Tag Archive for: atm machine

How to Increase Security for an ATM Machine

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Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np_qmLtZKhQ

How Can You Increase Security for an ATM and Safeguard Against Theft?

We all know ATM’s are like candy to would-be thieves. However, that doesn’t mean your ATM has to be a target. People target these machines because they are small and they think they store a lot of money.

In reality, most merchant-owned free-standing ATM’s (the ones in stores) don’t contain much cash. Many store owners remove the cash each evening like a cash register.

As a store owner or ATM operator, there are certain precautions you can take to limit the chance that an ATM is stolen or broken into and increase security for an ATM.

It’s easy to add a camera monitor for your ATM machine to ensure that it puts a person at risk if they try and steal money from it. The more measures you take to secure your machine the less likely someone will attempt to steal money out of it.

5 Tips for Increasing Security

  • Install surveillance cameras around your ATM Machine
    • No one wants to be spotted on camera. Put one directly on top of the machine and another in a location that has a good view of the ATM. These camera systems are inexpensive and work great.
  • Hang a sign up in the area to let people know that it is under constant surveillance.
    • Thieves will think twice before making an attempt to steal from the ATM when cameras are around. Several higher-end machines come with cameras installed inside to help lower the chance of theft.  Some of the new Genmega series ATMs have surveillance deterrents pre-installed at the factory.
  • Put your ATM Machine near a brightly lit area.
    • The more lit the area where the ATM is located, the less chance someone is going to try and break into it. Make sure that the area directly above the machine and the surrounding area has the proper lighting. This will also help customers feel more at ease when completing a transaction. No one wants to withdraw cash from an ATM in an area that is dark. Added security to a machine can help protect the money inside and help draw in customers.
  • Place the machine inside your store.
    • Properly secure windows and doors to prevent people from trying to break in and remove cash each evening like a cash register.
  • Install an alarm in your store so if someone tries to get inside they will trigger it.
    • Your machine should be more secure if it is inside your business. An alarm usually makes criminals move to the next target where they don’t have alarms. Alarms are inexpensive these days and go a long way to make would-be criminals think twice about breaking into your business to steal your ATM or any other valuables inside for that matter.

Protecting your investment is just good business. You do not need someone stealing from your ATM. Make sure your installer properly secures your machine to the floor or wall. Make sure the area surrounding your establishment is well-lit, and if you own and operate your ATM machines, simply remove the cash when you close and leave the safe door open is the best security measure. If the ATM in your store is operated by someone else, most of the suggestions above deter criminal activity. A few small protective measures are all it takes to increase security for an ATM and protect your valuables.

Biometric ATMs

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What is a Biometric ATM?

A biometric ATM (automatic teller machine) recognizes a customer not by an ATM card or a personal identification number (PIN), but by some aspect of his or her own body. And banks all over the world are starting to implement this kind of technology. In Warsaw, Poland, the bank BPS has set up such ATMs. (Poland has become a technological leader in recent years.)

These machines have also appeared in banks throughout the Middle East, South America and Africa. The first biometric ATM in India was installed by ICIC in 2005, in the state of Andhara Pradesh. Today, biometric ATMs are especially popular in the rural sections of India, where many citizens seem to dislike and avoid technologies involving PIN numbers.

These machines are especially popular in Japan. In fact, millions of Japanese banking customers regularly use the nation’s tens of thousands of biometric ATMs. One bank in Japan advertised this machine with the line “you are the cash card.”

In the past, biometric devices usually scanned one or more of the following items for the purposes of identification:

  • fingerprints
  • palm prints
  • the eye, either the retina or the iris
  • vocal patterns
  • a person’s signature

The latest biometric ATMs, however, examine instead the tiny veins located just beneath the surface of skin. Everyone has his or her own unique pattern of “micro-veins” under the fingers, and reading those veins represents a much more efficient and accurate system than reading fingerprints. According to studies, biometric micro-vein ATMs will only make a mistake one in approximately one million times, which is the same rate of accuracy as the previous champion, a machine that scans irises.

How are Biometric ATMs Effective?

Biometric ATMs are an effective theft deterrent. People can leave their fingerprints on surfaces, and cunning thieves are able in some cases to lift those fingerprints, reproduce them, and use the reproductions to trick machines that read fingerprints. In some gruesome cases, it would also be possible to cut off one more of a person’s fingers and use them to fool fingerprint-reading machines. Such a hideous process would not work with vein-reading technology, though.

