ATM Fraud

The list of fraud problems with ATM's is growing.

If you are using a debit card, make sure you only have the amount you want to withdraw in that account - the day you will make that withdrawal. And make sure overdraft protection is OFF. And check your credit/debit balances daily.

Absolutely do not use the HSBC ATM at Plaza Buganvilla, Banamex ATMs, and the one at Farmacia Guadalajara.

Now someone has reported the Bancomer ATM in the Ajijic Plaza - and the Bancomer ATM on the Libramento (behind Pemex) has a warning letter on their door saying they are not responsible for anything (your bank is)

I have asked Jalisco Public Security if they could help - as the list is getting long of fraudulent transactions at ATM. But who knows who is Mexico is responsible for this type of crime.

And please - if you have been a victim - or you are a friend of a victim - please report the crime to Lakeside Crime.

To report ATM Fraud click here: http://lakesidecrime.com/forms/form_atm.php

(if no one reports it, it will appear to the community that it never happened - please help keep the community informed)

To view the list of ATM Fraud Incidents click here
http://lakesidecrime.com/reported%20crimes.php

I have many friends who do not read the chat boards and have emailed all of them the above article by Lakesidecrime.com.

It also happened to my Mexican gardener. He used his Banamex ATM card at a Banamex ATM and more than 2,000 pesos unauthorized was taken out of his account. He went to the bank in Jocotopec to see about it - haven't heard the results yet.

Unless I'm mistaken these thefts are happening to "debit" card users. The perps want the access to your accounts.
Therefore don't use your "debit/bank" cards.
If you need cash use a credit card, check your statement, and pay everything off every month.
You can over/prepay and therefore " load " your credit card. You now have cash access and the protection built into a credit card and probably the best exchange rate.
Just a thought IMHO

borderreiver wrote:Unless I'm mistaken these thefts are happening to "debit" card users. The perps want the access to your accounts.
Therefore don't use your "debit/bank" cards.
If you need cash use a credit card, check your statement, and pay everything off every month.
You can over/prepay and therefore " load " your credit card. You now have cash access and the protection built into a credit card and probably the best exchange rate.
Just a thought IMHO

That advice is kinda overreacting wouldn't you say?? I have used my BOA debit card to pull cash out of the Scocia
bank ATM by Walmart. NO PROBLEMS in three years. Using a credit card has different dangers also many banks won't
let you load up your card. MY BOA Debit card has the best exchange rate with scocia/santander and my credit card
while it charges no foreign transaction fee doesn't quite give as good of a rate as BOA debit card at scocia/santander
ATMs. I have actually had more problems with my credit cards and fraud in the US while none with my debit cards
down lakeside. I think being careful and thinking things out and planing ahead is the best way to deal with all this and
folks avoid certain ATMs it should be obvious now and you know which ones they are. If you do want to stop using
cards of any type put money in a US checking account and write a check to bank/multiva etc etc (after setting up
an account of course) and they will give you cash back but the rate while good for example at Bancomer will not be
as good as using BOA debit card at A Scocia/Bancomer ATM. Watch out for fees, hidden fees, and bad exchange
rates down here. Ask questions when setting up financial accounts. Ask them again. Get it in writing if you can but
you may not. Be prepared for example what happens when BOA freezes your debit card. You need a backup account
in case things go bad. I have two credit and debit cards from two seperate financial institutions that solves this potential
problems. How did I find out all this? Read Read Read. If you are hooked on using credit cards I suggest Capital one
or First Tech credit union (HP, Agilent, CH2MH, Intel) both of which have consumer friendly credit cards for example at
this time no foreign tranaction fees. Understanding/planing/careful execution and backups will allow you to avoid
many problems in the future that we read about on this forum.

Good Luck

Z

The only way they can crack your debit card is if they also know your PIN. Always cover up when entering it........

There is one way thieves were getting your pin - say a TV program on it a few years back. They attached a spy cam near the ATM pad - in a samll box of brochures and someone close by in a car could see your pin and had attached a machine to the slot that copied your debit card data. It was being used in the US and Mexico to steal people's debit card data. I don't know if that is the same technology they are using but I always look for any box or stuff near the key pad and do my best to body block when I put in my pin.

When entering it use your other hand to cover up. You can also fake push a couple of extra numbers......

Well, here's a trick they used on the parents of friends a few years back. This could probably work on newcomers even now. They had some gizmo in the machine, which prevented any cash from being withdrawn, then after getting the name of the cardholder, called up pretending to be from the bank and offering to help out with the card problem. All they had to do was give them the PIN number over the phone. I can't remember for sure, but I think this gizmo also gobbled up the card.

