Last week, India saw the worst that could possibly happen within a 4 x 6 cubicle filled with cash, and now ATM-phobia is sweeping the nation. This isn’t the first ATM robbery, nor will it be the last. (There was an ATM robbery of the exact nature in Chennai less than 2 days after Bangalore). But, somehow this particular incident has caught the interest of many. Add to it the complete and gruesome footage from the CCTV camera within the ATM, the media had a field day. The brutal CCTV footage was on loop the entire day!!!, (which leads me to the blatant and disturbing insensitivity to violence, the media displays time and again! but that’s a rant for another day.)

ATM s have become extremely commonplace today, especially in urban areas. As of November 2012, there are 1,21,847 ATM kiosks throughout the country. That’s 1,21,847 boxes of money lying around with, most of the time, minimum or no protection. It’s a daunting number of places to provide security, but what are the other possibilities to ensure that one can use an ATM without fear? What’s the point of a security camera if nobody is monitoring them in real time?

In what seems to be  a positive step, police in Bangalore have shut down at least a 1000 ATM s over concern of lax security. Perhaps banks will look into the matter with greater responsibility from now on.  The fact that they have nonchalantly gotten away with compromising security at the cost of a customer’s safety for this long is regrettable.

My first reaction to this whole thing was “I AM NEVER USING AN ATM AGAIN”. But let’s face it, you can’t avoid the place forever. So here are a few precautions/suggestions we could all try out, and maybe, possibly reduce the chances of our getting attacked the same way.

1. You can add all of the default precautions, which are generally known by everyone. Don’t write your pin number down. Make sure you don’t leave behind any belonging or information after using an ATM etc etc.

2. This one’s a given. Avoid ATM s in deserted areas. When you scream, somebody should hear you.

3. Don’t head to the ATM after dark or in the wee hours of the morning. Besides looking like a thief yourself, it’s obviously much harder to see what/who’s lurking, waiting to pounce with a knife.  True the incident in question did happened at 7 AM in the morning, which brings me to the next tip…

4. Don’t go ALONE.  Take a friend, take your mom, or your colleague. Somebody who you trust (obviously).

Here’s the Master Plan I came up with, which should be foolproof against any attack.

Have your person from point no. 4 wait outside the ATM while you draw the cash. This is so that any attacker will have to get through said friend to get to you (and your money). This is when you wish you had a kick-ass friend like Micky O’Neil who’ll throw a punch or two for you, but even if you don’t, not a problem. The attacker will definitely think twice before attacking and trying to rob in full view of the public.

This zeros the possibility of any attacker locking you inside the ATM too. If the creep is waiting inside the ATM, again, somebody standing few feet away should be able to discern a commotion inside and be able to bring help, ensuring you’re not lying in there unconscious and bleeding for hours.

There’s a hoax SMS doing rounds, claiming that if you enter the reversed the digits of your ATM pin, the police will be alerted of the attempted theft and come to the rescue. THIS IS NOT TRUE. You will be left smirking over help that will never reach you, and probably annoy your assailant into hurting you.

In the end, if you do find yourself in such a position, under the control of an attacker, and without help, just give him the cash. You’ll end up spending 10 times the money on hospital bills once he decides to hack you up.

Jokes apart, I pray the woman who was hurt in the horrifying attack in Bangalore has a quick recovery. And I sincerely hope that man is put behind bars soon!

Attackers aren’t afraid of the camera anymore. (seeing how this particular attacker still eludes capture, I’m sure it’s an inspiration to many of the same mind). Simply having someone monitor the camera (most of the ATM s already have them), could help provide an immediate response and deter such attacks from happening in the future.

 It takes a machete-wielding madman to wake our country up to safety issues. Fine. So be it. Better late than never.