Garda warning for bank customers over ATM scam

ATM customers across Galway have been warned to be wary of anything suspicious about ‘hole-in-the-wall’ machines following the discovery of a skimming device in the Ballinasloe area over the past couple of weeks.

Gardaí in Galway have warned that the skimming devices are becoming increasingly sophisticated and more difficult to notice, often sitting on top of the machine itself as an exact replica.

However, customers have been advised to always use their ‘free hand’ – to cover as tightly as possible – the keypad, when they key in their PIN to carry out a transaction.

Gardaí advise what while some of the skimmers are so advanced that even this ‘hand covering’ may not work, it still offers a reasonable level of security.

Galway Crime Prevention Officer, Sgt. Pat Flanagan, told the Connacht Tribune that when customers sometimes ‘get a feel’ that there is something ‘not quite right’ about a machine, they should immediately cancel the transaction and report their concerns.

He said that the gangs involved in the skimming racket, only left the device on a particular ATM for ten to fifteen minutes – however, if this gave them the key details of even three or four customers, several thousand euro could be withdrawn over the course of a day or two or even a few hours.

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.