Dehradun: After the recent ATM fraud incident in which robbers used cloned debit cards to embezzle lakhs of rupees, several account holders were a worried lot with many questioning security arrangements made by bank officials to safeguard their accounts.Talking to TOI, 48-year-old Sangeeta Negi, a resident of Jogiwala, said, “It seems that whether at home or in banks, nowhere is our money safe. What are the concerned authorities doing? Can’t they guard an ATM kiosk properly? ”Another resident from Rajpur Road, Hemant Ghai said, “After I heard about the incident, I have not gone to any ATM outlet to withdraw cash. I have decided that I will not even use my ATM card at any store until the authorities assure me of foolproof security. Till then, I am happy to visit my home branch and withdraw my money from there. Better to be safe than sorry.”A 20-year-old BTech student from Dobhalwala, Himanshu Semwal echoed similar views. “It’s ridiculous that even after so many ATM fraud cases in the city, there is no rule regulating the sale and purchase of such devices, which work as a helping tool for these fraudsters.”Explaining the modus operandi of such heists, police said that the robbers use skimmer devices, which are placed at the ATM machine. When a person swipes the card, the device captures the data from the magnetic stripe on the back of the ATM card.Reacting to the concerns raised by concerned customers, Punjab National Bank's chief manager (IT) Santosh Sinha told TOI, “Such activities can take place only at a secluded or unmanned ATM or where CCTV cameras are found to be non-functional. People must take necessary precautions on their own. For example, hiding the keyboard with their hands while entering the PIN is the best precaution one can take every time one is withdrawing money.”

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