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THE Fish Hoek Police have issued a warning to ATM users to be careful of falling prey to ATM fraudsters' latest trick, which has been practiced a couple of times in the area.

Inspector Peter Middleton, the Fish Hoek Police Station's communications officer, says that the fraudsters are working in groups of two to three people at a time to pull off the ruse.

They distract the ATM user and then snatch their card out of the machine when they are not looking. When the person can't proceed with the transaction (due to the card not being in the machine), the fraudsters suggest they type in their PIN number to sort out the problem. Of course, the fraudsters watch what number is being typed in with hawks' eyes.

Once the user has given up and left, thinking their card has been swallowed, the fraudsters have both card and PIN number - and you don?t need to go to Pollsmoor Prison School to know what happens next.

Inspector Middleton says people should be on their guard against strangers being friendly (eg: asking you to go first); approaching you when you are about to draw money, or offering assistance when none is needed.

"A general thought which should apply, is that no person should be interrupting you while you are busy at the ATM. If this happens, rather just walk away. Call the police and report the suspicious persons - you might be sparing another person from becoming a victim."

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