Cash machine gangs in Hanover Square

[Tarquin Farquart]

Received this morning...

I would like to warn you about a gang that are working in the W1 area around cash points. An incident took place the other day outside the HSBC bank in Hanover Square when a large amount of money was taken from some one using the cash point

The gang of very smart Romanians (2 guys and a girl) who are posing as free-newspaper-giver-outers - they waited until the person had keyed in their pin and hit the 'Get Cash' option before coming up from both sides, jostling and thrusting their newspapers at the person pretending to persuade them to take one.

Behind the papers, the guy on my left hit the £200 button and the girl on the right grabbed the cash - they were so fast that no one in the queue even saw them take it, and just assumed they were harassing the person to take a paper It was only when they went into the bank to tell them there were people harassing cash point users and to double check they hadn't taken any cash that they realised. This crime was reported to the police and it turns out they've been targeting women around Mayfair and Goodge St and elsewhere around Oxford Circus with a huge number of incidents in the past couple of weeks - all in broad daylight and in very open places, and always taking £200.

[Dropbear]

How come it switches from third person to first person and back?

a large amount of money was taken from some one

the guy on my left hit the £200 button and the girl on the right grabbed the cash

just assumed they were harassing the person

And how do they know they were Romanian - check their passports? Did the author have a Henry Higgin's like ear for accents? The thieves were perhaps wearing national costumes?

And what auto-teller spits out money that quickly? Ours generally clank quietly to themselves for a bit before asking whether you want a reciept, or whether you want any other service and then reminds you not to forget your card.

Sounds a little strange to me...

Dropbear

[Eddylizard]

all in broad daylight and in very open places, and always taking £200.

The gang always take £200? They hang around waiting for someone taking out just that figure, ignoring other users who take out other amounts?

If so I think I can see a very simple strategy to avoid becoming a victim of this gang.

[queen of the caramels]

Originally Posted by Dropbear

How come it switches from third person to first person and back?

Most if these things seem to . Must be a fault in writers training camp.

Originally Posted by Dropbear

And how do they know they were Romanian - check their passports? Did the author have a Henry Higgin's like ear for accents? The thieves were perhaps wearing national costumes?

No silly, all thieves in the UK are now Romanian. It's againist the law to be a thief of another country.

Originally Posted by Dropbear

And what auto-teller spits out money that quickly? Ours generally clank quietly to themselves for a bit before asking whether you want a reciept, or whether you want any other service and then reminds you not to forget your card.

Sounds a little strange to me...

Dropbear

Not to mention the fact that you can cancel the transaction at any time.

[Dactyl]

Originally Posted by Eddylizard

The gang always take £200? They hang around waiting for someone taking out just that figure, ignoring other users who take out other amounts?

No, they hit the £200 button themselves. As per the OP:

Behind the papers, the guy on my left hit the £200 button and the girl on the right grabbed the cash

I have my account set up so there's only ever £100 in my everyday account (by this, I mean the one I have my cash card in my wallet for). This has the two fold advantage that it limits my losses if I lose my card and stops me being frivolous (there are ways I can access extra money if I desperately need it).

Did anyone else accidentally read it as Romulans?

[JessBoo]

Behind the papers, the guy on my left hit the £200 button and the girl on the right grabbed the cash - they were so fast that no one in the queue even saw them take it, and just assumed they were harassing the person to take a paper

So the person at the cashpoint didn't hear the beep when they pressed the £200 button? And no one heard the whirring as the money was counted?

It was only when they went into the bank to tell them there were people harassing cash point users and to double check they hadn't taken any cash that they realised.

Are they saying that people didn't know they'd had money nicked until they went into the bank to complain about newspaper people? Didn't they think it was suspicious that a) the newspaper people (presumably) made a speedy exit, or b) their card had been given back 'without' them having taken any money out?

[stalker]

It's an overly complex way of saying be vigilant at cash points and avoid free-newspaper-giver-outers. I think both are good advice. Together we can stop them sticking papers in our faces as we walk in or out of tube stations!

[Richard W]

Behind the papers, the guy on my left hit the £200 button and the girl on the right grabbed the cash - they were so fast that no one in the queue even saw them take it... It was only when they went into the bank to tell them there were people harassing cash point users and to double check they hadn't taken any cash that they realised.

