NEW TACTIC TO STEAL ATM CARDS

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 26 (Bernama) -- Police have come upon a new tactic by
foreign badhats to steal automated teller machine (ATM) cards at ATM machines
around Brickfields.

The gang is made up of two to three men and a woman all in their 30s.

Brickfields police district chief ACP Wan Abdul Bari Wan Abdul Khalid said
their tactic was to stand close behind or beside to observe the victim
withdrawing money.

"After the victim withdraws the money and begins to take the ATM card, one
person will tap the shoulder of the victim and when the victim turns the suspect
will tell the victim that his or her money had fallen on the floor. At the same
time another person in the group will take the victim's card or switch the
card," Wan Abdul Bari told Bernama when contacted here today.

He said when the victim turns to look for the so-called money on the floor
the suspects would flee and when the victim turns to the ATM machine he or she
will find the card missing or would be unaware that the card had been switched
with another card.

"When the victim checks the account balance he or she will find that money
had been withdrawn from the account," he said.

"We advise people to be alert when withdrawing money especially in this
festive season," he said.

Till now there had been four cases in the district.

Brickfields is a small to medium-sized town and residential neighbourhood
(as well as an administrative zone) located just outside central Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia. It is known as Kuala Lumpur's Little India due to the high percentage
of Indian residents and businesses.


-- BERNAMA