EASY MONEY : Safety at the Cash Machine
Automated teller machines have become as indispensable as cars or answering machines in the convenience-conscious 1990s. California consumers complete about 600 million transactions a year at ATMs and the machines are now showing up in gas stations and office buildings.
But there is a downside to these sources of quick cash: Users of the machines have also become convenient targets for crimes that have included robberies, carjackings and violent assaults. Although the number of ATM-related crime in the San Fernando Valley was the March 20 stabbing of beautician Sherry Foreman, 29, who was pregnant at the time. Both Foreman and her fetus died.
A string of robberies at four ATMs, one of which resulted in a customer being shot, ended earlier this month with the suspect’s apprehension. Those robberies occurred in Reseda, Woodland Hills and Canoga Park; three were at night, one during the day.
ATM operators have until July 1 to comply with the state’s first of a kind law requiring adequate lighting around the machines. The Los Angeles City Council last week launched a pilot program to install ATMs in two police stations, including one in Northridge. But according to the LAPD’s Crime Prevention Unit, ATM safety begins with a fundamental concept: trying to use low-risk machines, such as those that are inside buildings or are well-lit.
ATM Safety Tips Park your car in a well-lighted area: use machines that are well-lit. Keep car keys in hand. Have your card ready and forms filled out. Cancel transaction if you sense trouble. Use your body to shield the keyboard. Have someone with you if using ATM after dark. Avoid ATMs near landscaping or potential hiding places. AT a drive-up ATM, keep all windows except the driver’s closed and doors locked. Keep engine running and be aware of people loitering. Never keep your code numbers written down anywhere. Take receipts from ATM. ATMs by the Numbers Number of U.S. ATM terminals in thousands 1987 68,000 1988 72,500 1989 75,500 1990 80,000 1991 83,500 1992 87,500 Fast Facts How an ATM “knows” how much money to dispense: Sensors determine correct number of bills, rather than the amount; i.e., five $20 bills for a $100 withdrawal.
More than $6 million a year passes through each ATM in the United States. Generally, ATMs hold up to four cash cartridges and each cartridge contains as much as $70,000. Some ATMs have cameras that videotape transactions. In 1991, videotape from ATM surveillance camera helped police in North Hollywood division apprehend and prosecute a thief. Safety reminders displayed on screen or printed on receipts may someday be required of all ATMs. One experimental measure is a security button that would connect ATM with 911 operators in an emergency.
Crime Report In the Valley 1993 ATM robberies reported in the San Fernando Valley as of May 20 Burbank: 2 Devonshire: 5 North Hollywood: 10-12 Van Nuys: 8 West Valley: 7 (as of May 9) Foothill: 4 In Los Angeles The LAPD began keeping track of ATM robberies in September 1992. Figures for September through February 1993: Total robberies: 18,946 ATM robberies: 105 Going to Extremes In 1991, two men used a tractor to pull an ATM out of the wall of a bank in Antelope Valley. Upon realizing the difficulty of the task, they left the ATM in the parking lot and fled. They were later apprehended. In Hartford, Conn., earlier this month, three men police say were knowledgeable about computers and banking, installed their own ATM in a shopping mall. By the time the scheme was discovered several weeks later, the thieves had extracted $52,000 from dozens of accounts. What’s Next
Futurists see the day when we will live in a cashless society. Instead of carrying money around in their wallets, consumers would have debit cards. Similar to ATM cards, they could be used for everything from store purchases to pay phones to vending machines. Most bills would be paid by transferring funds with home computers.
Sources: LAPD, California Bankers Association, Electronic Funds Transfer Association, Star System
