Low Tech Scam - But Successful!
It sounds like an act out of Comedy Central.
After people used an ATM and started to walk away, they were stopped by two people pretending to be bank employees. They said they were offering entry into a contest. If the customer's PIN matched any of the PINs they had on a list attached to their clipboard it would be a winner. When the person told them their PIN, they found it was not on the list, however, there would be a "runner-up" prize to be drawn later from all entries. Taking the person's ATM card, they copied the card number down for the drawing.
Before returning the card to the person, they gave a "consolation" prize of a plastic card carrier, into which they placed a substitute ATM card and surreptitiously sealed it up - with super glue.
In many cases, the victim thanked the two "employees", pocketed the card and went away. At which point the thieves were able to withdraw cash, using the person's PIN and the actual card, which they had swapped for a phony in the plastic case.
Sounds pretty low-tech - but it worked on a lot of customers of Nedbank branches in Gauteng, South Africa.
Copyright © 2004 Bankers' Hotline. Originally appeared in Bankers' Hotline, Vol. 13, No. 11, 1/04
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