A helping hand at ATM, followed by card swap. Result — all account money wiped off in Haryana

A failed transaction, a stranger offering help, and a quick exchange of cards. By the time the victim realised something was wrong, the original ATM card was allegedly in the hands of a fraudster, who then used it to withdraw money.

This was the alleged modus operandi of a gang suspected of targeting several people in Panchkula, Kalka and adjoining areas, with elderly and less-educated people among those targeted.

Panchkula police has arrested two alleged members of the gang and claimed to have recovered 70 ATM cards, a point-of-sale (POS) machine, and two mobile phones.

The accused, Manoj Kumar, a resident of Hisar district, and Anil, a resident of Bhiwani district, were arrested by the Cyber Crime Police Station, Sector 20, on October 14, following a tip-off about two men moving suspiciously around ATMs in the Sector-20 market with a large number of ATM cards and a POS machine. Both have been remanded in police custody for four days.

According to the police, the accused would approach people at ATMs and offer to help them withdraw cash.

“Once they (accused) gained the victim’s trust, they allegedly tricked them into revealing their ATM PINs and then swap their original cards with similar-looking ones. They would make an excuse that the transaction had failed or that the ATM was not working, leaving the victim unaware that the card in their possession was not the original one,” Yudhveer Singh, Station House Officer (SHO), Cyber Crime Police Station, said.

The accused would then allegedly use the original card and the PIN to withdraw money from the victim’s account at other ATMs.

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The alleged modus operandi did not end with card swapping. During preliminary questioning, the accused reportedly told police that they also sometimes picked up ATM cards left behind in machines and used them to withdraw money. The POS machine recovered from Anil is also being examined as part of the investigation into how the alleged fraud was carried out.

According to DCP (Crime and Traffic) Amrinder Singh, 43 ATM cards belonging to different banks were recovered from Manoj Kumar, while 27 cards and the POS machine were recovered from Anil. Police are examining the cards to identify their owners and establish whether they are linked to other complaints.

A Sector-14 case provides a lead

The latest breakthrough came during the investigation into a case involving an elderly person in Sector 14, Panchkula. The faces of the accused reportedly matched those captured in CCTV footage related to the case, giving investigators a lead to examine their possible involvement in other incidents.

The police suspect that the number of victims could be higher than the cases reported so far. The investigation will focus on identifying other gang members, tracing who arranged the POS machine, examining the alleged commission involved, and analysing the mobile phones recovered from the accused.

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The police will also identify ATMs in Haryana and Delhi where the accused allegedly picked up cards or withdrew money. Investigators are working to establish the number of victims, the amount allegedly withdrawn and the extent of the racket.

Commissioner of Police Pankaj Nain said the alertness and prompt action of the police had helped arrest two alleged members of the gang before they could carry out further offences. He appealed to the public not to share ATM PINs and handing over cards to strangers or fall for suspicious offers of assistance.

A case was registered at the Cyber Crime Police Station, Sector 20, on October 14 under Sections 318(4) and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

How to avoid falling for the trick

The police have advised ATM users, particularly senior citizens, not to accept help from strangers while withdrawing cash. Users should shield the keypad while entering their PIN, never disclose it to anyone and check that the card returned to them is their own before leaving the ATM.

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Anyone who suspects that their card has been swapped or misused should immediately contact their bank to block it and report the incident to the police.