US navyman victim of ATM fraudsters

Fiona Howard • Published 20 May 2010 10:51 0 Comments

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AN American navyman visiting Faslane fell foul of fraudsters at a town ATM.

John Oravitz arrived in Helensburgh on April 28 to lead a team carrying out repairs on an American submarine which had berthed at Faslane.

Two days later he went to a Royal Bank of Scotland ATM in Colquhoun Square and withdrew £280 from his US Government travel card for his expenses.

Then on May 11 he returned to the bank to withdraw additional funds and was amazed when he was refused because his card was "maxed out".

He said: "I called my office and they told me I had reached my maximum. I said I hadn't, but they assured me I had.

"When they went through the withdrawals there was one for £200 on May 6 and then two of £100 on May 7 which I had definitely not made."

He continued: "I called the Royal Bank of Scotland and they told me that a device had been removed from the ATM on May 7 and that another customer had also lost £100.

"The device had been removed following a customer complaint."

He continued: "I reported the theft to the police and to NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) and they sent an agent over from their base in Naples to make a report and to brief me."

He said that it is believed that a small camera had been fixed to the ATM and was filming cards and customers putting in their PIN.

The cards are then cloned and the PIN used to withdraw cash.

John said: "I was told that I should have covered my card with my other hand as I inserted it and that I should also have covered my hand as I input my PIN.

"I don't want this to happen to anyone else so I would recommend that everyone follows that advice and that they are very careful and on the look out for anything suspicious."

However, he added: "I have really enjoyed my stay in Scotland apart from that and everyone has been very kind."

Helensburgh Police confirmed that they are investigating a reported fraudulent transaction and that enquiries are continuing.

A spokesman for the Royal Bank of Scotland said: "We are aware of the fraud and are working with the police to investigate the matter and to ensure that our customers are fully protected from fraud.

"We would ask that anyone who is suspicious about any transaction or who believes they may have been the victim of fraud to contact their local branch as soon as possible."

He also recommended that people cover their cards with their free hand when inserting it into an ATM and that they cover their hand as they punch in their PIN number.

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