Additionally, with a biometric ATM there are no cards that ATM robbers can swipe, and no PIN numbers that they could skim. These ATMs are also helpful in the immediate aftermath of natural disasters. Customers who may have lost their ATM cards during such disasters would still be able to withdraw much-needed cash.

Biometric ATMs have yet to catch on in North America. Part of the reason is that many American consumers are suspicious of the idea of turning over their personal biometric information to a large bank or other corporation. Could this data be sold for the purposes of advertising and data mining? What would happen if this data were somehow stolen? It’s the kind of question that concerns privacy advocates. Another issue is that many banks feel the ATM systems they currently have in place work just fine, and they don’t see the need for costly upgrades in their automatic teller machine technology.

There’s another issue at play. Americans on the whole have become especially concerned with sanitation lately. Look at how many hand sanitizer dispensers have been installed in the last ten years – they’ve been showing up not just in hospitals and nursing homes, but in shopping malls, restaurants, and even churches. Remember the swine flu scare of 2009, during which Vice President Joe Biden said on national television that he’d advise his family to avoid commercial airplanes for fear of germs? Many people in the United States, therefore, would have reservations about using this hands-on technology, especially during cold and flu seasons.

Maybe someday biometric ATMs may gain momentum in the USA but I think that’s a long way off.  If you’re considering getting into the ATM business and want more information about the type of ATM equipment that is available today, please visit our ATM equipment page or call us at 888-959–2269.

Mobile ATMS

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Business owners and entrepreneurs want flexibility and convenience in their lives, which is a large part of the reason why they go into business in the first place. Although they may possibly own several businesses, they are able to stay successful and see growth if they can implement as many automated systems as possible into their stream of business. In the ATM business industry, one of most attracting factors of the industry is its ability to be as convenient and flexible for the owners. ATM machines can be installed almost anywhere and in any location so as to serve customers, whether that’s foot traffic or automobile traffic.

Drive-thru ATM machines are one component of the ATM machine business that has made it quite successful because of its convenience factor. Customers can simply drive through the financial institution’s window and make a transaction without ever getting out of their cars. The customer can make withdrawals, deposits or cash transfers with their banks, much like customers who go inside the bank and do the same thing. There are even ATM windows that also have automated voice response windows that interact with customers, answer questions or give directions, much like a live teller would. Although mobile ATM’s are flexible and convenient, there are also other kinds of ATM services that provide even more flexibility to its customers.

No doubt that customers do like the convenience and flexibility of ATM’s, mobile ATM’s are another type of business that’s also a big draw for customers. You’ll find mobile ATM machines in places or events where stationery machines are not conducive to the situation. Whether the situation involves a security risk or simply the logistics of bringing in a stationery machine, which may not be feasible, mobile ATM’s are more of a safety solution or a practical solution for a service that customers will need.

Events like outdoor concerts or events, fairs or circuses or temporary events are ideal places where mobile ATM’s are found. Mobile ATM machines are generally set-up in locations of the event that are going to see high traffic. This is usually at the entrance of the event where there is a lot of traffic, but also where there is going to be more of a secure area instead of tucked away somewhere at the event that’s far away from the bulk of people traffic.

To further ensure that the ATM machines are kept safe and secure, they may be drilled down to a foundation or bound to a stationery area or post that’s already at the event. ATM machines generally weight in the thousands of pounds, making theft a difficult possibility. However, by securing the ATM machine to a firm foundation, this further ensures that there won’t be any problems at the event.

Mobile ATM’s can be moved from one site to another generally easily enough to make it a business that many ATM business owners concentrate solely on doing. Instead of owners finding and renting a location to hold their ATM machines, they simply book events and locations where they can park their mobile ATM’s and do business.

Attracting mobile ATM customers is certainly not a problem either. Anywhere where there is a steady amount of diverse traffic at an event is an opportune time for ATM owners to serve customers looking for cash machines. Workshops, seminars, concerts and even corporate events that travel from one location to another are perfect for mobile cash operations. ATM business owners can work out contracts with the event planners to host cash machines at their events for each time the event occurs. This is an ideal flexible solution for both business owners and the customers.

A mobile automated teller machine (ATM) is a special type of ATM. Most ATMs are meant to be stationary, and they’re often found attached to the side of financial institutions, in stores, and in malls. A mobile ATM machine, on the other hand, is meant to be moved from location to location. This type of ATM is often found at special events for which ATM service is only needed temporarily. For example, they may be found at carnivals, fairs, and parades. They may also be used at seminars and workshops when there is no regular ATM nearby.

