Kiwi Flyer

Cards can be kept by machine for all sorts of reasons (eg expired card). That said there are all sorts of tricks bad guys use so certainly wise to cancel the card.

AAaLot

Since other people were using the machine it must be legitimate.

I only entered my pin once...and even got to the 'do you want a receipt screen'

I am thinking either the card was expired, or it was some other type of non-atm card.

Nevertheless it made me gun shy of using my other atm card anywhere in this country.

Mountain Trader

Here's how I heard the scam was run in Paris:

They jam the ATM so it won't return your card. Other folks are standing around, apparently using or having just used the machine-the other folks are dressed like regular citizens.

When your card is not returned, one of the "citizens" steps in to help but can't get your card back either. One or more of the citizens then points to the phone number of the bank on the ATM machine and says to call them in the morning to get your card back.

Of course your card is still in the machine and has not logged off the system. You leave and citizens drain your account. And the real pros get your card back and get the info off the electronic chip on the back.

Maybe this type of con has not happened to you but you might consider your upside if that's true and your downside if it is not. Since you have another ATM card, prudence will only cost a phone call.

Kiwi Flyer

Not necessarily. A couple of years ago there were a spate of cases where low-lifes attach a gizmo to the machine, which looks just like the bit you insert your card. Instead of going into the machine though it just collects them in a container.

SirJman

I had my ATM card kept in the HSBC atm on Lamma Island in Hong Kong. Apparently I put my card in seconds before the 'scheduled power outage'. The mistake was I called HSBC and they cancelled my card and I couldnt get one until I returned to Canada months later. I went back to the HSBC the next day and they gave me the card (with ID), but it was already cancelled and useless.

Next time I will refrain from ringing the back until I can see if I can easily get the card back.

PIJD

Yep, late 90's in Hong Kong. HSBC ate my debit card, I was lucky it was a weekday and the ATM was outside the bank in Mong Kok, just went in and they got it out for me.

htb

Happened to me many years ago when I entered the wrong PIN too many times -- funny thing was, however, that I would a wrong PIN once, and then the correct one, never a wrong PIN several times in a row.

The bank told me that they keep a count of how many times a wrong PIN was entered in TOTAL, irrespective how many times I have entered a correct PIN in between...

A friend's card was also eaten by an ATM in Paris, for no apparent reason. The bank was open, so they tried to get the card back, which needed a lot of convincing since the employees were completely unwilling to help. As it was her only card (student times), she persisted and finally got her card back despite the bank's initial claim that this would be impossible...

HTB.

BIMMERKID2

Back a few years ago, a machine in Venice, Italy ate my card right when I put it in. I didn't even enter my pin. I called VISA and had them cancel it. It was very strange! I saw other people using it just fine before me.

gfunkdave

I'll resurrect this thread...just got back from Peru. I have used my Ally Bank ATM card all over the world with no issues. But in Peru, it worked once. The second time I tried, the ATM just kept saying "invalid transaction" when I tried to get money. I figured that machine was broken, but Mr. Gfunk had cash so I didn't worry. Then, I tried again a few days later, and the machine ate my card.

I called Ally and they said "there were five Declines from xxx date - why didn't you call us to figure out why?" Well, the machine just said "invalid transaction," not "Declined". And I know I entered my PIN correctly.

In any case, the card was automatically deactivated and they're sending me a new one. But in light of Ally's move away from unlimited fee rebates worldwide to just $10 in the US per month, as well as their failure to embrace EMV on the debit card and Touch ID on their iOS app, I'm going to go with a local bank here in Portland that offers all those things.

guv1976

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry: BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.1030 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)

Had you notified Ally before you left for Peru that you intended to use your ATM card there?

gfunkdave

Nope. I've never needed to notify them of travel in the past. It has always Just Worked.

Of course, when I came back to the US and turned on my phone, I had a voicemail from them inquiring about possible fraud on my account. But what I don't get is why they'd think there was fraud: I entered the correct PIN. I guess I don't understand how this sort of thing works.

guv1976

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry: BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.1030 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)

Skimmers at an ATM can capture your card information; concealed video cameras at the same ATM can capture your PIN. With that info, thieves can clone your card and drain your account.

It's always wise to notify your ATM- and credit-card issuers before you depart for a foreign land.

Rebelyell

This happened to my wife in Italy, and there was no way to get the card back for three days as the bank was closed for the weekend. Fortunately I had plenty of cash plus credit cards.

You should always have a number of sources of money. I like to exchange a good bit in advance when going to Europe, but US currency has become very hard to exchange, so you do need to have some type of debit or ATM card, or at least know the PIN number to get a cash advance on your credit card. The last isn't very economical, but better than having no money at all.

teddybear99

I always notify my Bank/Credit Union when traveling even if its within the USA as there is a possibility of someone who has somehow got your info trying to charge something while you are away. Years ago, I was in the Philippines and my card got canceled because of the Target attack. Someone actually tried to use my number to make transactions in the US while I was gone.