ATM pin number in email a hoax!!

Flipped pin e-mail tip exposed as a Myth

Daryll Nanayakara

Jun 05, 2008
my paper

THE contents of the e-mail sounded too good to be true. It said: If robbed at knifepoint while withdrawing money from an automated teller machine (ATM), keying in your personal identification number (PIN) in reverse order will send an alert to the relevant authorities, who will then come to your aid.

The e-mail itself, however, is a hoax. It apparently first surfaced in 2006, but knowledge of the e-mail recently became widespread among puzzled netizens after it reappeared on various local forums such as SGClub and SGForums.

A quick check with several banks here and the company from which the e-mail allegedly originated found that there are no such security measures in place at any of the ATMs in Singapore.

The e-mail claims that the reversed PIN will send a silent alert to the police, even though the withdrawal amount will still be dispensed.

Many versions of the same e-mail have been posted on both local and international forums, with some forum users questioning the authenticity of the e-mail. In the version that is being circulated locally, the sender of the e-mail signs off as a customer service officer from a local security company.

A spokesman for the company said it was aware that such an e-mail was being circulated.

She added that the person who had allegedly forwarded the e-mail had in fact been with the company as a customer service officer, but had resigned in February for reasons that were not related to the e-mail.

He had received it from a friend and had merely forwarded it using his company e-mail account. The spokesman added that upon learning of the employee's action, the company had counselled him.

Banks my paper spoke to dismissed the PIN reversal measure as a 'myth' and added that they have other safety measures to protect customers who are withdrawing money.

Mr Patrick Chew, head of group delivery at OCBC Bank, said that while there aren't any such PIN reversal measures at its ATMs, it has in place 'enhanced security measures' such as 'round-the-clock surveillance camera at all our ATMs to monitor activities'.

A spokesman for DBS added that all its ATMs are 'well-lit' and that they are 'placed as far as possible from exit points'.

If you're wondering if such a measure is even possible at all, IT security expert Aloysius Cheang said: "It's not entirely possible to have such a measure."

He added that if the banks were to implement such a measure, they would have to think through the process carefully.

Things such as whether the customer would be compensated for the money dispensed or how quickly the police can react to apprehend the robber are considerations that need to be thought through, Mr Cheang said. He added that if banks do decide to implement such a system, customers would have to be told.

"If not, it's as good as having a very good lock but not using it to secure your house."