Fact Check: Will pressing cancel on ATM machine twice prevent PIN theft?
A WhatsApp message reportedly from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is being circulated. The message states that if an individual presses the ‘cancel’ button twice on an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) before inserting the card, it could prevent someone from stealing their PIN number.
By Newsmeter Network Published on 13 Jun 2021 12:01 PM GMT
Hyderabad: A WhatsApp message reportedly from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is being circulated. The message states that if an individual presses the 'cancel' button twice on an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) before inserting the card, it could prevent someone from stealing their PIN number.
FACT CHECK:
NewsMeter searched the RBI FAQ page on ATMs but found no specific instruction that said pressing the 'cancel' button twice can prevent PIN theft.
This message has been on the Internet since 2018 and has gone viral once again. It was debunked by several organizations earlier. In 2018, BOOM reached out to Manipal Technologies Limited, a security print products manufacturer, whose clients include many banks. Ashwin Shenoy, the assistant vice-president of Manipal Technologies, told BOOM that there is "no credibility to this message" and that the RBI would never get involved with how an ATM works.
"No, the RBI will never get into this. This is just a rumor as RBI doesn't get into how an ATM functions. How the ATM functions depends entirely on the banks and the vendors who have given the ATM services want the ATM to function. RBI has no role in it," he said.
The government has also clarified that the message is fake and that it has not been issued by the RBI. It suggested two ways for secure transactions: users are advised to conduct the transfer in privacy and not write their PIN on the card.
It is clear that the viral message is fake and has not been issued by the RBI.
