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BBB warns consumers of new scam involving tap-to-withdraw feature on ATMs

Scammers are using glue to jam the card reader. A nearby stranger would then remind the person looking to take out money to use the tap feature on the ATM.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A Better Business Bureau branch out of California put out a notice to the BBB of Central Ohio about a new scam. 

This time, the scams involve ATMs and the tap-to-withdraw feature that consumers can avoid falling victim to.

“A consumer will approach their bank ATM, and they will put their card in to use it and the card won't quite go in,” said Lee Anne Lanigan, an investigator at the BBB of Central Ohio.

Lanigan says scammers are using glue to jam the card reader. A nearby stranger would then remind the person looking to take out money to use the tap feature on the ATM.

“They say 'Yeah, just tap it and you can make a withdrawal',” Lanigan said.

A stranger standing nearby or not, the concern is that when you use the tap function, your account stays open after you get your money. 

"Once you've tapped your card, you as the cardholder have to actively go in and close the transaction. Otherwise, it remains open for two or three more withdrawals," Lanigan said. 

If it is not closed, a scammer or the next customer has access to your account.

Consumers should remember this: when the ATM asks you to withdraw anymore, be sure to select "no" and the ATM will close you out. 

The BBB says this scam has happened in California, and not in central Ohio.

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