Armed robbery has taken a new dimension in Nigeria especially Lagos given the abundant ATMs in Lagos, Armed robbers now visit ATMs on Friday evenings so as to forcefully collect the ATM cards and PIN codes of customers.
❖ A lady at gunpoint had 3 of her ATM cards snatched, her PIN collected with a total of #680,000 withdrawn between❖ Friday and Sunday night from her three accounts via ATM.
Their Tactics
They approach you with a smile while you are attempting to make a transaction, display their guns and also point to their colleagues around in case you attempt to play smart by refusing or screaming.
They then collect your ATM cards and ask for your PIN codes. They confirm the PIN there to know if it’s fake.
Their Intention
Their intention is to withdraw at least the Bank ATM withdrawal limit of #100,000 daily between that Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
They do this criminal act on Friday evenings when they know Banks had closed for the day and are on weekend break.
They know majority of Nigerians don’t have the phone numbers of their Account Officers or any staff in their bank and as such can’t place a call to have their ATM card blocked by the bank until 7am Monday morning when banks resume.
Precautions
❖ Withdrawal via ATMs should be done at most Friday afternoon when banks are still open.
❖ Avoid withdrawing on weekends especially on lonely and relatively less secure environments.
Please be careful and be wise.
