Reality check: Security lapses galore at Pune ATMs

Soon, a slew of security measures were suggested with the bankers, who agreed to implement the same. The matter had assumed more urgency after an incident in Bengaluru, wherein a woman was robbed at knife-point inside an ATM. Security of ATMs has always been a complicated issue, with the bankers and the police trying to pass the buck on to each other.

With ATMs becoming an integral part of our lives (RBI data shows that the total volume of ATM transaction in November for the country stood at Rs 2151143.77 million) security for these kiosks have become an important issue. Back in 2013, the Reserve Bank of India had issued a series of guidelines for the ATMs, one of which mandated the compulsory posting of guards in the ATM.

Team Newsline did a reality-check at various ATM kiosks in Pune city and Pimpri-Chinchwad to find out whether security measures are in place at the ATMs, only to find that there are some serious loopholes.
Karve Road, sinhagad road

AUTOMATED TeLLER Machines (ATMs) on Karve Road and Sinhagad Road have security guards posted round-the-clock but they are seen standing outside the ATM centres loitering around rather than keeping a watch on the ATM centre.

What we saw

The security guards were seen acting as operators informing the public on how to use the ATM machine rather than keeping a watch on the centre.

At some places, where the ATMs are attached to the branches of respective banks there is only one security guard manning the bank as well as the ATM centre.

The banks do have information boards on security measures and there are no circulars on how customers should tackle problems while using the machine.

The CCTV or an inbuilt camera at the ATM machine is the only reliable safety measure rather than the security person manning the area.
BT Kawade road

On the stretch of BT Kawade Road, there are nearly 10 ATM centres of various banks, out of which just 2-3 have security guards present at the centre.

What we saw

The ATM centres that operate without a guard include ATMs of SBI, ICICI, Andhra Bank, Bank of India, Axis Bank and HDFC Bank.

The road has two ATMs of ICICI and HDFC; while one of each has a guard, the others don’t.

NIBM- SALUNKHE vihar road

Visitors said that mostly ATMs didn’t have security guards and if there is any problem with the machine they are not sure whom they can turn to.

A customer said that on his visit to one of the ATMs, near the NIBM post office, the machine suddenly made a loud noise, causing chaos outside. The security guard was not present at that time.

“I have never ever seen a guard here,’’said an IT professional who did not wish to be named at ICICI branch on Salunkhe Vihar road.
What we saw

Majority of the ATMs operated by the Nationalised bank on the NIBM/Salunkhe VIhar road were manned, while the private banks seem to rely more on close circuit televisions to address their security concerns.

Among the nationalised banks, ATMs of Punjab National Bank on Salunkhe Vihar Road and Bank of Maharashtra’s ATM, near the post office, were operating without security guards.

The ATMs of ICICI Bank and HDFC on Salunkhe Vihar Road and NIBM Road were also without security guards. However, these were attached to the operational branches of the bank which had their own security guards.

The Bank of Maharashtra ATM on Salunkhe Vihar Road’s security guard said that the security agency was on contract basis and they had recently taken charge and worked in three shifts.

Shyamrao Vithal Cooperative Bank, IDBI bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Yes Bank, HDFC main branch ATMs were all functioning without the ATMs.
Pune Railway, Station

DESPITE HAVING ATMs lined up in a row at the crowded railway station area, one still feels insecure using the facility due to the heavily-tinted glass doors and lack of security personnel manning the area.
While the idea may have been to give some privacy to the ATM users while they are making their transactions but the lack of security does raise one doubt — what if someone is using the ATM during late night with no security around?

What we saw

ATM cabins are located off the parking lot, nearly at the end of the railway station.

There are ATMs of four different banks in a row but none of them have a security guard present at the spot.

At the Union Bank ATM, there is a poster on the duties of a security guard and what he should do in case of an emergency but no sign of anyone to follow it.

Also the posters or information on emergency contact number and procedure to follow in case of emergencies like card blockage, currency note problems etc are missing in almost all ATMs here.

The Canara Bank ATM has an emergency switch behind the ATM machine but no information available about it anywhere.

A security guard seen a little distance away
Pimpri-Chinchwad, Spine road, shahu nagar

The newly-developed areas along the Spine Road have around five ATMs of various banks with many having security guards posted.
However, citizens say that at times, they are not able to locate the guards during times of crisis.
What we saw

Located near the Pune-Nasik Highway, the ATMs of HDFC and Sharad Bank are next to each other, but while the Sharad Bank ATM has a guard round-the-clock, the HDFC kiosk is left without a guard.

The SBI ATM, near the petrol pump, at Shahunagar has a guard but he is often seen on the road rather than near the ATM.

RBI advisory

Caretakers at offsite ATMs and sensitive locations to discourage attempts to tamper with the ATM.

Arrangements with police authorities for regular beats in case ATMs are located in sensitive areas.

Disabling cash retraction facility at ATMs as per the RBI guidelines in view of large number of frauds committed by fraudsters.

Security Screen on the machine requiring the customer to confirm the digits entered reducing per screen transaction time, logging out a customer in case of a single invalid pin

Dip-card readers: Dip Card Readers (card is not swallowed by the machine) preempt capture of data through extraneous devices. Mystery

Shopping: ·Analysis of complaints to identify complaint prone ATMs and monitoring transaction at these places.