Mobile ATMs are usually self-contained units that don’t need a building or enclosure. Usually, a mobile ATM can be placed in just about any location and can transmit transaction information wirelessly, so there’s no need to have a phone line handy. Mobile ATMs may, however, require access to an electrical source, though there are some capable of running on alternative sources of power. Often, these units are constructed of weather-resistant materials, so they can be used in practically any type of weather conditions. Additionally, these machines typically have internal heating and air conditioning units that help keep them functional despite the temperature of the environment.

In many cases, mobile ATMs are equipped with safety features. This can be important for inspiring confidence in the people who want to use them. If a potential customer feels that using a mobile ATM places him at risk, he may be far less likely to withdraw money and spend it at an event. To help ATM users feel more secure, a mobile ATM often comes equipped with fluorescent lighting, and some come equipped with canopies as well. By placing a mobile ATM in a bright, well-exposed area of an event, an event planner can further help ensure user security.

While a business owner or event planner could depend on nearby ATMs to serve his customers, a mobile ATM can also provide financial benefits. For example, if an event attendee has to leave an event to get cash from another machine, he may be less likely to spend money at the event. A mobile ATM, however, makes it easy for people to make impulse purchases without searching for an ATM. This type of ATM may also make it easier for event vendors to make money, even if they do not have credit card terminals. If easy access to an ATM isn’t provided, on the other hand, event attendees may be less likely to spend money with vendors who cannot take credit cards.

Cash Limits at ATMs

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Cash for Convenience

It’s a matter of convenience when you want to withdraw cash from an ATM machine. You may find yourself in a cash crunch and need access to cash right away. Whether it’s to pay a bill or for some cash for last-minute spending, the convenience of the cash machine can be a glorious, welcoming site!

However, cash machines can also bring a bit of angst with their conveniences. Meaning that sometimes when you have to or find that you need to withdraw particularly large amounts of cash, you may find that there are imposed limits on just how much cash you can retrieve. Why is that? Is it fair? After all, since it is your money, how can the ATM machine or the banking facility impose a limit on your money and block you from getting what’s yours?

Locating Cash Machines

There are some cash machines that will tell you or show you the daily limit that you can retrieve from that particular machine. What some customers will attempt to try is to go to several different ATMs and try to withdraw their cash requirements and try to skirt around the imposed limit. They are usually not always successful because the cash restrictions are not tied to the cash machine itself, but rather to the account for which the transaction is tied to. That means that no matter how many machines are visited, the limit will follow the account and not the transaction.

Why Cash Limits Are Imposed

So why is it then that there are limits imposed? Simply put, for security reasons. By implementing a cash withdrawal threshold for each account, this guarantees that a someone who has wrongfully gained access to the person’s account will not empty the account out.

This is especially good news for the person who has either lost their ATM card or find that it has been stolen. If this were to ever happen, the person of course would notify the bank immediately when they discover this. However, at that point it is theoretically possible that the thief can essentially withdraw all of the money from the account, whether that amount is $100 or $100,000. But with limits, there is a cutoff, and the person’s account would essentially be affected by that amount.

Customers and ATM Protection

Stolen cards would become void and deactivated, and then eventually replaced by the bank for the customers. So the person who stole the card would not be able to use it to access the individual’s account, and there are no worries about the account being completely emptied. In the case where there may have been money stolen, the ATM and banking institution will usually have insurance to cover against these losses, and the banking customer would be reimbursed for any losses.

Free-standing ATM machines very often don’t have human security systems, such as guards or uniformed policemen. They have security cameras that record traffic activity and that also monitor any activity from the machine. Therefore, if there is any suspicious activity milling around the machine, the camera will record it and aid in any investigative attempts at fraudulent behavior.

ATM machines will also sometimes display a notice stating the amount of money that the cash machine holds, or, what the daily withdrawal amounts are per customer. They do this for two reasons; 1.) to deter any criminal activity with anyone thinking that the ATM machine contains a substantial amount of money, and 2) to keep customers aware of limits so that they can guard against any ATM suspicious activities like skimming or stalking. Also, ATM machines will sometimes post notices stating that the machines are stocked every 24 hours, also in an effort to discourage suspicious activity in thinking that the machines are full of monies.

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