Gang busted for stealing money

ISLAMABAD: The FIA Friday nabbed members of a gang, including a Romanian citizen for stealing money through ATMs in Islamabad, Geo News reported.

At least 130 credit cards, over a thousand fake ATM cards, a laptop and a camera were recovered from the gang’s possession. It had stolen billions of rupees, an FIA official said, adding that members of the gang used to flee from the country after stealing money and return after spending few weeks or months abroad.

Earlier this year, a district court sentenced two Chinese nationals to one-year imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs50,000 each over their involvement in ATM skimming. ATM skimming can be regarded as identity theft for debit cards. Fraudsters employ different techniques to record your PIN code for accessing the money in your account. In some instances, the skimmers stick a fake card-reader on the ATM, while in others they place a fake keypad on the machine to get your PIN code. Another technique employed in this crime is the use of a hidden camera, which captures your PIN code image and conveys it to fraudsters. A few ATM skimmers also change the entire display of the ATM.

To avoid the loss of your hard-earned cash, it is necessary for you to check there is no hidden or an unusual device attached to the ATM you are using. One must punch his PIN code in a way that avoids detection by a hidden camera placed somewhere around the machine. Do not withdraw money if you sense anything unusual at an ATM and immediately inform the bank officials.