Watch out for fraudsters outside your bank, ATM

Abu Dhabi - Customers are also urged to leave the bank premises immediately following the withdrawal

The Abu Dhabi Police have issued a number of security tips for bank customers to safeguard their cash from robbers who might trick them after they have withdrawn cash from ATMs.
The security measures are part of the force's awareness campaign through its social media network pages to promote the culture of crime prevention among the public.
The police's security tips include: avoiding withdrawal of huge amounts of cash and not carrying large amounts of money on their person while leaving the bank.
People should not accept any help from strangers while using an ATM card to withdraw money, after leaving the bank and should not to stop on the way out for any unnecessary reasons. Customers are also urged to leave the bank premises immediately following the withdrawal, police noted.
Cops also advised people to make use of credit cards or debit cards for shopping, instead of carrying large amounts of cash on them to avoid the risks of being robbed.
Bank customers have also been told not to pay attention to anyone who intercepts them after withdrawals, and to be cautious about anyone who approaching them after making transactions.
Tricksters getting innovative
The police have, in recent years, reported about an Asian man who snatched cash from a bank customer on the pretext of cleaning his shirt after vomitting on him. The Asian man had waited for the victim to withdraw the money from an ATM machine, located in the capital, after which he walked close to him and intentionally vomitted on his clothes.
The man then proceeded to apologise for the victim and also helped him clean his shirt. The bank customer later noticed that his withdrawal amount of Dh10,000 was missing from his pockets.
In another incident, a man was caught while trying to steal money from a woman outside a bank. Police said the man fooled the woman into believing that her car had an oil leak. As she stepped out of the car, the man opened the door on the other side and fled with her bag, containing money and other important documents.
Police said the robbers were using various tricks, including making victims believe that their cars had problems such as an oil leak or a flat tyre and prompting the driver to exit their vehicle to examine the damage. This gives the suspect a window of opportunity to seize the cash from the passengers or from inside the vehicle and make their escape.
The force also warned people about online fraudsters and urged not to send credit card or personal financial account numbers or details via e-mail or unreliable sites, and not to disclose or share personal data, such as ID numbers, account numbers, phone numbers or emails with unknown people on social media.
ismail@khaleejtimes.com
What not to do after withdrawing money:
 > Linger on in the ATM or bank premises
 > Talk to anyone hanging around the vicinity
 > Entertain anyone who approaches you to make conversation - if you do, tightly hold on to your wallet, the money in your pockets, or the bag into which you've transferred the cash
> Get out of your car after being approached by a stranger who asks for help or says there's a fault in your car
> Send credit card or personal financial account details via email or unreliable sites
 > Share personal data - ID, account or phone numbers and emails with unknown people on social media

• Abu Dhabi