So who spotted the guy on the left hitting the button and the girl on the right taking the cash, then?

There isn't room for four different people to all suddenly get in front of you when you're at a cashpoint! If they'd been hanging about that closely you wouldn't use it anyway...

Why does it specify that they're "very smart" when they're giving out free newspapers? Did they decide to go for the "looking respectable" cover but panic and go for the conflicting "inconspicuous low-income street furniture" cover as a last-minute backup? Or is it just a comment about their intelligent plan...?

Originally Posted by Eddylizard

The gang always take £200? They hang around waiting for someone taking out just that figure, ignoring other users who take out other amounts?

Originally Posted by Dactyl

No, they hit the £200 button themselves.

That and the fact that the £200 button is bigger than and separated from all the others, making it easy to hit. Also, when you ask for £200, it will spit it out without counting it or making a beeping noise.

I learned this all when I was in London.

[Richard W]

Originally Posted by Doug4.7

That and the fact that the £200 button is bigger than and separated from all the others, making it easy to hit. Also, when you ask for £200, it will spit it out without counting it or making a beeping noise.

I learned this all when I was in London.

Did you spot the ones that say after you've entered the PIN "Do you want £200?" (Yes / No) "Are you sure you don't want £200?" (Yes / No) "Oh go on - withdraw £200" (Yes / No) "Very well then - which transaction do you require?" (Cash) "Please select an amount: £200 £200 £200 £200 Other" ...

The cashpoint in my Co-op does have a "Quick withdrawal - £50" option, though, that comes up on the "Balance / Cash with Receipt / Cash with no Receipt / PIN change / Mobile Phone Topup" menu.

[llewtrah]

My account is set up, at my request, so I can't withdraw more than £50 from a cashpoint in a single transaction (theoretically £50 on a single day, but the delay in updating the central database means this isn't foolproof if you use the card different banks' machines).

Ask Tarquin about his accidental withdrawal of £200.

[Tarquin Farquart]

Originally Posted by llewtrah

Ask Tarquin about his accidental withdrawal of £200.

Bah, I'd forgotten about that. :o

[llewtrah]

Originally Posted by Tarquin Farquart

Bah, I'd forgotten about that. :o

So ... are you gonna say, or am I?

[Squirt]

All the cash machines I've ever used in the UK don't give out the money until you've card taken back your card from the slot. Maybe the third Romanian grabs your cash card.

[Tarquin Farquart]

Originally Posted by llewtrah

So ... are you gonna say, or am I?

It's amazing how one's hand can slip at the cashpoint; pressing the £200 button instead of the £20.

There were no Romanians present.

[Jonny T]

I've done likewise - I was used to the numbers being in a particular configuration, they weren't, withdrew £100 instead of £20

this story sounds plausible, tho the specifics are a bit dodgy - but the idea of a group of people hanging round near a cashpoint (under a pretence such as selling papers) waiting to target people is fairly realistic.

[llewtrah]

Originally Posted by Jonny T

I've done likewise - I was used to the numbers being in a particular configuration, they weren't, withdrew £100 instead of £20

Hand/eye co-ordination can contribute - you stab the button, think you've missed, stab it again and whoops £200 quid! Heart misses a beat while you work out if you actually had £200 in the account.

I'm the slow, deliberate person who reads the options just in case they've switched them around a bit. You'll know it's me as there'll be a queue behind me.

[Tarquin Farquart]

Originally Posted by llewtrah

Hand/eye co-ordination can contribute - you stab the button, think you've missed, stab it again and whoops £200 quid! Heart misses a beat while you work out if you actually had £200 in the account.

I'm the slow, deliberate person who reads the options just in case they've switched them around a bit. You'll know it's me as there'll be a queue behind me.

I bet you actually take a receipt as well.

[llewtrah]

Originally Posted by Tarquin Farquart

I bet you actually take a receipt as well.

When have you ever seen me requesting a receipt?

[Tarquin Farquart]

Originally Posted by llewtrah

When have you ever seen me requesting a receipt?

Mini-statement?