A MAN who lost £3,000 in seconds after making vital mistake inside a bank said he should have seen the signs coming but had no idea.
The 24-year-old, who wishes to remain anonymous, was the victim of a cunning “distraction theft” inside his local Natwest branch in Warrington, Cheshire.
The devastated hotel worker had withdrawn £3,180, from the Nationwide building society on Sankey Street at around 2:30pm back in June.
Wanting to transfer it between accounts, he took it by hand to the branch of Natwest a few hundred yards away on the opposite side of the street.
Due to long lines, he opted to use one of the pay-in ATMs inside the branch, placing his transparent wallet with the cash, keys, and wallet on the machine.
However, as he was depositing the coins, a woman entered the branch appearing “hysterical”, reports the Manchester Evening News.
The man recalled: “She was really stressed, really upset. I know now it was an act but it was really convincing.”
The victim recounted that after initially approaching him and speaking in Spanish, the woman then moved to the counters where staff also expressed confusion at her words.
In an attempt to assist, he told the outlet that he offered his phone for translation purposes.
As she spoke into it, the device translated her words as “the ATM was not a successor”.
Simultaneously, a man, now suspected to be in cahoots with the woman, was seen at the counter ‘flaunting a £50 note’.
Unseen by the victim, this man is believed to have stealthily approached the machine while the victim was distracted, swiped the money, and left around 3pm.
The victim only realised the theft when, a minute or two later, after the woman had calmed down and departed, he turned to find his money missing, though his key and wallet remained.
He promptly alerted the bank staff and contacted the police but the damage was already done.
The victim said: “I realise now it was an error, but that’s the way I’ve always done things, I’ve always done them in person, it didn’t feel strange at all.
“They weren’t your average bank robbers, they just look like normal people.
“So there was no reason to suspect anything. It’s such an odd thing to happen on a Wednesday afternoon. But the effects have just been awful.
“I nearly fainted when I realised,” he went on. “I’m the sort of person who has always saved up, to lose that amount of money in one go is just surreal, I can’t believe it.”
The victim stated that the bank staff who reviewed the CCTV footage confirmed the man had taken the money while he was preoccupied.
He further mentioned that the staff now suspect that the man and woman may have been communicating in a language other than Spanish, which no one else in the branch understood at the time.
The victim added that the police believe the group, potentially larger than just the pair seen in the branch, might have been observing him while he was in the Nationwide across the street.
However, both Nationwide and Natwest have so far refused to reimburse him.
The victim believes that given it happened inside their branch, Natwest in particular have a moral obligation to do so.
“The stigma against cash is ridiculous,” the man added. “If it was my card that had been taken, they’d give me everything back.
“I was inside their premises and was paying it into their account. I’ve been a customer of theirs for many, many years.”
Natwest said it cannot protect or be responsible for cash brought in by a customer until it is “fully deposited” with them.
This can be if it is being handed over a till position or secured and properly deposited by a customer into a cash deposit machine.
A Natwest spokesperson told the M.E.N: “We’re sorry for the distressing experience (the customer) has been through and will support the police with their enquiries.”
A spokesperson for Cheshire Police said: “At around 3pm on Wednesday 19 June police were made aware of reports of a distraction theft at a bank on Sankey Street, Warrington.
Maintain awareness of your surroundings
Don’t walk around holding out your phone, or things where they’re easily visible or easy to get at.
Keep things you might need access to in front pockets.
Pockets with zippers, etc. make it that much harder for them to access, or want to.
Keep your valuables locked away
Keeping your bags locked and zipped up when you don’t need them can always help.
It might make you accessing your things more of a pain, but the same will be true for them, and it’s also a visual sign to them that you might be more trouble than its worth to them when they can go after the next person that isn’t doing that.
If you need to get something out of your pockets, or even your money belt, you don’t have to do it right out in the middle of everything where everyone can see.
If people get too close, or touchy, move away from them if you can
Protect passwords, PINs, and usernames
Never keep your PIN with your debit card. If someone steals your debit card and your PIN is written right on the card, that person has easy access to your accounts.
Do not keep passwords saved on your computer or phone, but in a separate, secure location.
Also, remember to change your passwords on a regular basis to protect yourself.
