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ATM Card Fraud in Kalkan PDF Print E-mail
Sunday, 12 July 2009
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Article Updated: Sunday 12th July - another incident has taken place.  See bottom of page for details.

On Saturday 4th July at shortly after 8pm, a local resident was the victim of a card fraud at the Akbank ATM in Kalkan.

The customer was intending to withdraw some cash from his UK bank account.  As he approached the bank there were three people stood close to the ATM - two men and a woman.  Courteously, one of the men beckoned him towards the machine, allowing the local resident go first.

This apparent politeness was a ruse to get the customer to use a doctored ATM.  The customer noticed that the screen looked a bit different from normal, but as this was not an ATM that he regularly used (his usual Iş Bank machine was out of order), no alarm bells were ringing at this point.

Encouraged by the polite bystander, the customer inserted his Nationwide debit card into the ATM and then entered his PIN.  The screen then displayed his PIN as a long series of zeros, ending in his 4 digit PIN.  Unhappy with what he saw the customer attempted to cancel the transaction but none of the keys appeared to be working.

At this point the customer was momentarily distracted, and an accomplice swiftly removed the plastic card and walked away, also having seen the PIN.  The customer was now very concerned, but assumed there was a problem with the ATM, and he believed his card to have been swallowed by the machine.

The crook reassured the customer that his card would be OK inside the ATM until Monday morning, when the bank reopened, and it would be possible to retrieve the card.

Over the weekend transactions totalling £780 were made with the stolen card, in Kalkan, Fethiye, Didim and a petrol station en route.

On Monday the customer went to Akbank only to be told that his Nationwide card was not there.  A stop was placed on the card.  Akbank reviewed their video machine where the whole scam was captured.  It is not known whether the police or Jandarma will follow this up.

Fortunately, on this occasion, Nationwide reimbursed the amount stolen, so the customer has not lost out.  You will find that UK banks will tend to look at these situations sympathetically, however they do have discretion on whether to reimburse you.  For example, if you have been negligent by writing your PIN down and keeping it in your wallet with your plastic card, and your wallet is stolen, you may find they will not reimburse you.

Some of these ATM fake clip on devices can be quite sophisticated in their appearance, but there are usually some tell tale signs which don't look quite right.  A favourite time for these devices to be fitted and operated is outside normal banking hours.  The weekend is probably the optimum time to strike, as the crooks have more time to steal money, before the banks open again on Monday.  If in doubt, go to another bank if you can, or if the bank is open ask a member of staff to check the machine.

Also, be wary of anyone who invades your space near a cash machine.  Again, if in doubt, don't proceed with your transaction.  If you have concerns you should consider calling the Jandarma.

It is a good idea to conceal your hand as you enter your PIN as it has been known for mini cameras to be positioned to capture your key strokes.

One other thing you can do is make sure you don't go to the ATM alone.  You are less likely to be targeted if you are with someone else.

This gang of crooks were reasonably well dressed and presented themselves as polite and concerned bystanders.  They spoke with a foreign accent, but it cannot be presumed that they were Turkish.  They were of medium build and height, and the lady was wearing a head scarf.

Although this happened at Akbank, there is no suggestion that the bank was at fault in any way.  This could have happened at any bank.  It's a sign of the times that this kind of crime has come to Kalkan, but perhaps it should not come as a surprise.  If criminals were considering places to target, where better than an upmarket tourist destination, where people may let their guard down whilst relaxing on holiday.

Finally, a question - do you have the telephone number to call your bank's fraud department from abroad in an emergency?  Remember that 0345, 0800 and 0870 numbers don't work internationally.

Article Updated: Sunday 12th July - On the evening of Saturday 11th July someone else was tricked - this time it was at the Yapı Kredi ATM in Kalkan.  The conman offered help with the ATM, but stole the customer's card.  Note how once again this was a Saturday evening.  If you must go to the cash machine in the evening, please take extra care.

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Last Updated on Sunday, 12 July 2009