Nanumba District gets first ATM

An impoverished area of Ghana just got its first ATM. 

Ghana Commercial Bank Ltd. (GCB) has brought modern banking services to the Nanumba district and surrounding communities with the provision of ATM services at the new branch of the Bank in Bimbilla.
GCB Bimbilla branch has been relocated to more spacious environs in view of the level of business being handled by the Bank in the district. From three teller points, the branch now has five -- and these are to be complemented by services of the ATM.

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Do you know how to keep safe from ATM hackers?

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A Working Bitcoin ATM Is in San Diego, But Its Most Vocal Backer Is Gone

Bitcoin ATMs may soon be all the fad. One in San Diego is up and running.

 Behold: The world's first bitcoin ATM was set up for a press day in a ballroom at some hotel in San Diego. Local San Diego news outlet ABC10 wouldn't allow video embedding from YouTube, but you can watch the report here. The story of how it came to be is about as strange as you'd expect from the cryptocurrency world.About a month ago, amidst Cyprus's bank crisis, Jeff Berwick, an anarcho-capitalist from Canada, did what any entrepreneurial opportunist does. He announced his plans to set up an ATM based around bitcoin. Terminal access to the decentralized currency, Berwick thought, would be irresistible to citizens trapped by a dwindling national banking system. Berwick's ATM, a "bi-lateral" machine, would allow customers to both deposit and withdraw cash in exchange for bitcoins.

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Skimmer used in Montgomery County ATM thefts

Here's another example of skimmers used in an ATM theft. 

Technology has a way of making things so impersonal.

Police say two men in Montgomery County didn't commit armed robbery or even mug a late night walker but instead used a basic looking piece of plastic to rob dozens from afar.

The device is called a skimmer. It comes in a variation of shapes and sizes and fits perfectly over the card slot of an ATM machine. The problem is that it's nearly impossible to detect.

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Major Bank Pact Signed

This news comes from China. 

NCR Corp. has announced a 5-year technology services agreement with China Resources Bank of Zhuhai. The manufacturer will provide hardware maintenance for more than 200 NCR-branded ATMs owned by the bank.
China Resources Bank of Zhuhai operates four branches and 50 sub-branches in Zhuhai, Shenzhen, Zhongshan and Foshan, under which there are 50 sub-branches. The bank aims to increase its ATM availability with improved support services, and has decided to shift to original ATM hardware vendors for service maintenance to drive higher availability.

Don't forget to check out ATMs for Amateurs by Josef Toth. 

Users complain of ATM malfunctions

In the Middle East, there's an epidemic of ATM malfunctions. 

Saudis and expats have complained of technical malfunctions in ATM machines, which authorities say have occurred as a result of high withdrawal rates during the four-day weekend.Talaat Hafiz, secretary-general of the Media and Banking Awareness Committee for Saudi Banks, said that banks have established operation rooms to monitor ATMs.“There are action teams that monitor and conduct inspection of machines,” he said

Don't forget to check out ATMs for Amateurs by Josef Toth. 

The Consequences of Living in a Cashless Society

According to this story, there's a shortage of ATMs in Sweden.

Living in a cashless society is fine — unless you want cash, as citizens of Sweden have discovered. Then just try and find an ATM.
Ice News reports that Sweden now has the second-lowest ATM:population ratio in the EU, with an averate of 3.2 machines per 10,000 people.
On the other hand, the company is one of the highest ranking countries for non-cash payments. A recent report said the country potentially could be entirely cash-free by 2030.

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Sweden Has ATM Shortage

Here's a story of supply of ATMs not meeting demand coming from Europe. 

Sweden has the second lowest density of cash machines in the EU, with 645 of them being made obsolete in the past two years alone.
The ATM density has now fallen to its lowest since 1994, with an average of 3.2 per 10,000 people, according to the Svenska Dagbladet newspaper. The worst affected regions in the country are Östergotland and Uppsala.

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Two arrested following ATM 'cash trap' device warning

Here's another story of ATM theft.

Cleveland Police said a number of people had reported using a cash machine but not receiving any money.

Police stopped and searched a car on the A19 on Saturday and found a large amount of money and a device thought to be used on ATMs to collect cash.

Two men aged 24 and 26, from Manchester have been arrested on suspicion of theft in connection with the incident.

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ATM Purchases Question

One state is cracking down on ATM withdrawals by welfare recipients.

Arizona’s cash-assistance welfare program is intended to help the poorest of the poor feed and clothe their children, and for the most part, it does.
But a small percentage of recipients, who must earn no more than $4,164 a year for a family of three, are using the money to pay for booze, cigarettes, poker games, strippers and travel to places like Times Square, Disneyland and Hawaii, according to Arizona Department of Economic Security records obtained by The Arizona Republic.

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Bitcoin ATMs in the USA by the End of 2013?

According to this article in Time Magazine, Bitcoin ATMs will hit the US by the end of 2013.

Bitcoins, the online currency built on cryptography and beloved by libertarians, could be available for purchase through specialized ATMs in the United States this year.

