Before You Use the Street ATM

We take for granted that ATMs simply work. You press a few buttons and get your cash. The public loves ATMs for their convenience and the banks love them for their fees. Everyone trusts them. Over the last three decades, the public’s level of confidence in ATMs has increased as ATMs have moved from bankside to streetside. Indeed, ATMs in the US have stellar records. Today, these mini banking outposts  may be found within souvenier shops and next to hot dog stands. But make no mistake–streetside ATMs in San Francisco, especially in the Tenderloin, are under siege. Many locals in the neighborhood know about it, but unsuspecting travelers have no idea they are about to get burned by the criminal ATM tinkerers.

In a nutshell here’s how the scam works: At night, when few people are looking, the criminal walks up to the ATM and pries open the cash dispensing tray. Then they insert an object within the tray behind the door, out of sight. Then when an unsuspecting victim comes to withdraw money, they find that only a receipt comes out but not their cash. The ATM records a transaction, but the cash will remain stuck within in the machine.

Usually confused victims first read then reread the reciept to make sure they’re not crazy. Just like at a snack machine whose Cheetos are hanging tantinglizingly in the window, the victim will start pushing buttons, slapping the ATM screen, and even trying to shake the cash dispenser. But that’s no use as the ATM’s are secured in the building’s facade. Finally, out of desperation,  the victim jams their fingers into the dispensing door, trying to pry out the dollar bills.

Unfortunately, the casual ATM customer is not as persistent as the criminal, and he or she will usually give up and angrily walk away. Probably this is because they either don’t understand the ATM’s mechanical workings or they never suspect that the foreign object, placed by a criminal, was meant to thwart the casual passerby.  Finally, the criminal will come back later (day or night) to claim their prize.

As a kid, when payphones were ubiquitous, my brothers and I would casually stick our fingers in the coin return hoping for a precious dime or even a quarter if we were lucky. (I’d be halfway on my way to buying a pack of baseball cards!) Now think about how much you typically withdraw from an ATM. You can imagine the criminal making between $60 and $100 on a single successful ATM hunt.

What makes this criminal activity particularly clever  is the fact that a large percentage of San Francisco’s independent bars, shops, and restaurants do not accept credit or debit cards. Tourists often have to make extra, unexpected trips to the ATM. This is ironic because of San Francisco’s large corporate banking presence. These ATM trips is what makes them vulnerable to losing their cash.

San Franciscans are highly supportive (and protective) of their independent businesses, so they may be upset when I write that those shops’ independent ATMs are the most dangerous to withdraw your money from. Just check the cash dispensing doors for yourself. The hardware of ATMs from the big banks, such as Bank of America and Wells Fargo, are designed with much more secure doors that prevent anyone manually prying them open. The independent ATMs are far less secure and are regularly pried open.

Sure, you could save the receipt and complain to the bank. But who wants to spend their vacations harassing a bank for their money back. Worse still, those independent ATMs don’t exactly having banking offices where you could walk in a complain. Calling the number? You’d be lucky to get a live operator. And if you did hit a homerun, you’re refund wouldn’t be mailed for 6-8 weeks. Mailed to a foreign country? Forget it. Don’t be a victim. Your cash belongs to you. Use your street smarts, stay away from the sketchy ATMs, and keep your cash for yourself.