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Author Topic: Cash Machine PIN Reversal Hoax  (Read 22481 times)
thetrout
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« on: January 03, 2014, 20:27:03 »

I've seen a few posts flying around Facebook recently with the following or similar wording:

Quote
ATM (Automated Teller Machine, or 'at the moment', depending on context) PIN Number Reversal - Good to Know!!

If you should ever be forced by a robber to withdraw money from an ATM machine, you can notify the police by entering your PIN # in reverse.
For example, if your pin number is 1234, then you would put in 4321. The ATM system recognizes that your PIN number is backwards from the ATM card you placed in the machine. The machine will still give you the money you requested, but unknown to the robber, the police will be immediately dispatched to the location. All ATM^s carry this emergency sequencer by law.

This information was recently broadcast on by Crime Stoppers however it is seldom used because people just don't know about it.

Please pass this along to everyone.

This is the kind of information people don't mind receiving, so pass it on to your family and friends.

Please note that this photo is a hoax and no such system exists. So I thought I would post this as this seems like something even the hardy Public Transport User may believe and think works...!

North Wales Police have made a statement on their website here: http://www.north-wales.police.uk/advice__support/pin_safety.aspx  - Third Item on the page

Quote from: North Wales Police
ATM PIN Number Reversal hoax email
We have been alerted to a hoax email that has been circulating purporting to originate from Crimestoppers. It claims that if you enter your pin number in reverse into a cash point the police will be sent to your location.
 
This information is not true.
This email did not originate with Crimestoppers. It's content is false.



The email states:
 
PIN advice - good information
ATM PIN Number Reversal - Good to Know!!

If you should ever be forced by a robber to withdraw money from an ATM machine, you can notify the police by entering your PIN # in reverse.
For example, if your pin number is 1234, then you would put in 4321. The ATM system recognizes that your PIN number is backwards from the ATM card you placed in the machine. The machine will still give you the money you requested, but unknown to the robber, the police will be immediately dispatched to the location. All ATM^s carry this emergency sequencer by law.

This information was recently broadcast on by Crime Stoppers however it is seldom used because people just don't know about it.

Please pass this along to everyone.

This is the kind of information people don't mind receiving, so pass it on to your family and friends.




What to do if you receive this email:
If you receive this email or one similar to it please ignore it. The advice contained in the email is false, so there is no reason to forward the email onto anyone else.
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Grin Grin Grin Grin
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« Reply #1 on: January 04, 2014, 18:12:46 »

It's not a bad idea though!
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eightf48544
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« Reply #2 on: January 04, 2014, 19:19:57 »

It's not a new idea we had a swipe and pin acess control system at a computer centre where i worked in the late 80s that had a duress feature using reversed pin entry. The only problem tha i can see is that if you under duress are you smart enough to reverse your pin?
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JayMac
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« Reply #3 on: January 04, 2014, 19:26:47 »

The other problem is that the crime is still committed. Freddie Thief can well be long gone before the police turn up.
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Btline
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« Reply #4 on: January 04, 2014, 23:00:46 »

What is the purpose of this scam? Why has somone written that online? Huh
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Chris from Nailsea
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« Reply #5 on: January 04, 2014, 23:28:35 »

Please calm down, everyone.  Roll Eyes

This particular 'urban myth' was debunked by snopes as early as 2006 - see http://www.snopes.com/business/bank/pinalert.asp   Wink
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William Huskisson MP (Member of Parliament, or Mile Post - a method of measuring the railway in miles and chains from a starting point - usually London, depending on context) was the first person to be killed by a train while crossing the tracks, in 1830.  Many more have died in the same way since then.  Don't take a chance: Stop, Look, Listen.

"Level crossings are safe, unless they are used in an unsafe manner."  Discuss.
plymothian
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« Reply #6 on: January 05, 2014, 22:15:48 »

I have a palindromic PIN.  Roll Eyes
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grahame
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« Reply #7 on: January 05, 2014, 22:33:07 »

I have a palindromic PIN.  Roll Eyes

Please don't tell us that - that's cut it down from 10,000 to 100 possibles. 

Did you wonder why the police turn up every time you use your card?  Grin Grin Grin
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bobm
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« Reply #8 on: January 05, 2014, 23:01:43 »

Actually this probably says more about me than this thread, however to satisfy my curiosity I tried changing my PIN to a palindrome tonight and the machine suggested I couldn't as it was too obvious.  Grin
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JayMac
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« Reply #9 on: January 05, 2014, 23:38:43 »

Most card issuers inform you that sequences (4567, 5432 etc) and 3 or 4 repeated digits (3331, 7777) can't be used as a PIN.
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bobm
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« Reply #10 on: January 05, 2014, 23:44:17 »

I was barred from using 3113.

I also couldn't use 4043 - apparently because it is the first four digits of my branch sort code!
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stuving
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« Reply #11 on: January 06, 2014, 00:59:57 »

If most issuers bar palindromes and suchlike, and yours is one of the few that allows them, doesn't that make them a safer, because less obvious and so less easily predicted, choice?

But then, of course, that's not going to work against those that don't know they are usually barred ...
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eightf48544
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« Reply #12 on: January 06, 2014, 09:24:36 »

i have just been sent a pin by my bank with 3 repeats of the same number in sequence. Have changed it of course!

One thing about being a GW» (Great Western - used as an abbreviation for the area / lines under the Great Western franchise, as opposed to FGW which includes "First", the company operating them too. For tickets - about) trainspotter you've lots of locos to choose from for your pin.
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didcotdean
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« Reply #13 on: January 06, 2014, 10:14:07 »

About twenty years ago, probably a bit more, I was sent a new card with a PIN of 4321. It was in the days when you couldn't change it yourself. I contacted the bank and it took a long while to convince them that this PIN was a problem as being too easy to guess if the card was lost, although in the end they did re-issue with a different number. Times change ...
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Chris from Nailsea
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« Reply #14 on: January 06, 2014, 17:51:29 »

In an ideal world, where five digits were required, I'd choose the palindromic number 43034.  Wink Cheesy Grin
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William Huskisson MP (Member of Parliament, or Mile Post - a method of measuring the railway in miles and chains from a starting point - usually London, depending on context) was the first person to be killed by a train while crossing the tracks, in 1830.  Many more have died in the same way since then.  Don't take a chance: Stop, Look, Listen.

"Level crossings are safe, unless they are used in an unsafe manner."  Discuss.
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