ATM's in Hammersdale bombed

Unidentified criminals bombed three ATMs at a shopping center in Hammersdale -- located in KwaZulu-Natal province -- on 15 July 2008. The men apparently entered the shopping center after cutting a lock to the outside gate and holding up two security guards. A gunfight broke out after the machines were blown up, but no casualties or injuries were reported. The criminals then fled the scene with an undisclosed amount of money in an abandoned police car. No arrests have been made. The frequency of attacks on individuals using ATMs and attacks on the machines themselves has risen dramatically in 2008. So far this year, at least 250 ATMs have been blown up across the country, up from 190 cases reported in all of 2007. In light of these attacks, the South African authorities released security guidance for using ATMs. The security tips include: not using the ATM if it appears damaged or if the screen is blank, reporting the ATM if suspicious items are protruding from the machine or if it appears damaged, and not continuing to attempt to use the ATM if the initial transaction fails to process correctly. In addition to these tips, individuals using ATMs should take other basic security precautions to avoid becoming victims of ATM robberies and scams, including not using ATMs in poorly lit or isolated areas and standing close to the machine in order to block the PIN code from criminals.