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Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

From Woodlands Park Residents' Association Newsletter:

Just wanted to report something that happened to me late evening on Monday Bank Holiday at the Tesco cash machine on Green Lanes.
I was withdrawing cash when a guy came up on the left hand side and placed a newspaper over the keyboard, saying something about a charity and £250 and pointing to a picture on the bottom right hand side of the newspaper. I pushed the newspaper aside, and then a young woman came up on the right hand side and did the same thing - again I pushed the newspaper aside (having had a friend some years ago distracted while withdrawing cash and losing her cash card made me somewhat alert).

I shouted at them both to get away, then having retrieved my cash and card, turned round and repeatedly shouted at them to get away - which they did. I'd also requested an advice slip but that seemed to have disappeared, however that comes out last of all so I don't think they
have that.

The man is about 6 ft tall, round oval face, of Mediterrean appearance, the woman is shorter, pretty, sharpish features, dark eyes and black hair tied back in a pony tail.

I found out shortly after that instead of withdrawing £50 as intended, £200 had been withdrawn so I think the man must have slid his hand under the newspaper and pressed the lower button (I checked afterwards, the £200 button is below the £50 button).

So beware of such distracting tactics when withdrawing cash. Apparently something similar happens in the West End. And I will for once follow my boyfriend's advice and not go out after dark on my own to take out cash from a cash machine.

Tags for Forum Posts: scam

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Interesting. Almost an identical incident to this one at the Santander machine a few months ago.
Something similar happened to me in Green Lanes about three years ago. I don't think the banks take enough responsibility over this. When losses due to distraction-theft are made good by banks, that doesn't just come out of banks profits, it comes out of the system, including all customers who in the long run pay for the whole operation.

I'm not sure what more the banks can do, but I think that they're under an obligation to think harder on this, because the shift from tellers to holes in the wall has saved them millions of pounds in staff costs. Cameras facing to either side?
Thank you for this warning; A facility like HOL really comes in to its own for issues like this.

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