Got the following email from a friend:
When a thief forces you to take money from the ATM, do not argue or resist. You might not know what he or she might do to you. What you should do is to punch your PIN in the reverse mode, i.e., if your PIN # is 1254, you punch 4521.
The moment you punch in the reverse mode, the money will come out, but will be stuck into the machine half way out and it will alert the Police (security) without the notice of the thief. Every ATM has it; it is specially made to signify danger and help. Not everyone is aware of this.
I’m not sure if this information is true, but I sure hope it helps a lot of people if it were. I don’t know in what way the police will be alerted and how soon they can respond. Maybe the guard at the bank can immediately act on it, unless he/she is in lala land. I also don’t know why depositors are not properly made aware of this feature. I surely wasn’t informed of such thing when I opened my account.
At any rate, be observant and mindful of your surroundings whenever and wherever you are using the ATM. It is our alertness and vigilance that will secure us from the evil that the system seeks to prevent.
