng.com. Those whp love sending people to collect cash on their behalf might be guilty of this.
2. Anyone who needs your help should go to the bank. Stay away from people as if you were in the banking hall. Many people have in the process of helping others have shared their pin number, donated their cards, even have their cards cloned.
3. Don’t just use ATM at anywhere (preferably in the bank). Some ATMs just make you a waiting target for marauders and thieves waiting for easy cash. Preferably use ATMs in places where banks are located in close proximity to the AM. There are lesser chances that the ATMs there are not tampered with. Tamper?
4. Cover the keypad while you type. That may look crude, but then, there are programming made to the ATM to extract your pin. Some could be in the form of a video capture device placed above the ATM, while some are typed on the keypad.
5. Keep an account entirely for saving, without using ATM.
6. Be strategic about your withdrawals. Never withdraw haphazardly. Some people withdraw at the slightest instinct and their bank balance report looked like a badly done report. I’ve met an individual who withdraws only twice a month, and an actual amount. That helps in tracking your expenses and scams, if any ever came up.
7. Above all, move/report physically to the nearest bank when scammed.

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