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[av_heading heading=’ATM SKIMMING DEVICE FOUND | City policemen hunting for culprit ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY RUBY P. SILUBRICO
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Thursday, June 8, 2017
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ILOILO City – An electronic skimming device was recovered from an automated teller machine (ATM) on General Luna Street, City Proper, prompting banking authorities and the police to alert the public.
Electronic skimming devices steal data such as personal identification numbers that may be used for unauthorized ATM withdrawals.
The administrative officer of Banco de Oro – General Luna Branch, Raul Samillano, discovered the skimming device when he checked the ATM around 8 p.m. on Tuesday.
“We are alerting ATM users. Inspect the machines thoroughly for unusual contraptions before making transactions,” said Senior Inspector Shella Mae Sangrines, spokesperson of the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO).
The police hoped to identify the culprit by going over the security camera recordings of the bank and nearby business establishments.
Those engaged in this ATM scam may be charged with violating Republic Act 8484 (Access Devices Regulation Act of 1998).
This law regulates the issuance and use of access devices and prohibits fraudulent acts using them. It covers any card, plate, code, account number, electronic serial number, personal identification number, or other telecommunications service, equipment or instrument identifier, or other means of account access that can be used to obtain money, goods, services, or any other thing of value, or to initiate transfer of funds.
As of this writing, the ICPO had not received any complaint of unauthorized ATM withdrawals.
The city police had not ruled out the possibility that other ATMs may have been surreptitiously attached with electronic skimming devices, too. It urged banks to check their ATMs.
“Wala pa sang may nagpa-blotter nga nabikitima, so meaning wala pa sang na biktima,” said Sangrines.
Just this March, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Iloilo branch received three complaints from depositors regarding unauthorized withdrawals from their bank accounts.
One complainant lost P50,000 and believed his ATM card may have been compromised, said BSP-Iloilo deputy director Joanne Marie Castelo.
There could be a syndicate behind this modus, said Castelo.
This was not the first time this type of ATM scam happened in this city. In April 2013, the ICPO caught three Malaysian nationals installing skimming devises in an ATM of a mall in Mandurriao district.
Sangrines said the ICPO planned to hold a security meeting with bank managers. But she did not say when this would take place.
In a previous interview, Castelo advised the public to use ATMs situated in well-lighted areas, those posted with security guards and have security cameras.
ATMs located in obscure areas may be less safe, she stressed.
Much better, use ATMs that are inside the banks, said Castelo./PN
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