93-year-old conned by ATM distraction has £23,000 refunded

Updated
Distraction theft
Distraction theft



A 93-year-old grandfather and war veteran, from Grantham in Lincolnshire, had £23,000 swiped from his bank account, after falling victim to a distraction scam. CCTV footage released by the police shows how he was targeted while taking money from a cashpoint.

One member of the gang watched while he put his PIN into the ATM. Then another member of the gang distracted him by telling him he had dropped something. When he bent down to retrieve it, another gang member swiped his card, and replaced it with a fake.

The victim then took the fake card and the money he had withdrawn, and was non-the-wiser. He only realised there was a problem a few days later when he went to use the card. In the interim, the thieves were able to withdraw £23,000 from his account.




The good news for the victim is that after seeing the footage, Natwest agreed to refund all the money.
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The police released the footage, and continue to hunt the thieves. Detective Investigator Simon Bromily, who is leading the investigation, said: "What is quite clear from our enquiries so far is that these three men were very well organised in their deception and very selective about their victim. They watched the gentleman as he came into the bank and then carried out this despicable and callous theft."

"If you recognise any of these three men please contact us as soon as possible on 101. If you have any information that you think might aid our investigation please do get in touch."

Distraction

Ironically as the defences against fraudsters have improved, and Chip and PIN has become the norm, it has become harder for thieves to commit high tech fraud, like card skimming. It means that many have turned instead to low tech ways of stealing cards and PINs, such as distraction theft.

The aim of the criminals is to get you to take your eyes off the ATM, so they can steal your card or your money. The simplest theft involves distracting you when the machine is counting your money. The thieves may tell you that you have dropped something, or spill something on you, so that your attention is diverted. This lets them steal the cash and run off.

Back in September we reported on one case where two men pretended to be having an argument in order to distract a woman who was using an ATM. This was a slightly different twist on the same scam, because they distracted her at the point she was selecting how much money she wanted, so one member of the gang was able to request the maximum possible, and the pair fought her off while they waited for the cash to be released.

It's a useful reminder that we all need to keep our wits about us when we are using an ATM. When you are approaching an ATM you should check for anyone hanging around. You should also have your card handy, so you don't need to rummage around for it.

Put your phone away so you're not distracted, and if you have someone with you, stop any conversation and ask them to keep their eyes open for you instead.

Before you put your card in, check the machine for anything unexpected, particularly around the card slot. Stand very close to the ATM, and when you input your number, cover the keypad with your hand.

Then when the cash emerges, put it straight into your pocket and walk away. If anyone tries to talk to you at any stage in the process, try to ignore them - even if it seems rude.

Distraction Theft Victim Shares Her Story
Distraction Theft Victim Shares Her Story


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