The New ATM Fraud: All You Need to Know About Card Trapping

Three men in Delhi were arrested last week for allegedly tampering with ATM machines to deceive people. The police stated that they would damage the card reader slots in ATMs so that when someone inserted their card, it would get stuck inside. This resulted in customers’ cards becoming trapped when they attempted to withdraw money.

The scammers would then offer to help by asking the victim to enter their PIN number, claiming it would resolve the issue. If the PIN did not work, they would convince the victim to report the problem to their bank. After the victim left, the scammers would retrieve the card from the machine and withdraw money.

To prevent falling victim to such scams, it is advised to shield the keypad while entering your ATM PIN to prevent hidden cameras from recording keystrokes. Using ATM machines located inside bank branches or under surveillance cameras is also recommended. Regularly monitoring bank statements and transaction history is important to ensure all transactions are legitimate.

Additionally, setting up regular SMS alerts can help to identify and prevent fraudulent transactions.