BCA ATM scam warning

[spitfire]

You see!! It is all happening from Toronto. On another forum, I have met other BCA customers from Jakarta that have their money witdrawn from Toronto. I have also heard more storied about this scam going on in Europe, but people usually reply the same.... My money was returned within one or two weeks. I'm so pissed off with BCA!!! :evil: The other day the branch manager mr. Paulus and head of customer services ibu Wahyuni even came to my office to meet me about this, but the message was still the same:"please wait until our investigation is over". ( but we can't tell you when, and I am not "brani" enough to give you any assurance that you will get a refund in case we admit that this is cybercrime).

NOTHING!

 

[hinakos]

i dont really get the toronto connection.

does it mean that the 2 guys who stake out the atm and plant the device risk everything, do all the dirty work, then send all the details back to someone in toronto,who makes a generic new card amd then draws the money out from there?

does that mean that the toronto connection supplies them (the 2 local guys) with this gadget to install on the atms? seems the 2 guys staking out the atm risk a lot, and then send all the info away to someone else who is on easy street.

the first time someone is caught in indo, he could blab on his card reader supplier knowing that its someone in toronto who cant touch him if thats the case...and theres already been people caught right? so why havent they blabbed on the toronto connection and brought the house down? i dont get it.

 

[bali my home]

I too am sorry to hear about your loss and hope that you do get some good results.
I would like to mention here that while i was in Bali in November i heard a staff member of a shop tell a customer not to use BCA because they were "supposedley" in financial trouble and many customers were withdrawing their money and finding another bank.
I dont know of course if this is true, but when you hear a shop owner saying this it makes you wonder.

I have read so many times about people being scammed at atm's and it isn't a good advertisement for Bali, but then again it is happening all over the world.

For me personally i take australian dollars and just change what i need at reputable money changers ( i know the bandits so i dont use them )!!
Yes it could mean a lot of money in your hotel room and you can use the hotel safes but i like to know my money is close to me and i am very good at hiding it ! But the hotel i have always used since going to Bali is very good in providing a safe for your important papers/money, I guess it's just a matter of choice which suits the individual best.

I hope you will have some good news for us soon Spitfire.

 

[mimpimanis]

I guess it's just a matter of choice which suits the individual best

Not really for those of us living here, as I get the impression Spitfire is seeing as he has a BCA account. I will try and use quieter ATMs from now on, rather than those in the very busy tourist places, that and cover the keypad when I enter my PIN.

Hope you get some joy with BCA soon Spitfire!

 

[ronb]

It is 4 months since we were discussing this, and here is another report of problems
http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2009/03/04/36831_ntnews.html
The articles says in part

The two men had returned from Bali in January and the money was taken out last month.

Both men said they had used cash throughout their stay in Bali and had only used two ATMs - in the street outside their hotel, the Garden View Cottages at Kuta.

"The ATM was like a phone booth ... it looked pretty secure," Mr Brady said.

While it does not say which bank, there is a BCA ATM at that end of Jalan Padma Utara.

 

[trinrick]

When I need money in Bali I go to BII bank with my passport and and do a withdrawal in the bank to the maximum of my daily limit.they charge me 1% of the withdrawal for this sevice and i do away with the risk of using an ATM

 

[JOwen]

As a Toronto resident I am sorry to hear about all the scammers using the ATM's to fradulently take money from innocent people. Unfortunately, there are scammers all over the world including Medan Indonesia. I have been scammed by one (or two) people posing as distributors of hockey equipment who took the money without sending the products that I purchased.

<Personal details removed. Don't mention real names, places and other details of people>

I would like to get my money back, but I think its gone. I would even share half if someone could guide me on how to try and recover it. I also have the persons IP addresses that he used to communicate with me. Remember, revenge is best served cold! ~J

 

[gilbert de jong]

Jowen,
Welcome to the forum...
and you can't help it that money is being sca(i)mmed through your hometown.
I have send a PM, regarding your post.
Friendly greetings........Gilbert.

 

[ronb]

Any of you who use BCA ATMs will have noticed that they have installed plastic hoods over the keypads to make it very hard for a video camera to record your keystrokes. For those not good at keying in PINs by touch this means you need to stoop down a bit and peer under this hood.

This suggests that BCA really had problems with those scammers.

 

[frodo]

Hi everyone,
I am Canadian, but retired and living in Thailand. Skimming by ATM's can be a problem here too, but so far I have been OK as I am careful which ATM I use.I am coming to Bali for 2 weeks next month, and was intending to withdraw cash from the ATM. Are there other ATM's as well as BCA ones?
Do the moneychangers exchange Thai baht, and if so, is the rate ok? Then I could bring in Thai baht before I arrive.
I also have Amex travellers cheques in Canadian dollars - do the Banks give favourable exchange rates for those?
I am looking forward to spending time in Bali and thought I had only the problem of picking a good driver. All suggestions appreciated, thanks.

 

[ronb]

So, two guys get 9 years each. The law grinds on slowly - so let's hope they got the right guys and that there will be no more trouble for a while. Some more details at
Bali News: 2 Men Get 9 Years Prison for Bali ATM Theft Scheme