Agribank customer lost USD4,400 in ATM theft

A Vietnam Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Agribank) customer in HCM City has USD4,400 stolen from his ATM account overnight.

Agribank customer lost USD4,400 in ATM theft

On November 20, Nguyen Thanh Huy received 20 text messages, notifying that a total of USD4,400 had been withdrawn without his permission from the ATM on previous night.

After checking, Agribank confirmed that the money was withdrawn at midnight in Binh Duong Province. The bank proceeded to meet and work with Huy on November 22.

Agribank has helped Huy complete complaint letters and co-operated with agencies including Bank Card Risk Management Subcommittee of the Bank Card Association and the Anti-Hi-tech Crimes Police Department.

The bank promised to protect the customer’s rights and said this could be done by a high-tech crime group. This group may install hidden camera at the ATMs to collect the passwords and information.

Huy had previously complained about the bank’s slow reaction as he had tried to call the bank multiple times but was only able to make the connection at noon. An Agribank representative said Huy did call the hot line but didn’t push the number to connect to operator.

Agribank assured that the information of Huy’s ATM card and other customers’ are still safe. Their system meets the requirements of Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), a proprietary information security standard. About 2,500 ATMs in Vietnam are equipped with the hardware and software to protect the information, the bank said.

Customers are advised to be cautious and have measures to protect their cards and PIN codes.