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Posted on 12/03/2025 4:01:46 PM PST by nickcarraway
Despite the steady rise of contactless payments and mobile wallets, cash still plays a major role in everyday life across Spain. Whether it’s for small purchases, tips or local shops, many people continue to rely on banknotes — which means ATMs remain more important than ever. And unfortunately, that also makes them an easy target for criminals looking for quick and discreet opportunities.
While we often imagine ATM crime involving complicated hacking or technical attacks, the reality is that some of the most effective scams are surprisingly simple. One of them, known as the so-called “banknote scam,” has been catching people out precisely because it looks harmless at first glance.
How the “Banknote Scam” works at cash machines
The trick begins before the victim even approaches the cash machine. A scammer discreetly inserts a banknote partway into the money slot and then steps away, waiting nearby.
When the next customer arrives, the note is usually spotted immediately. Most people assume someone before them has forgotten it. Out of basic honesty, they might look around to return it – or, tempted by unexpected luck, they might simply pick it up and slip it into a pocket.
Either way, the reaction is the same: for a few seconds, attention shifts away from the ATM screen, keypad and card slot. And that moment of distraction is exactly what the criminals are waiting for.
Security experts repeatedly warn that when using an ATM, your focus should never leave your transaction. The banknote trick has only one goal – to break your concentration at precisely the wrong time.
How scammers use that moment of distraction While your attention is drawn to the “lost” cash, scammers stay close enough to watch – often without being noticed.
In the simplest version of the scam, the criminal carefully observes as you type in your PIN. Just one clear look can be enough to memorise the code if you don’t properly shield the keypad with your hand.
In some cases, the setup is even more deliberate. Fraudsters may have small hidden cameras positioned near the machine, pointing directly at the keypad and card slot. They rely on the distraction of the banknote to ensure you won’t think to check your surroundings.
There’s also a more brazen twist to the scam. A stranger may approach, claiming the banknote is theirs or pretending the ATM isn’t working properly. They may offer “help” or suggest cancelling the operation and starting again. If they manage to convince you to step away from the ATM before completing your transaction, the opportunity appears. In seconds, the criminals can use the exposed details or seize your card to drain the account.
What makes this scam particularly effective is that it exploits very natural human instincts – honesty, politeness and the desire to help – turning good intentions into an opening for theft.
How to stay safe when using ATMs The advice from security professionals is clear: stay focused from start to finish.
If you notice anything unusual around a cash machine – whether it’s a banknote lying nearby, unfamiliar attachments on the machine or someone hovering too close – do not engage with it.
Shield your hand every time you enter your PIN, even if the ATM area seems empty and safe. Never take instructions from strangers claiming to help, and avoid conversations during transactions.
If you do find a banknote near an ATM, do not handle it at the machine. Complete your withdrawal first, secure your card and money, and only then consider handing the note to nearby bank staff or the police.
Perhaps the most important rule is to never leave an ATM mid-transaction, no matter how confused or pressured you might feel in the moment.
ATMs remain one of the most common ways to handle cash, and for the vast majority of users they are perfectly safe. Still, technology isn’t the only risk factor – old-fashioned distraction remains one of the most powerful tools scammers use.
A single moment of lost focus can be all it takes for criminals to pull off their trick. So if you ever spot a “forgotten” banknote near a cash machine, take a breath, ignore the distraction and finish what you’re doing first.
At the ATM, your attention is your strongest form of protection.
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Click here: to donate by Credit Card Or here: to donate by PayPal Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794 Thank you very much and God bless you. |
Solution - don’t use ATMs
I DRAIN MY ACCOUNT EVERY MONTH-—PAY BILLS< AND GET CASH I STASH AT HOME. NOT EVEN $20 LEFT FOR ANYONE TO ATTEMPT TO GET.
My bank’s Atm has a feature to tap your debit card instead of inserting it in the slot. Even if the scammer memorized your PIN it wouldn’t be of any use if it doesn’t match another card that’s not yours.
Like democrats.
At age 70 , i have never used an atm
Have you ever actually used an ATM?
On that first day I asked him, "What is the best way to get access to information in an encrypted file?"
I expected him to reply with the name of some computer algorithm or tool. Instead he replied ... "First, get a thick, 3-foot rubber hose."
“At the ATM, your attention is your strongest form of protection.”
I prefer a .45
I only use the ATM at my local bank office, mostly when the bank is open. You have to slide your card in a reader next to the door when the bank is closed. Most time, if I need cash, I get cash back when I'm buying groceries at Walmart. They don't charge a fee like some of the regular grocery stores do if you want cash back.
Well attention is important if you have a .45.
I once did my withdrawal for $100 and the machine dispensed $200. My account was only debited the $100. Yes I kept the other $100.
LOL! Almost invariably, the most elaborate cyber security is undone by the human factor.
I think its almost 40 years for me. A little bit of forethought should help most avoid it all together.
I was expecting this article to be the fentanyl-laced bills thing.
Sad. You are no better than a criminal.
I once drove up to an ATM with a stack of 20’s sticking out of the slot. Apparently the car before me forgot to take their cash. I was not going to take their money so I waited for them to come back. As I sat there waiting the machine sucked the cash back in. At that point it was not my problem and I had succeeded in not being a thief. It’s the small things.
One time I got out of the store with a 12 pack of Sierra Nevada in bottles. Once I saw that I had not paid for it I went back inside and paid. Integrity is what you do when nobody is looking.
When I have found wallets, I have always found the owners and returned them with all of their contents. If a cashier gives me too much money in change I make certain that the transaction is square. I like to get my money the old-fashioned way: I earn it.
This scenario - as described here - makes absolutely no sense!
"Spotting the money immediately" would not interrupt the (potential) victim's ATM transaction. Such a scam would work only if the victim were to notice the cash during his ATM transaction, and were he then to foolishly step away from his ATM to retrieve the other cash.
Regards,
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