I've had my card apparently compromised twice in Vancouver however both times they didn't get my PIN. I was called by the bank when the perps were busted. I guess they called everyone that used the ATM during a certain time period.

simpsca wrote:There is one way thieves were getting your pin - say a TV program on it a few years back. They attached a spy cam near the ATM pad - in a samll box of brochures and someone close by in a car could see your pin and had attached a machine to the slot that copied your debit card data. It was being used in the US and Mexico to steal people's debit card data. I don't know if that is the same technology they are using but I always look for any box or stuff near the key pad and do my best to body block when I put in my pin.

A friend of mine at a major big bank security department has told me that the hardware is getting smaller and much
better. Look Carefully and cover with your hand the keyboard and that was a great tip earlier to add some fake key
strokes under your hand but most pin numbers are only four digits but anything to complicate the process of stealing
is a good thing. I will add the fake keystrokes to my behavior for any passwords on public machines. To make it more
effective add fake keystrokes to the front and the back of your PIN punching that way they don't know where the real
keystrokes are. You could break it but it would take a while. Add 2 to 3 fakes to the front and any number you want
to the back. The more keystrokes in front of the PIN number the more secure it would be as it would increase the
possibilities. The fake keystrokes at the back of the PIN number are just to make it harder. If you really want to make
it hard put fake strokes in the middle of your pin for max security if they are filming you.

Z


Z

Been in Mexico over seven years. I don't keep more than a few thousand pesos in my account in Mexico since I can do electronic transfers frequently from my USA account. I've only used the debit card to withdraw cash; always cover the entry process with my hand. Never had a problem. Maybe it's the magic dust I spray on the keyboard. My fave ATM is the most handy one at Farmacia Guad, but the new one at Walmart is fine except when they have no money, as in yesterday.

Whatever you do, don't give anybody information who calls you on the phone. Get their number and see who answers when you call back. Or not. Better yet, call the bank.

Latest ATM fraud involves a HSBC Atm in Guadalajara - don't know why HSBC machines seem to be so easy to get your info - this is 12 ATM frauds in less than one month and these are only the people who reporte to lakesidecrime.com:

Guadalajara HSBC ATM at Puerto Hierro Hospital
Description:
Mother was in the hospital Puerto Hierro at Andares. Went to the Bank inside of the Mall. Used one of their ATM machines inside the bank. Unauthorized transaction started the next day on both my bank account and my mothers bank account. Called our respective banks in the states and they told us that the transactions included our PIN numbers. At no time did I show PIN numbers to anyone and I am still in possession of both my bank cards and my Mothers. How can charges be made? They are charging items at Sorianna's, restaurants, gas stations, etc. How does this happen without having our card?

Date Added: November 4, 2011

Looks like this is happening in Mexico wherever there are tourists - ust a sample from what I found on Google - found on Trip Advisor:

Nuevo Vallarta Forum: ATM Fraud Mega in Bucerias, Nayarit Mexico

Ensenada Forum: ATM Fraud in Ensenada - 08-27-2011 (Baja)

Great responses. Good advice.

borderreiver wrote:Great responses. Good advice.

Ditto.

I think this kind of thing is happening everywhere. Maybe more in any tourist destination. Example Spain, the casas de cambio seriously tried to rip us off. I know, not the same thing, but, rip offs happen everywhere. Take a look at that video Neil put up on stealing RFID numbers. That was in the States.

Our strategy, we only use the ATM machine at our own bank, and our own branch. You have to plan ahead, but it works just fine. YMMV. We can make a withdrawal from our Mexican account, and our Canadian account if we really need more on any specific day. Not usually the case.

This evolved over years of losing cards, bad transactions which took a long time to resolve, and just general dissatisfaction. If our machine is out of cash we can just go to the counter and write a check for what we need.

We need to face facts that the crooks have a great deal of technology at their disposal. Each time someone on the right side of the law figures out how they are making their scams work, they figure out a new one. Think about the advantage they have operating in Mexico with the way that police forces operate. Within the past six months, they have caught teams from South America in both Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta who had been flown in to take advantage of the Mexican systems. These teams had flown in with all the necessary equipment to clone and duplicate cards cards.

We have always tried to exclusively use the Scotiabank ATM near Dominos when in the Lake area. I did see one report where the thieves had used this machine after gaining access to someone's card info but I don't think I have ever seen a report of a card being compromised at that location. We avoid free standing machines all over Mexico.

Sh*t happens all over the world. Why would Mexico be any different?