Can ATM PIN be reversed to prevent robbery?

Banks advise depositors not to believe baseless rumors circulating online.

The content of the anti-theft tips that have been spreading rapidly in recent days is as follows:

If a robber forces you into an ATM and forces you to withdraw money, you should not resist, because you do not know what he might do to you. What you should do is enter your PIN number in reverse order.

For example: if your PIN is 1234, press 4321. When you press the PIN backwards, the money will still come out, but when it reaches half way, it will stop and a notification will be sent to the police!

Every ATM has this program, it is created to prevent danger to you and help you notify the police. But not all of us know that this program exists!

Hope everyone will share this information with friends, in case of need, it can help yourself and your friends.

Through discussion, Mr. Le Huynh Ha - Head of Vietcombank ATM Service Management Department, Ho Chi Minh City branch - affirmed that this was baseless information to "attract views", but many people believed it was true and shared it a lot.

Therefore, there is no way that entering the PIN code backwards when being robbed at an ATM can help you 'report to the police' or 'stop after half of the money has gone out' as shared on Facebook. Not to mention, if the cardholder sets the PIN code to the same numbers, for example 1111, 2222... then entering it backwards or forwards will give the same result" - Mr. Ha analyzed.

According to Mr. Ha, in fact, this information did not just appear now. But in recent days, when it was shared a lot on social networks, many of his acquaintances also called to ask if this information was true.

"This is completely fictional information. Cardholders should not share or disseminate this information," Mr. Ha warned.

The director of the card center of a large joint stock bank in Ho Chi Minh City also confirmed that the information shared above is completely fabricated. According to this director, the reverse PIN warning is a joke that pops up every now and then.

"The best way for cardholders to protect themselves from risks when withdrawing money, especially at night, is to use ATMs located in well-lit areas with a lot of traffic. If possible, go with a large group of people. Avoid using ATMs in dark, deserted areas.

Currently, many banks have arranged ATMs in clusters, with 2, 3 machines or more, and have security guards. If possible, you should go to these ATMs, or ATMs located in front of bank branches if you need to withdraw money at night for more safety," the director advised.