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Cameras will spot crooks

Alfred Moselakgomo

Alfred Moselakgomo

First National Bank has invested R100million to fight ATM fraud over the next three years.

"Enough is enough. Our message is loud and clear to all those criminals even contemplating taking us on," said the bank's ATM chief executive, Mike Arnold.

"We've tested the route of surveillance and we assure perpetrators that we do have the technology, backing and skills to not only identify them, but prosecute them successfully as well."

The bank's message comes at a time when ATM security in South Africa is seen as vulnerable, with a number of financial institutions facing economic losses because of a spate of criminal explosive attacks on ATMs recently.

The bank said that R66million of the R100million would go towards the installation of security cameras.

"The initial installation at 500 ATM sites across the country has already commenced, with successful pilots in Port Elizabeth, East London, Johannesburg, Cape Town and Pretoria leading to 148 completed cases and 17 criminal convictions," Arnold said.

He said video footage was monitored by an expert security team looking for evidence of crimes that included card skimming, armed robbery, card swapping and the use of explosives to gain access to cash in ATMs.

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