Beware of using ATMs in Ukraine, advises expert (05/29/05)

Beware of using ATMs in Ukraine, advises expert

by Anne Bates Linden

KYIV - The U.S. Embassy's director of security took the podium. This was the third time in three months I'd heard him address Americans preparing to observe Ukraine's presidential election. So I figured I didn't really need to listen - that I'd heard it all before. That was until I heard him mention ATMs.

For as long as I'd been living in Ukraine, my ATM card had been my financial lifeline. At the beginning of each month, money was automatically deposited to my Vermont account, and when I needed some - whether in Kyiv, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk or Kolomiya - I used my ATM card to withdraw it. I couldn't imagine being able to function without one - which as I suddenly realized, was exactly what the director of security was recommending.

"Some of Kyiv's ATMs have been rigged to photograph users' PIN numbers as well as information contained on the cards," he explained. We don't know which ATMs have been hijacked, which remain secure. But we do know that several Embassy staff members have been victimized, he continued.

"What can I do to protect myself or at least lessen the exposure?" I asked him after the meeting.

"For this to work, you need to be able to bank online," he'd told me. "Plus, you need to have two accounts - one with no ATM access in which you keep your money and from which you pay your bills, and a second - the one connected to your ATM card - in which you keep little or no money. When you need cash, transfer only the amount you plan to withdraw. Then immediately head for the nearest ATM machine and make your withdrawal. Under no circumstances should you be able to transfer money between accounts using your ATM card - for obvious reasons."

My first morning back in the States, I did as the director of security had suggested - almost. Thinking my ATM connected account was safe - after all I'd been in Ukraine four months and had never had a problem - I kept a $500, $600 balance. Six weeks later I realized my mistake.

"I've tried using your debit card three times and each time it's been denied," explained an embarrassed Radio Shack salesman. Something had to be wrong. My dad was ill and I realized I'd been neglecting my checkbook. But I was sure I still had some money in the account. I raced back to my dad's flat and, using the Internet, printed my recent account history. And, sure enough, I didn't recognize two of the withdrawals.

I called my banker - even though it was well after closing - and left a message. Then wanting to avoid any possible delay, I typed a lengthy description of what had happened and e-mailed that to the bank. The following morning, my suspicions were confirmed. My banker called. The money had been withdrawn using an ATM in St. Petersburg. I'd never even been to Russia. And, at the time of the withdrawal, I'd been on Cape Cod.

Anne Bates Linden, originally from Boston, is a former Peace Corps volunteer (1992-1995) who now lives in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine.

| Home Page |