At least two firms have plans to ship out Bitcoin ATMs to American cities in the coming months. Robocoin, the Las Vegas-based firm rolling out the world’s first Bitcoin ATMs in Canada this fall, plans to ship 12 to 15 of the units by the end of the year. “We are working on deals right now in the U.S. that should deliver in December or January.Los Angeles, Florida, NYC, Austin, to name a few,” Robocoin CEO Jordan Kelley told TIME in an email.

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Police Search for ATM Skimmer in New Hampshire

An ATM skimmer is being sought. Here's the details of this story. 

Police are enlisting the public's help in identifying a suspect who obtained account information of Bank of America customers by placing a "skimming device" on the bank's downtown ATM.

Detective Sgt. John Peracchi said police are investigating the discovery of the skimming device that was placed on the ATM near Market Square between the dates of July 14 and July 18. The device was discovered by a customer using the ATM and was reported to police in late July, he said.

Don't forget to check out ATMs for Amateurs by Josef Toth.

Australian Criminals Go High Tech

ATMs in Australia are having to deal with all sorts of high tech thievery. Here's the story.

The winner was pretty pleased, and although it hasn't arrived yet, he's already emailed us with some ideas of what he's thinking of using it for. (Nothing controversial, honest!)

3D printers work by building up an object layer by layer, typically out of some kind of polymer, accumulating material in the desired pattern until you have a finished product.

The trendy term for this is additive manufacturing, unlike a milling machine, which cuts away the parts you don't want until what's left behind is the finished product.

Don't forget to buy ATMs for Amateurs by Josef Toth. 

Punjab Nat'l Bank intros reloadable debit card

Check out this new ATM technology from an Indian bank. 

Punjab National Bankhas launched a branded prepaid ATM debit card that can be used to make withdrawals at ATMs, transact purchases on- or offline and pay utility bills.

According to a report by India Times, the card is the first such instrument to be launched by a nationalized bank in India. The card may be recharged at any PNB branch in the country.

India Times cited a release that said that rather than carry cash, citizens can use the prepaid ATM debit

 Don't forget to check out ATMs for Amateurs by Josef Toth. 

Indian villagers to get 'water ATM' network

Here's an example of where ATM technology may be headed.

For the equivalent of one penny a time, thousands villagers whose own supplies have been contaminated by sewage will be provided with 10 litres of drinking water that is guaranteed to be clean.

The water will be dispensed via a system similar to cashpoints, with self-service kiosks that supply the water in return for a single Indian rupee.

A leading Congress Party MP and his brother have already set up a pilot scheme to bring affordable clean water to his constituents in Kanakapura, a rural suburb of India's high-tech capital Bangalore.

Don't forget to check out ATMs for Amateurs by Josef Toth.

Detroit Man Gambled Away Over $1.5M After ATM Error

Electronic errors can cost lots of money when they occur at an ATM. 

A Detroit man is facing 15 months in prison after he was able to withdraw unlimited ATM cash from his Bank of America account that only held a few dollars.
Ronald Page, 55, took advantage of a bank mistake that placed his account into a "pay all' status that allowed him to withdraw unlimited overdrafts, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Detroit said. And withdraw he allegedly did: From August 1 to 18 in 2009, Page hit the ATMs, mostly at casinos, and cashiers --for $1,543,104.

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Suspect in attempted armed ATM robbery arrested

Another thief gets arrested in attempted ATM heist. 

A judge set bail at $25,000 cash Tuesday for a Somersworth man who allegedly tried to steal cash from someone at an ATM after discovering the bank he wanted to rob was closed for Labor Day.
Court officials said Eric W. Rouleau, 33, of Prospect Street, was ordered held on the high cash bail following a video arraignment in the 7th Circuit Court, District Division in Dover. Bail conditions mandate that Rouleau have no contact with the alleged victim and stay at least 50 feet away from the Rollinsford TD Bank branch if he posts bail.

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HSBC cards no longer work in many overseas ATMs

Here's an article of note for anyone with an ATM card with HSBC. 

HSBC customers have complained the bank has made it more difficult to draw out money abroad.
Many on business trips or holidays have said they were unable to get their hands on their cash from ATM machines.
That's because the bank has switched to chip-embedded cards that connect to a single global payment network.

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Attempted ATM theft at Wanneroo Markets

Here's another story about an ATM under threat.

Would-be thieves have attempted an unauthorised cash withdrawal by trying to remove an ATM from the Wanneroo Markets on Monday morning.

Police are investigating the burglary and attempted stealing of the ATM after offenders forced their way into the market's grounds on Prendiville Drive about 4.15am.

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Police plan control room to monitor ATMs

Police are taking extra measures to control ATM thefts. Here's a story from the Middle East. 

Jeddah security authorities are studying the possibility of linking ATMs in the city with a security operation room for further surveillance around the clock.Police spokesman 1st Lt. Nawaf Al-Bouq said the study also includes monitoring money-transfer vehicles via a tracking system.Al-Bouq explained that prior coordination is in place between money-transfer vehicle firms and the security operation room to ensure no suspicious activity takes place during the replenishing of ATM machines with cash or to intercept other money-laundering activity.

Don't forget to buy ATMs for Amateurs by Josef Toth.