Cash machine outside Post Office scam

[Jenniewrites]

Warning - my husband had £500 taken from his account this afternoon. The cash machine outside the Post Office in L Lane swallowed his card, and this kid who was hanging around advised him to put in his pin to get it back, which of course didn't happen. A girl tried to get him to put in another card, which he didn't, luckily, but by the time he contacted his bank, £500 had gone. He reported it to the police and will get the money refunded, but please be aware of this scam. It seems likely the cash machine had been tampered with and the card somehow cloned. The staff inside the Post Office could not have been less interested or helpful.  

[Spartacus]

It's an old trick 

They put a sleave into the slot to stop your card coming out then observe you putting your pin in thevsecond time, then after you go, they pull the card our and have your pin number too 

The second card bit is so that they can try it on that card as most people use the same pin across all their cards 

Sorry to hear the reaction you got and the fact your husband was scammed. 

[ianr]

It's disconcerting how quickly knowledge of theft methods like this seems to fade away.  Here's an instance from 2010.  

 You can probably find several more mentions by searching for something like Lebanese loop. 

If your card does disappear in the machine, don't leave the machine, and get a stop on the card immediately by phone call (haviing previously stored the contact number in your phone contacts) or by using the bank's app or web page.  And, of course, make sure your PIN entry can not be seen. Cover it with your other hand or something when entering it, in case a spy camera has also been installed.  And beware distraction attempts while you're in the middle of the transaction -- someone pretending to find something you've dropped for example.

 

Edited March 22, 2024 by ianr

[Sue]

Or if possible stop using cash!

[Spartacus]

1 hour ago, Sue said:

Or if possible stop using cash!

Sacrilege 

[Sue]

23 minutes ago, Spartacus said:

Sacrilege 

🤣

[Jellybeanz]

 a friend of mine was duped at this cash machine too a month or so ago. They distracted her then took card, PIN and money.

[Froglander]

I presume there are cameras there? The plod *should* be looking at the footage to see who is doing this, both the thefts and the planting of the device. I encountered one in the cash machine outside the Co/op on Forest Hill Road a few years.  Do supermarkets still do cash back?  Do post offices allow cash withdrawals inside? It sounds like no outside cash point is safe now.

[malumbu]

This was relatively common in the mid 00s, I assume that banks had tightened security since as not heard of this for some time 

[ontheRye]

“  Do post offices allow cash withdrawals inside? It sounds like no outside cash point is safe now”

Forest Hill PO does, so they probably all do

[NewWave]

Yes they do..It means a queue but its the safer option if one has the time.

[Dulwich dweller]

On 22/03/2024 at 21:25, Sue said:

Or if possible stop using cash!

Or don't stop using cash. Stop using your phone or even your watch as a banknote. At the same time avoid the risk of having your card cloned at cash points, by hand held card readers, oyster readers and point-of sale terminals to name a few. God only knows how much damage we're doing to the planet because all the above must require a hell of a lot of resources and juice from the grid. It won't happen though.

I know of quite a few people who deem carrying cash about as a pain/ chore. But not a big lump of plastic with a screen and full of personal information that can be easily gleamed. I feel the same about carrying a phone about so i don't most of the time. I'll be in the minority but certainly don't see or treat a phone as a necessity.  You can't get a banknote out of your sky rocket with a phone in your hand. It's become a source of dopamine for many. It's an addiction for many. They're an easy target for thieves. They're a godsend to cyber fraudsters who are stealing billions and are doing so without the need of cash points.

[Froglander]

On 25/03/2024 at 08:16, ontheRye said:

“  Do post offices allow cash withdrawals inside? It sounds like no outside cash point is safe now”

Forest Hill PO does, so they probably all do

Can you just queue up to withdraw cash or are other transactions like stamp purchasing required?  Do M&S do cash back?

[Sephiroth]

you know when you take your pro-cash stance too far? yeah....

[Jenniewrites]

The card machine in the dry cleaner's wasn't working, so the guy asked my husband to go to the cash till and withdraw some money....

[Spartacus]

58 minutes ago, Sephiroth said:

you know when you take your pro-cash stance too far? yeah....

Using cash is a good way of budgeting for some, if they don't have the cash in their pocket they can't buy things they may not need. 

Financial institutions are keen to get us to all use plastic and credit because its harder to spot when you are at your limit and debit equates to interest which is how they make money.

So dear Sephiroth, before you slam people for being pro cash, maybe think about why they are and not just view the world from your limited perspective 🤔 

[Dulwich dweller]

1 hour ago, Sephiroth said:

you know when you take your pro-cash stance too far? yeah....

You know when you are wrong but think you're right because the internet etc? Read it and twist it how you want if it makes you feel better. I use a card as well as cash. You are pro jumping the gun and pro cynical. Yeah,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Pro cash 🙃Who isn't? Is being pro card some kind of middle class virtue signaling thing? Like jumping to conclusions seems to be. Oooh the uncouth commoner uses that dirty cash stuff. Orf with his head.

[Sephiroth]

all I said was "take a pro cash stance too far" - what twisting have I done?

 

plenty of good arguments for retention of cash - but let's not get too detached from reality either lest we go back to trading livestock

 

But to go back to your post DD:

 

"Or don't stop using cash"

Yep plenty of people will agree with this - nothing controversial here

 

"Stop using your phone or even your watch as a banknote" - getting a bit weird now - why not - it's super convenient for both users and businesses. And far easier to keep a track of your balance using your electronic wallet than old systems of cheques taking days to clear, how much did I take from cashpoint 2 days ago etc. But people will differ so whatever works

 

"God only knows how much damage we're doing to the planet because all the above must require a hell of a lot of resources and juice from the grid" - big straw man argument here. Why bring this in? Unless you are also suggesting we don't buy any goods not made from within a 5 mile radius and nothing transported by air or sea?

"a big lump of plastic with a screen and full of personal information that can be easily gleamed." I've had my phone stolen but nothing was lost because it was secure.I've been mugged and lost cash and valuable. It's not a binary thing

 

"your sky rocket with a phone in your hand. It's become a source of dopamine for many. It's an addiction for many."  Proper overreaching now

There is a reason people like their modern phones - and it isn't just replacing cash. Replacing all of these functions in a tiny device is a magnificent achievement and to just boil  it down to "big lump with a screen" is reductive in the extreme

 

[Penguin68]

1 hour ago, Spartacus said:

Financial institutions are keen to get us to all use plastic and credit because its harder to spot when you are at your limit and debit equates to interest which is how they make money.

Actually that supposes too convoluted a motive for them. Cash and cash handling costs money, including maintenance, stocking and providing cash machines; fully electronic transactions are far cheaper and more cost effective. It's about costs, mainly. 

[Dulwich dweller]

40 minutes ago, Sephiroth said:

ll I said was "take a pro cash stance too far" - what twisting have I done?

Well you've said i'm taking a pro cash stance too far. Perhaps not twisting- i used the wrong words but you are putting words in my mouth no? I'm not one for tech, that's for sure but how do you come to the conclusion i'm pro cash? I merely pointed out that cashless and using cards / card readers/ oyster readers/ and other terminals etc aren't risk free. If i was pro cash i wouldn't be using a card on occasions.

1 hour ago, Sephiroth said:

but let's not get too detached from reality

Indeed.

1 hour ago, Sephiroth said:

getting a bit weird

You can say that again. Irony and self awareness not your strong point is it?

1 hour ago, Sephiroth said:

 Proper overreaching now

Indeed.

1 hour ago, Sephiroth said:

 

Just as well you're not the judgemental type hey!!

 

What a strange and arrogant entity you are.