Crime Prevention Tip of the Week: Beware of ATM Crimes!

Crime can happen anywhere, and crooks can be crafty. 

On April 21, a crafty thief withdrew over $500 from a woman’s bank account moments after she used an ATM on Seventh Avenue.   

The 57-year-old victim told police that she went to the Bank of America on Seventh Avenue between Sixth and Seventh streets at 1:08 p.m. when a man told her not to use a certain ATM for “it’s not dispensing cash.”

She used the next ATM, took out money and left. After checking her bank account later, she found that someone had removed $560 one minute after she made her withdrawal. The crook who told her to use a certain ATM is described as a 35-year-old black man standing about 6-foot-3 and wearing a white baseball cap, blue jeans and a green waist length jacket. Police are looking at the ATM’s surveillance video.

The NYPD's Crime Prevention Bureau's Crime Prevention Tip of the week is about how to safeguard your bank account. 

ATM Shoulder Surfing - the act of using multiple tactics' to distract or manipulate a victim in order to obtain their ATM "PIN" number. The main goal is to obtain currency from the targeted victim without them knowing they are the victim of a crime. Often, a team of perpetrators (normally at least 3) will work together to obtain a victim's "PIN" number by...

• Perpetrator #1 will verbally engage the victim in what appears to be a helpful conversation telling the victim the ATM they just swiped their bank card in is not working. The victim often will simply move to the next available ATM machine without closing out the current session.
• Perpetrator #2 will walk up to the first machine and play with the key pad to keep the machine active until a pin number can be obtained from the victim.
• Perpetrator #3 will be at the ATM machine acting as if he/she is making a transaction while really looking over the victims shoulder "surfing" in order to view the "PIN" number to the victims ATM banking account.
• Perpetrator #3 will then relay the "PIN" number over to Perpetrator #2 in order to gain access to the victim's bank accounts to withdraw money without the victim having any idea their money is being stolen.

1. When entering your ATM "PIN" number use your other hand to cover the key pad as you enter your "PIN".
2. Always close out your session before leaving the ATM machine.
3. Don't hold the door! Each person should use their own Bank card to gain access to the ATM vestibule.
4. Always check your surroundings when entering the ATM vestibule area, if the area is crowded consider conducting your transaction at the teller window.
5. Consider the time it takes you to conduct a transaction at an ATM, if someone seems to be hanging around the ATM area longer than necessary, alert the bank management.
6. While conducting an afterhours ATM transaction take a moment to observe activity in and around the facility before you commit to using the ATM.
7. Remember "If you see something, say something" call 911 and report suspicious activity.