Distraction fraud

[ajva]

Have you heard of it? Distraction fraud? It happened to me tonight.

I had been for a few beers with my workmates, meeting up with our old colleague Imo, and everything was cool. We all left the pub at the sensible time of 9pm to go home, and I called in on the HSBC at Tottenham Court Road to pull out £20 to replenish my purse. Just after I'd punched in my number (which I usually shield, but I guess I can't have this time), the guy at the ATM on my left said hello to me and handed me a fiver. As you would expect, my reaction was "What? Why did he give me that?" But, of course, by the time I turned my head back round, my card, which had been emerging from the slot, had gone. Immediately I realised what had happened, and checked both ways. And, of course, they'd gone.

There was an old bloke on the bench behind me who caught my eye as I looked around and he pointed. I walked over to him.

"It was them over there."

"Those oriental blokes in front of the tree?"

"Yes."

I walked over to them. I said hello and they engaged in conversation. I told them that I knew they'd taken my card (I realised my only possible chance of getting it back was bonding with them and trying to sweet-talk them), and I at least had the satisfaction of knowing that I'd done my best, but it did no good (the bloke on the bench later told me that there were actually 4 of them, so given that I had caught them high-fiving each other, I think it was because they'd just passed my card on). They showed me the contents of their wallets to prove they were innocent, which of course proved to me they were guilty. But where's the actual proof? None. I had to leave.

Police told, card cancelled. But I had been balancing my account carefully this month which means that the hundred pounds that was taken tonight (which the nice Barclays woman told me about) will put me into unauthorised overdraft if I can't get Barclays to sort it out tomorrow morning.

There was a very nice BTP bloke who helped me out though it wasn't strictly speaking his job. Tomorrow I shall buy him a Thank You card. I know his number ends in "66" - I think it's "5366", but we'll see.

Bugger. I hadn't heard of that particular version of the distraction fraud, though. So my plan is: not only shield the number; as soon as you've done that, put your hand over the slot. They won't be able to steal your card then...

Comments

[barakta]

Gah, that's horrible. I think someone tried that on me in Sheffield once, but I he was too stoned or out of it to be successful. I don't like it if people approach me while I'm at cash/payment machines, and now pointedly ignore them entirely if I can...

I hope you get your money refunded ASAP and it doesn't cause you overdraft problems.

[ajva.livejournal.com]

Yeah, thanks for the supportive comments - definitely appreciated. It's that whole thing where you feel like maybe there was something else you could have done. But actually, thanks to the bloke on the bench, I actually feel like I did all I could have done. I just need to pop into HSBC tomorrow to make sure I'm not miscalling those guys - but given their slightly odd reaction, as well as the fact that I think the bloke on the right of the conversation was the one who'd given me the fiver, I'm pretty sure it was them.

[barakta]

Even if there was something you could do, I have quite an issue with the "should have done XYZ" cos at the end of the day you/anyone was going about their daily business and it was the scum who decided to steal from you/someone.

It doesn't matter how easy you made it or not, they still broke the law and were scum to steal from you.

The cashpoints by my old-work have yellow squares around them and a line behind them for the queue to stand behind with painted words and signs saying not to stand close to anyone making a transaction.

[thekumquat.livejournal.com]

I spent 45 minutes in Barclays today, and there was a big poster about distraction thefts of various types. Given that, it being Streatham, the bank being very crowded and the shock on the cashier's face when I asked for £5000, I decided to pay for a banker's draft rather than take cash out...

It's been a problem round various cashpoints in Westminster for a while - lower-tech than photographing your card or PIN.

[meico.livejournal.com]

Argh! Bastards! Sorry you had to deal with that. :(

[barking-watcher.livejournal.com]

I hope things get sorted out for you. Fingers crossed that now some of the gang have been identified the police will be able to catch them.

This type of distraction happened to me years ago up in Camden, unfortunately for the guys trying to pull it off it was on the same day I'd seen a news article about it, so as soon as the guy tapped me on my right shoulder I told him to leave me alone and when he did it again I turned round so my whole blocked the machine.

