Picture of an anti-theft ATM

[YesSireeeBob]

Do we have any of these in Ireland? With the economy going downhill there will be a lot more instances of atm fraud.

It's irregularly shaped, so you can't stick anything to it, and it's transparent, so any alteration would be immediately visible. I don't think people can install skimmers on these ATMs.



In Italy they have these. You walk into the capsule and it scans you and if you have any bags it won't let you in.



Grumble - Oy! Gets the Boot

Many of the banks in Italy, especially Rome, have secure entrances that look like Jetsons-style transport tubes. You step through a doorway into a narrow Plexiglas-walled vertical tube. If you weigh over 300 pounds, you're probably not going to fit. Once inside, the curved doorway behind you slides shut with a hiss and a click. You're now completely surrounded by Plexiglas. Some unseen machine hums and bombards you with god-knows-what type of radiation, and if you pass muster, a light turns green, you press a button, and the second door opens, allowing you into the bank. If you flunk the test (perhaps because you're carrying an unusually large pocketbook, as my wife discovered), a light turns red, you press a button, the exterior door opens again, a disembodied voice chastises you in Italian, directing you to a set of lockers in which you can store your pocketbook while visiting the bank.

An elderly female American tourist on our trip ran into some serious problems at one of these banks. Apparently, she had a small handbag containing a small knife which was detected during the security scan. Not understanding the chastising voice, and not knowing to push the button when the red light came on, the poor octogenarian was trapped inside the glass, yelling frantically and banging on the walls of the tube with her fists for several minutes while the bank security officials alternated between laughing and shouting instructions in Italian through the Plexiglas walls. She made it out, but resolved not to go into any more Italian banks unless they featured a normal door.

[20000miles]

Why all the security measures? We all know banks don't have any money left.

[slx]

Most AIB branches, and an increasing number of Bank of Ireland branches use a security door system too. It's not jetson tube style, rather there are two doors. You have to enter the first door, close it behind you and wait until it is firmly shut before the internal door will open.

I suspect those 'jetson tube' style doors may fail disability access approval here. Although, perhaps they have provisions for wheelchairs in Italy too.

I don't understand why the banks aren't toughening up the ATMs.

Permanent TSB seem to have made some efforts, however, I haven't seen much change from the other banks.