ATM Theft

[bermyboy]

Hello everyone first off be careful 2000$ US was stolen from my debit card 3 weeks ago.I was using a Banco Popular ATM at Ocean Dreams here in Cabarete. The machine acted like it took my card and never gave it back 1 hour later I check my account money gone.
Now my bank in Bermuda wants a police report and the police here in Cabarete are tryinig to charge me 10,000 peso for the report.
What options do I have? I refuse to pay for something that is free but I know how the police are especially here.
thanks

[jeloki]

This also happened to my husband, while on holidays in Puerta Plata.He put his bank card into a machine at the Plaza,the one that belongs to the bank there.He hadn't even put his pin# and the machine told him to call the # to the bank, as it took his card.He called the # where they told him to come back to the bank, during banking hours to retrieve his card(this happened Sat. evening) Monday am, he went to the bank, to get his card,To late, no card and over $4000.00 taken from his account! Lesson learned,he should have cancelled his card, but was just worried as then he had no way to get cash.And also not worried, because he hadn't used pin# .

[Rocky]

Originally Posted by bermyboy

Hello everyone first off be careful 2000$ US was stolen from my debit card 3 weeks ago.I was using a Banco Popular ATM at Ocean Dreams here in Cabarete. The machine acted like it took my card and never gave it back 1 hour later I check my account money gone.
Now my bank in Bermuda wants a police report and the police here in Cabarete are tryinig to charge me 10,000 peso for the report.
What options do I have? I refuse to pay for something that is free but I know how the police are especially here.
thanks

Try to get an employee from the hotel to go to the cop shop with you to get the report.
500 pesos should be enough, certainly not 10,000.

[sascha]

what a horrible situation! i work for a financial instituation in canada and deal with (debit card) fraud investigations and i see this kind of thing all the time unfortunately there isnt much anyone can do except ensure that you contact your bank ASAP and get the card cancelled. waiting to contact a rep at the bank that owns the ATM often is a waste of time and usually by then, the damage is done. i hope it all works out...let us know what happens.

[Sharky]

I like this country but every where you turn there is thieves, please lets learn from these people mistakes. It seems that trust of anything here is a mistake, what a shame! I feel for you guys that have lost thousands. Remember if you shew gum don't open to wide cause somebody will steel it. Have a great day!

[sascha]

when i was in SD last month, i noticed that there were warnings on every ATM i used about not allowing any one to input your PIN or "help" you with the machine if your card is captured etc... this is a problem in a lot of countries, not just the DR, so im thinking that a person's best course of action is again to call their own bank and get their card cancelled right away.

i always try keep an extra bank card and credit card with me when i travel just in case situations like this come up.

[DavidZ]

I don't know if this is related, but they recently removed the BP ATM at Ocean Dream...

[Ricardo900]

I personally avoid using the ATMs that take in your card for the transaction. I frequent the ones that you have to swipe.

[sascha]

Originally Posted by Ricardo900

I personally avoid using the ATMs that take in your card for the transaction. I frequent the ones that you have to swipe.

great tip...although i didnt find many of those machines when i was in SD

[Ricardo900]

Originally Posted by sascha

great tip...although i didnt find many of those machines when i was in SD

Maybe a sticky could be created with locations and names of banks with ATMs that only require a "swipe" to access the account.