It was lucky I did it that way because his mate was sneaking up on my left side. It was quite funny because having blocked the machine and access to my card and money the guy who originally tapped me suddenly didn't want to talk to me anymore.

It ended up with me telling them to fuck off because I knew what they were doing and if they didn't move I'd call the police.

[juliet]

Bugger, that is unpleasant. If you do wind up in unauthorised overdraft, the bank may be prepared to waive the charges in the circs.

[boxcat.livejournal.com]

How horrid - sorry you had to go through that.

Let me introduce you to my friend, the cashpoint two-step:

Step 1) Step up and left into the cashpoint so your left shoulder blocks the view of the keypad. Type your PIN with your right hand in whilst covering the keypad with your open wallet held in the left.

Step 2) Step up and right into the other corner of the cashpoint, thus blocking anyone from taking anything from that side. Depending on exactly where the slot is, anyone trying to take card or cash will have a long reach to try and do so.

The other good thing about this is that it looks peculiar from behind, so increases the chance that the opportunists will simply try to prey on someone else.

[ciphergoth.livejournal.com]

I've heard of this one more than once. It's easy for me to think that I would somehow outsmart them, I'd be ready, but the fact is that like anyone else I'm probably thinking of something else when I go to the cashpoint, and by the time I realized why I was being distracted it would all be over.

Sympathy. Card aside, are you £5 up or £15 down?

[ajva.livejournal.com]

Ironically, if I manage to get it all sorted out without any bank charges sticking, I will actually be in profit by £5.

[sanjibabes.livejournal.com]

Oh no!

Sorry you experienced that. I doubt there was much you could have done. :(

[lolliepopp.livejournal.com]

Bastards, and it's reminded me to be a little more careful at the bank machines.

I hope there is cctv or something, I mean TCR is covered in cameras....possibly

Hope it gets sorted out without too much hassle

L
x

[valkyriekaren.livejournal.com]

Ugh. I'm so wary about people hanging around by cashpoints - I don't make eye contact or anything.

The worst attempt at distraction fraud was one using a small child as the distraction - he had obviously been taught to bump into people or grab at their bags as they were getting money out so the adult with him could grab the card or money.

[adjectivegail]

So sorry you had to experience that! Ugh. Really hope Barclays doesn't stiff you for an unauthorised overdraft - especially given current attitudes to unfair bank charges?

On a slightly more intellectual note, I'm interested by the number of comments here from people saying that they try not to make eye contact when they're at cash points. I do the exact opposite.

When I'm at a cash point, the first thing I do is take a good look around and clock anyone who's just standing there doing nothing. Then I put my card in the slot. While I'm waiting for it to ask me for my pin, I have another look. Then I punch in my pin. Then I have another look. And so on. I spend my entire time at a cash point checking to my left and right, and slightly behind me, to make sure no one's approaching.

If anyone does seem to be watching me, or loitering, or approaching, I give them a good stare and catalogue things to myself like general height (are they standing next to anything static for comparing height purposes, since I'm crap at guessing heights on my own), clothes, hair colour, etc. They know I've just had a good hard look at them and would be able to give police a semi-decent description, and they also know they've lost the element of surprise because I'm very obviously aware that they're right there and it's also obvious that I think they're suspicious.

I know this all seems rather paranoid, and possibly rather unfair on perfectly innocent types who have a good reason to be in the area, but it makes me feel safer. No idea whether it actually works or not, though - I mean, I've never had distraction fraud worked on me, but nor have lots of other people. But it seems interesting to compare with the "try not to make eye contact" comments. I wonder how many people follow which approach?

[louis_mallow]

I'm sort of hoping that H will read this and start covering her pin as she enters it. At the moment she won't because it 'feels stupid'.

[jhg.livejournal.com]

Yikes.

Another salient warning, and yet more reason to adopt m'colleague's practice of only using cash machines inside branches.

[seph-hazard.livejournal.com]

Shit, honey, I am sorry. Do hope you don't get shafted by the bank! *kiss*