Number of ATM fraudsters targeting foreigners rising in Hungary: VIDEO of their method
The number of ATM fraudsters in Hungary is rising, and they use various methods to rob unsuspecting people, mostly tourists and older people. The Hungarian police shared a video about one of their most common methods. You can watch the recording below in our article.
When you travel to a foreign country anywhere, you probably feel safer if you do not have to carry a lot of cash with you. The number of ATMs is growing everywhere in the world, allowing everybody to bring only a bank or credit card in the case of a foreign journey. That is a comfortable solution but has its disadvantages. And not only if you lose your card.
Several gangs are specialised in every country to trick and rob foreign tourists who do not know local customs, language, etc. If they roam free, they may ruin the country’s image. Thankfully, the Hungarian police consider it crucial to take measures against such crimes.
According to atv.hu, the number of ATM fraudsters is growing in Hungary. They step near the unsuspecting people who aim to withdraw money from their bank account and offer their help. After the victim types in the sum, the screen of the ATM goes dark before the banknotes come out from it. And that is when the fraudsters act quickly. They tell the victims that the ATM went wrong and led their victim to another one. Simultaneously, the criminals take the paper money from the ATM the victim withdraws and escape.
Read alsoA new tax will make each plane ticket more expensive at Budapest Airport!
The police headquarters of Budapest’s 7th district (the so-called “party district” of the capital) caught such fraudsters recently. One of them cheated an older woman in the 7th district with a similar trick explained above. He stole HUF 130 thousand (probably her entire monthly pension – EUR 317) from her and got away immediately.
The old lady was not the only victim of the 40-year-old man, the police investigation revealed. Apart from her, the fraudster managed to rob another old lady and a young guy. He stole HUF 130 thousand from the former and HUF 40 thousand (EUR 97, the amount of a good higher education grant in Hungary) from the latter.
Police officers caught the perpetrator and charged him with two counts of robbery and one count of theft. János L. did not confess, but police took him into custody and requested his pre-trial detention.
Here is a video about how such fraudsters work:
Talking about ATMs in Hungary, at Ferenc Liszt a/p in particular, many a time I thought to myself that all the ATMs (that I saw) might have been straight out of the Soviet era, it’s the total opposite to all the glittering duty-free shops, and etc. I considered them to be a blight, I could liken that to seeing a dishevelled beggar inside Innsbruck’s Swarowski store, or Venice’s Dolce & Gabbana store.
Isn’t it time the banks concerned spent a some money bringing them into the 21st Century and at the same time upgrade the machine areas with electronic surveillance – not just at the a/port.
I have another issue with the said airport, but that matter is not related to ATMs, so I’ll leave it for when next I see an article on L.F. airport.
Ps. Yes, yes, in the case if this article, there is a video camera, but does the ATM have an in-built video camera, are there highly visible notices that video surveillance is in use to deter would-be thieves and culprits?