Do Not Accept Assistance Blindly! Beware of Cunning ATM Skimming Syndicate Modus Operandi

The West Jakarta Metropolitan Police have urged the public to increase vigilance when transacting at Automated Teller Machine (ATM) galleries. Citizens are advised not to easily accept offers of assistance from strangers when encountering difficulties, in order to avoid the ‘ATM jamming’ crime modus operandi.

This advisory follows the success of the police force in apprehending four suspects belonging to a syndicate specialising in ATM jamming, which had drained victims’ funds totalling Rp205 million.

“Our message to the public is that if you are about to withdraw money from an ATM and find that your ATM card cannot be inserted, do not immediately trust unknown individuals offering assistance. It is suspected that they are part of this network,” said the Chief of West Jakarta Metropolitan Police, Kombes Nasriadi, in Jakarta on Wednesday (2/9).

Nasriadi explained that the perpetrators deliberately exploit the victim’s panic when an ATM card is stuck or cannot be inserted due to a toothpick obstruction previously placed inside the machine’s slot.

In carrying out their actions, this syndicate has equipped themselves with dozens of fake ATM cards specially printed to resemble cards from various official banks to deceive their victims.

“They operate at several banks and have printed many fake ATM cards as ‘capital’. For example, if they operate at a Bank A ATM gallery, they have prepared fake backup cards that resemble Bank A cards,” Nasriadi revealed.

To prevent the recurrence of similar crimes, the police emphasised that the public should only seek assistance from security guards or official banking personnel on duty at the location.

“If a problem occurs with the ATM machine, do not ask just anyone for help. Ask for help from bank security or official banking personnel on duty, as they are the ones who understand the situation better,” Nasriadi asserted.