Jamming and scamming: ATM customers latest target of scam artists

The scammers then stroll up to the machine and customer and offer assistance, but they are only helping themselves to the customer’s personal identification number which they observe and memorize.Most customers don’t realize that ATMs will only attempt a transaction three times before the machine confiscates the card. Customers then leave but the scam artists stay behind: they unjam the machine, remove the card and use it to access the customer’s account.Det. David Kemp, the Santa Paula Police Department's forgery-fraud investigator, noted that using an ATM must be done with caution: never use a machine if someone is “hanging around” or comes up close behind you, or if there is someone sitting in a car watching you. Only use ATMs that are in a well-lit area. Conceal entering your personal identification number by making sure only you can observe the input of numbers. . .there have been cases of people standing across the street observing ATM input through binoculars, so shield your transaction as much as possible. If you have trouble with the ATM, leave; when they are legitimately out of order the ATM screen often notes same.ATMs do have cameras for security purposes but do not offer protection against a customer being scammed or even robbed. Generally, ATMs in supermarket banking outlets are not camera-equipped.