Protecting ATMs

In December RBR ran an online conference for Self-Service Banking Europe. There is much in the news about attacks on ATMs and this was one of the areas of interest in the conference. Paul Nicholls from Oberthur Cash Protection, Spencer Marshall from HID Global and Duane Campbell from Tesco discussed what they are doing in this area.

They made the point that the criminal fraternity talk to each other, perhaps better even than the industry. When discussing crime, a pattern was described of a new modus operandi evolving which then spreads fast amongst criminals. A solution is found, and attack numbers fall. There is the opportunity and need for the industry to communicate better and for much closer collaboration.

ATMs installed in bank branches are usually put in place with careful consideration. As bank branches close, many replacement ATMs are in more vulnerable places or installed with lower levels of protection. In addition, they are often in remoter areas where there are fewer police available. There was discussion about whether rules were needed to stop this.