Two men were arrested by police on June 22 when they were caught operating a scam to illegally obtain money from an ATM in Faro.
The method they used consisted of placing a plastic or metal ruler over the slot where the money is issued, which retains the bank notes.
“This scheme, called cash trapping, makes ATM users believe that the equipment has a failure and they leave the ATM premises, after which the criminals remove the ruler and the money that has been withheld,” a PSP spokesman told the Algarve Resident.
The two suspects were arrested when they dismantled the equipment at the ATM in Avenida 5 de Outubro and removed €40 that had been held in the machine.
The two men, of Romanian citizenship, will now be presented to Faro Court.
PSP police advise bank customers to verify the ATM before getting money from the machine, to check if the card reader slot is normal and in good condition, as well as the cash dispenser.
