Oh No, Watch As SA Scammers Steals Woman’s Salary At An ATM
A recent social media post shared grainy CCTV footage from a Capitec Bank ATM in South Africa. The video captures a man who distracts a woman while she is making a withdrawal, swapping her card to steal her entire salary. This type of crime is known as a ‘card jamming’ scam, which takes advantage of a victim’s politeness and trust in strangers.
In 2024, the banking sector in South Africa logged nearly 98,000 cases of digital fraud, leading to a staggering loss of R1.9 billion. Although physical ATM attacks, such as card swaps, decreased by 18% in 2025 thanks to improved technology, scams still thrive by exploiting the public’s high trust in others. By early 2025, approximately 77% of citizens had reported being targeted by various scams.
Community responses to the issue offer practical advice. Users recommend normalizing cardless transactions or using cash transfers to avoid ATMs altogether. They also stress the importance of immediate action, such as blocking cards through banking apps if one suspects fraud. Additionally, some users shared personal experiences, including one individual who successfully thwarted an attempted card swap by entering a false PIN and alerting nearby security personnel to the situation.
Heightened awareness and proactive measures are crucial in combating these scams, which continue to pose a threat to unsuspecting ATM users across South Africa.
