Spring Cleaning Your Security: Spruce Up Your ATM Crime Trends Knowledge

Spring isn’t just for deep-cleaning homes; it’s the perfect time for financial institutions to dust off their security strategies and buff their defenses, especially around ATMs. With the convenience of over 451,000 ATMs dispensing billions in cash across the United States, it’s no surprise that these machines are not just dispensing cash but also attracting criminal activity.

Let’s sweep right into how you can spring clean your security measures to protect these vital assets in times of rising crimes.

Out with the Old: Cleaning Away Crime with New Insights

The landscape of crime against the ATM has seen a staggering bloom, with a 600% increase from 2019 to 2022, and a notable spike of 165% from 2021 to 2022 alone. There has also been a surge in the destruction of ATMs to access the cash within. Typical methods include hook & chain, in which the criminals wrap chains around the ATM and hook it to a large vehicle and drive off at an accelerated speed to detach the ATM and access the cash. Ram-raid attacks can also use large vehicles, or heavy-duty equipment to destroy walls and ATM cases in order to gain access to the cassettes inside. A less invasive invasion of an ATM included an illegally installed camera. A recent article noted criminal “pinhole cameras to record people as they enter their PINs at an ATM” to note the tonal sounds the key made to access.

This isn’t just petty theft; we’re talking about sophisticated crimes. The aftermath? As a result of these attacks, losses mount for financial service institutions. Losses include pure cash stolen from the machine (ATMs typically contain anywhere between $20,000 and $50,000 in cash), as well as the high cost of ATM repair or replacement, estimated to be $75,000, not to mention repair of the surrounding property that may have been damaged.

All these attacks can be prevented or solved using our tips below, but bank employees need to stay vigilant when inspecting stand-alone and exterior ATMs.

View our infographic below to find more information on recent ATM crime.

Pruning Criminal Opportunities: The Multi-Layered Defense Strategy

  1. Detect: Setting Up the Alarm

The first step in our spring cleaning guide is to ensure that your security system can detect unwanted activity. This involves leveraging alarms and video surveillance as your eyes and ears, ready to alert law enforcement at the first sign of trouble. Visibility is key, and a well-monitored ATM is less likely to be targeted. There are several ways to monitor and alarm an ATM, but it is key to do so, since they often exist as a stand-alone or on the exterior of the branch.

  1. Deter: Letting Thieves Know They’re Watched

Next, it’s about making your ATMs as off-putting to criminals as possible. Use video surveillance not just for detection, but also as a deterrent. A visible camera can make a would-be thief think twice, knowing their actions are being recorded. Use camera housings to conceal the camera direction to capture faces as they walk off or license plates as they drive away.

  1. Deny: Hardening Your Defenses

Spring cleaning often means decluttering, but in the case of ATM security, it’s about adding layers – bollards, crossbars, and security gates to make access as difficult as possible. Making a theft attempt more time-consuming and challenging can deter criminals looking for an easy target.

  1. Detain: Tracking Down the Perpetrators

Even with the best preventive measures, determined thieves might still breach your defenses. Here’s where your security measures need to hold the line with GPS tracking. If an ATM or its cash cassettes are taken, GPS tracking can lead law enforcement directly to the criminals, significantly increasing the chances of recovery and arrest.

Spring Safeguarding: Dusting Off Threats to ATM Security

Solutions for recovery and prosecution

3SI ATM Tracker™ and Cassette Tracker™ provide powerful tracking devices that, together, protect ATMs and their cash cassettes against physical attacks. Our solution detects a criminal breach and activates live tracking and recording in case the cellular signal is lost. It also offers radio frequency to report the live location of the ATM and/or cassettes. The average track time to arrest is just 20 minutes and this solution has resulted in an arrest rate of 70%.

Financial institutions have much to gain by stopping criminals from cashing in on ATM theft, including a stronger bottom line, reduced risk to loss of life and property, and greater trust and comfort among customers.

Watch our recent webinar on protecting ATMs with GPS technology here.

A Fresh Start with GPS: Recent Use Cases

Take a peek into our monthly #SaferWorld ATM Crime Report with the below stories:

Memphis, TN – January 2, 2024

In the early morning hours, a suspect drove their vehicle into an ATM and significantly damaged it. An ATM Tracker™ was activated upon impact, alerting the 3SI Tracking Center. The suspects fled the scene without accessing the machine or its contents, keeping staff and customers safe without violence or lost assets. $80,000 has been recovered.

Upper Marlboro, MD – December 31, 2023

Due to the activation of an ATM Tracker™, officers were dispatched for an ATM theft in progress. Officers followed the active tracker’s direction of travel and came upon a pickup truck with a U-Haul trailer attached. An ATM was loaded onto the U-Haul trailer. Suspects abandoned the truck and trailer after noticing police units, fleeing at a high rate of speed in a second vehicle. The ATM was not accessed internally, therefore no cash reached the criminal’s hands.

Wrapping Up: Renew Your Security This Spring

Remember, cleaning up your security is not just a seasonal task but a year-round commitment to safety and innovation. As criminals evolve, so too should our defenses. So, this spring, let’s commit to a thorough clean-up of our security measures, ensuring our ATMs continue to serve the public without falling prey to criminal activities. Together, we can create a #SaferWorld.

Ready to spring into action and clean up your ATM security? Contact 3SI for a demo today and see how our solutions can help keep your financial services spruced up and secure.