Thieves are trying various methods to steal money from ATMs from sophisticated technical solutions to simple ones like ripping them out of the walls with cars or blowing up the machines. Banks and companies that operate ATMs use various solutions to increase security.
The first and primary security feature of an ATM is the high quality materials used to build the devices. In addition, natural architectural safeguards are used, i.e. such as locating ATMs in appropriate places that make them difficult to steal or anchoring them additionally to the ground. CCTV systems are also popular, i.e. cameras that record video and sound simultaneously. The recorded material can help thwart a burglary in real time, as well as being useful to the relevant authorities in apprehending the perpetrator after the crime has been committed. In theory, this method should be highly effective, but in practice the perpetrators of theft often manage to successfully conceal their image. In addition, usually the video and sound recording equipment is outdated, which means the quality of the recorded material is poor.
ATM owners in Poland will soon be forced to apply solutions we know from American films. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration has imposed a new obligation on banks and operators to install money-dying cassettes, the so-called Intelligent Banknote Neutralisation Systems (IBNS). This is expected to deter thieves from stealing, but could have a negative impact on customers' pockets related to the cost of using ATMs and removing stained money from circulation.
In the case of banknotes stained by an anti-theft device, the ink soaks into the paper and leaves stains, the colour of which tends to be more intense near the edges of the note and a distinctive pattern. These systems activate when money is robbed or stolen from an ATM and colour the banknotes (usually red, purple or green). When criminals try to lure out the stains, the chemicals can cause the banknote to discolour. As a result, its original colour is altered and some security features are damaged or disappear altogether. Stained banknotes should be removed from cash circulation.
Banks have until the end of September 2023 to adapt
their ATM networks to the new banknote security regulations. Given
the scale of the changes and investments that await financial
institutions, it seems almost impossible to implement all the
solutions required by the legislator. The advantage of ATMs is that
they are always available and self-service. When dealing with
financial institutions, what the individual customer values most is
fast, cheap and uncomplicated cash management or payment operations.
Changes to the law, which Polish banks and ATM operators must comply
with by the end of September 2023, could severely disrupt access to
cash and drive up the cost of handling the devices and paper money in
circulation.
At the same time, users of paper money will be partly responsible for eliminating stained banknotes from circulation. If you receive a stained banknote, you should refuse to accept it and ask for another one (it is not certain that the person handing you the banknote came into possession of it legally). Bleached and discoloured banknotes should also not be accepted, as they have probably been chlorinated or washed by criminals to remove stains from an anti-theft device.
If you receive stained banknotes without being able to return them, hand them over to your bank or the National Bank of Poland and state the circumstances under which you received them. If the examination shows that the staining was not caused by the anti-theft device and the banknote was stained accidentally, you will receive a new banknote or a refund on your account.