ATM PIN email myth a hoax
Posted by jtsmyth8 on June 6, 2008
The contents of the e-mail sounded too good to be true. It said: If robbed at knifepoint while withdrawing money from an automated teller machine (ATM), keying in your personal identification number (PIN) in reverse order will send an alert to the relevant authorities, who will then come to your aid.
The e-mail itself, however, is a hoax. It apparently first surfaced in 2006, but knowledge of the e-mail recently became widespread among puzzled netizens after it reappeared on various local forums such as SGClub and SGForums.
A quick check with several banks here and the company from which the e-mail allegedly originated found that there are no such security measures in place at any of the ATMs in Singapore.
The e-mail claims that the reversed PIN will send a silent alert to the police, even though the withdrawal amount will still be dispensed. (story)
