Since May this year, a number of scams at ATMs and other self-service banking facilities have been thwarted at the Guangdong and Fujian branches of CCB.  In most of these cases, the trick is to block the cash dispensing slot of an ATM with a plastic shield and post a fake bank notice to induce bank customers to disclose their credit card PINs or transfer their cash to criminals.  As the daily withdrawal limit at self-service banking facilities has been raised, CCB is alerting its customers to heighten their security awareness and take preventive measures when using ATMs and other self-service facilities so as to protect their interests.

To CCB’s knowledge, several schemes have been employed by the criminals.  For example, they may put up fake messages in the name of financial institutions such as banks or card issuing organizations to cajole people into making bank transfers so as to swindle their money.  In another scheme, objects such as thin wires, plastic shields or plastic strips are secretly placed at the card slots of ATMs to prevent users from retrieving their cards normally so that these cards can be stolen later.  Alternatively, the criminals will work as a team so that, while one or more of them is diverting the attention of a user by talking to him or her, another member would acquire the user's account information, PIN or even make a card switch.

In order to protect the interests of its customers to the largest extent possible and provide them with a safe and convenient environment to carry out self-service banking, CCB is working hard in implementing a number of measures to prevent the perpetuating of crimes at self-service facilities.  Its branches have now developed stringent procedures to monitor their self-service facilities which include periodic surveillance of the areas in which self-service facilities have been installed, making special checks to ensure that the cash dispensing slots of these facilities are working properly and that there is no posting of fake notices.  In addition, CCB is maintaining close contacts with local security bureaus and is cooperating with them in fighting ATM scams.  Meanwhile, CCB is also spending major efforts in publicising the safety use of self-service facilities.  It is also reminding its customers that, if they are suspicious of any self-service banking facility, they should contact CCB through its 95533 service hotline immediately so that they would not fall victim to any scam.  In making withdrawals or similar operations, they should make sure that they would not allow themselves to be distracted or their cards to be switched by criminals.