Fraudulent ATM Withdrawals

[ATMFraud]

Fraudulent ATM Charges

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My bank says that my ATM card was used to conduct two transactions on 11/2/2009 and 11/3/2009 for $703 and $503 respectivley.

I did not make these ATM withdrawals. They were made in cities where I do not live and had not visited. My card had not left my possission and no one else is on my account and no one else has my PIN. I live in California and the transaction were also made in California.

My my has declined to reimburse me. The letters they sent said that since the card was in my possession and my PIN was used and that the withdrawals appear to match my acitvity (they don't), they won't reimburse me.

What recourse do I have?

Thank you.

 

[garrula lingua]

Go to the police dept in the city where the withdrawals took place & make a report of the theft.
The police can pull the picture of the person making the withdrawal from the ATM (this should be done quickly, as they are not retained for a long period).
Assist the police in identifying the person, if you can.
Follow through with testifying as required.
With a police report of the theft, the bank will usually reimburse the loss.
If the bank doesn't reimburse voluntarily, take them to small claims court with the original police report and any supplemental reports by police regarding their investigation,

Note: when you used your card at another ATM, your info may have been stolen/cloned without your knowledge. A strip may have been placed in the ATM which recorded your acct number and PIN. This is not an unusual incident. Your bank should have been more helpful.

 

[Country Living]

I hope you changed your PIN immediately.

 

[jamal22066]

How is this even possible? You are saying someone managed to withdraw money out of your account through an ATM without your card ever being stolen? Quite strange. If the bank refuses to corporate with you then like mentioned above you should contact the police department of the city the withdrawls were made from. Maybe they can somehow get the bank to release video of the ATM surveillance cameras proving that you were not the one who made these transactions. For the time being CANCEL YOUR CARD!

 

[Mass_Shyster]

How is this even possible?

It's pretty easy. There's a magnetic stripe on the back of your card that contains the account number. Someone attaches a reader to an ATM that looks like part of the machine. When you swipe your card, the reader stores your account number. They have a camera pointed at the keypad and watch you enter your PIN.

Take the reader and camera home, and make a new card with your account information on the stripe. They can use any other card with a mag stripe on the back, and simply re-record your information over the original, just like a cassette tape.

Put the forged card into an ATM, key in your PIN, and empty your account.

 

[garrula lingua]

This is pretty common.
Lesson: better to use an ATM which is in view of others, and a known Bank's.
Independent ATMs are more susceptible to this type of theft.

Most banks will reimburse the money if there's a police report & a picture of the 'withdrawer'.
If the OP alleges OP didn't withdraw the money, but is not doing anything to prove up the 'theft', then why should the bank reimburse OP ?
The possibility is still strong that OP or a relative/friend of OP withdrew the $ & OP has to cooperate with Prosecution to merit reimbursement.