Keeping employees, technicians safe during ATM crime wave

Post-COVID has seen an explosion of fraud and physical attacks on ATMs worldwide. Explosive attacks, previously uncommon in the U.S., have grown in number. Overall, there was an estimated 148% rise in ATM theft and fraud from 2019 to 2020. Incidents increased even further in 2021 and continue to climb. So far this year ATM crime has increased 165%.

The true costs of physical attacks, in particular, are staggeringly high. Beyond the costs of stolen cash there is damage to the equipment plus possible collateral damage to the building and nearby equipment, not to mention time spent dealing with law enforcement, loss of use of the ATM for card holders. And depending on the type of attack, financial institutions may temporarily have to close drive thru lanes. Estimates for losses due to typical ATM heists have reached over $2,000,000 annually with an average of over $40,000 per incident. Explosive attacks cause even more damage, with losses averaging over $60,000 each.

Despite the astonishing numbers associated with explosions, smash-and-grabs, and other cash grabs, there is a far more troubling trend. Criminals are getting bolder, looking for additional points of vulnerability and have begun targeting technicians doing maintenance and filling the ATM with cash ─ where the costs are far more than money and equipment, but human life.

Armed robberies of ATM technicians servicing machines or filling them with cash are on the rise. A Google search brings up pages of articles about daring criminals including one where two thieves wrestled a gun away from an ATM technician, who was securing a bank ATM near Chicago, in December 2021 escaping with an estimated $100,000 cash. In a similar event in January 2022, an ATM technician faced an armed attack in Houston when he was filling an ATM with cash. The tech managed to escape but the criminals succeeded in nabbing the exposed cash box he left behind, resulting in losses in the thousands of dollars.

But these criminals don't stop at just stealing money. An ATM technician was killed, while working on a machine in a convenience store, in Baltimore in February 2021, and an armored carrier employee was shot and killed in New Orleans in July 2021 where he was servicing a drive-thru ATM. More recently, two gunmen ambushed an armored car in Houston at 10:40 a.m. in the morning in May 2022, in a busy shopping center that includes a Walmart. One ATM technician was shot, and the robbers were able to get away with multiple cartridges of cash being loaded into a bank ATM.

Similar incidents have been reported across the U.S. and globally. In fact, more than 3,040 ATM crime incidents were reported in March 2022 alone, according to the ATM Security Association (ASA) Crisis and Crime Management Intelligence System.

Protecting technicians and employees

Criminals aiming to take advantage of armored carriers and ATM techs do not act on a whim. This type of incident typically requires planning. According to security experts speaking at the National ATM Council's annual conference "Security Academy," these individuals typically watch their target locations, making note of standard cash delivery schedules.

Criminals planning a heist are watching for locations that have low traffic or visibility. They may even consider specific times, employees, maintenance timelines, or cash delivery routes that provide better access and more opportunity. More sophisticated criminals may even find ways to sabotage machines in a way that will provide access to an open safe or put the ATM out of commission, triggering a maintenance call by a technician.

Fortunately, there are a variety of steps banks and credit unions can take to protect their ATMs, and technicians and employees loading cash into machines:

• Security cameras – Having security cameras and putting decals on the ATM letting criminals know they are being monitored can deter crime. However, with face masks being more commonplace since the pandemic, cameras may not be as effective as they once were.
• Staggering maintenance and cash load timetables – Not filling ATMs at the same day and time each week is a good defense that could spoil plans for attempted attacks.
• Evaluate ATM locations for vulnerabilities – It is also a good idea to evaluate locations for vulnerabilities such as areas of low light that allow bad actors to lay in wait.
• Double up on employees – Another option to consider is to provide additional eyes and ears by pairing employees for maintenance visits that may require cash exposure.

High-tech solutions

Updating scheduling and reducing potential attack vulnerabilities are not the only ways to help keep ATMs secure. High-tech solutions like GPS trackers in the safe and hidden in the cash cassettes can help protect equipment, cash and employees, and if an attack happens can help law enforcement recover the ATM and cash.

As criminals become bolder, there are ways to make the job of ATM maintenance and cash refills more secure. Coupled with simple steps like using security cameras and staggering cash load timetables with advanced technologies can not only reduce the loss of cash and equipment, but it can also help save the most valuable asset of all… lives.