Pin number reversal

[Candy Bouwer]

PIN NUMBER REVERSAL (GOOD TO KNOW)

If you should ever be forced by a robber to withdraw money from an ATM machine, you can notify the police by entering your Pin # in reverse.


For example if your pin number is 1234 then you would put in 4321. The ATM recognizes

that your pin number is backwards from the ATM card you placed in the machine.

The machine will still give you the money you requested, but unknown to the
robber, the police will be immediately dispatched to help you.

This information was recently broadcasted on TV and it states that it is
seldom used because people don't know it exists.

[Dave A]

Now to get someone who has definitely tested this....

[Dave A]

This begs the question as to where these things come from and how they manage to travel so far.

Absa has quashed claims made in a circulating email indicating that ATM users can type their PINs in reverse to alert police of suspicious people waiting to rob them of their cash.

Absa spokesperson Errol Smith said the circulating email was incorrect and disappointing.

"We have become aware that there's a circulating email claiming that if ATM users type in their PIN in reverse the police would come and assist them at a specific ATM," he said in a statement on
Tuesday.

"We want to warn our customers that this ATM PIN reversal functionality does not exist at Absa ATMs. By entering your PIN in reverse you will not notify the police in anyway, nor will cash be dispensed from ATMs."
from IOL here

[duncan drennan]

We have Absa once again reaffirming that this is a hoax email. I also did a quick search on snopes - interesting history to this.

Absa has reiterated a warning that typing a PIN into an ATM in reverse order does not work as a police emergency alert

This follows the recirculation of an old email about ATM security functions.

The email claims that if a person is being robbed at an ATM the police can be notified this way and that money will be dispensed while the police are on their way.

"We want to warn our customers that this 'ATM PIN reversal functionality' does not exist at Absa ATMs," Absa said on Wednesday.

"By entering your PIN number in reverse will not notify the police in any way, nor will cash be dispensed from the ATMs."

If a PIN number is entered in reverse the ATM will generate an error message and the transaction will be declined.

Three of these will result in a restriction on the account holder's card.

Absa did not know who was responsible for the email.

via MyBroadBand

[BruceM]

Wouldn't it be loverly !! You would probaly need to be at the ATM for three days in order for our boys in blue to arrive to assist you, by which time they would more likely arrest you for loitering !!

[reuben]

sad but true

[SilverNodashi]

this is a hoax email, and physically not possible.

just goes to show what people will actually believe