Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: On the pretext of helping, the ATM card of construction worker Chhagan Gaikwad (32) was swapped and his password was obtained, after which ₹19,000 was fraudulently withdrawn. The incident took place on September 26 at the Sutgirni Chowk SBI ATM Center.
Gaikwad had gone with his wife in the afternoon to withdraw money. When the cash did not come out of the machine, an unknown person entered the ATM under the guise of helping. He withdrew ₹10,000 twice for Gaikwad. However, during this time, he cleverly kept Gaikwad’s original card with himself and placed another card in his hand. By 8 AM on September 27, he had withdrawn ₹19,500 overnight. A case has been registered at Jawaharnagar Police Station.
Fraudsters deliberately create malfunctions
For the past several months, gangs have been active in the city tricking people inside ATM centers on the pretext of help. Earlier, only CIDCO Police had nabbed a gang from Chhattisgarh along with a woman from Harsul in connection with such crimes. Despite that, such incidents continue. Members of these gangs deliberately create minor glitches in ATM machines. When citizens face trouble withdrawing money, they enter under the guise of help and carry out such frauds.
Follow these precautions:
Never hand over your ATM card to an unknown person.
If the keypad has no cover, shield it with your hand while entering the password.
If there is a malfunction, complete the process fully before leaving; otherwise, contact the bank’s helpline.
Do not allow anyone to approach you for “help” inside the ATM center.
If the screen repeatedly shows ‘network fail’ or other error messages, stop the transaction immediately.
If the keypad feels loose, shaky, or unusual, do not enter your password.