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| Photo credits – www.atm-link.com |
I
remember a scene from the movie Fast and Furious 6 where Ludacris, a member of
Dominick Torredo’s team, manipulated an ATM (Automated Teller Machine) and
money began spewing from it, you can imagine how people on the streets must have
rushed to pick up the notes as they spilled out. So after hearing about a
failed ATM burglary in the news someday, my friends and I debated how easy or
difficult it must be to burgle one, a look at the metal machine seems to
somehow say I am not giving up any money except you type in a password. Sadly,
the reported thief in the news could not get any money out of the machine but
ended up in a jail cell.
remember a scene from the movie Fast and Furious 6 where Ludacris, a member of
Dominick Torredo’s team, manipulated an ATM (Automated Teller Machine) and
money began spewing from it, you can imagine how people on the streets must have
rushed to pick up the notes as they spilled out. So after hearing about a
failed ATM burglary in the news someday, my friends and I debated how easy or
difficult it must be to burgle one, a look at the metal machine seems to
somehow say I am not giving up any money except you type in a password. Sadly,
the reported thief in the news could not get any money out of the machine but
ended up in a jail cell.
Trying
to break into or manipulate an ATM is a serious crime with serious consequences
in Nigeria as espoused in the Cyber Crimes (prohibition, Prevention) Act, 2015.
The law in Section 30 states that:
to break into or manipulate an ATM is a serious crime with serious consequences
in Nigeria as espoused in the Cyber Crimes (prohibition, Prevention) Act, 2015.
The law in Section 30 states that:
“Any person who
manipulates an ATM machine or Point of Sales terminal with the intention to
defraud shall be guilty of an offence and upon conviction sentenced to five (5)
years imprisonment orN5,000,000 (Five
Million Naira) fine or both”.
manipulates an ATM machine or Point of Sales terminal with the intention to
defraud shall be guilty of an offence and upon conviction sentenced to five (5)
years imprisonment or
Million Naira) fine or both”.
I
guess now you must see my point about why it is a serious crime. Due to the
fact that most ATM machines are located within banks or fitted by banks, it is
not unusual to hear that staffs of a bank are involved in certain fraudulent
acts with others to defraud the bank. That’s why sub-section 2 of section 30
stated above further provides that;
guess now you must see my point about why it is a serious crime. Due to the
fact that most ATM machines are located within banks or fitted by banks, it is
not unusual to hear that staffs of a bank are involved in certain fraudulent
acts with others to defraud the bank. That’s why sub-section 2 of section 30
stated above further provides that;
“Any
employee of a financial institution found to have connived with another person
or group of persons to perpetrate fraud using an ATM or point of sale device,
shall be guilty of an offence and upon conviction sentenced to seven years
imprisonment without an option of fine”.
employee of a financial institution found to have connived with another person
or group of persons to perpetrate fraud using an ATM or point of sale device,
shall be guilty of an offence and upon conviction sentenced to seven years
imprisonment without an option of fine”.
In
a nutshell, if you have been intending to burgle an ATM machine you should
probably think twice except you believe 5 years in a Nigerian prison is an
experience you will like to partake in.
a nutshell, if you have been intending to burgle an ATM machine you should
probably think twice except you believe 5 years in a Nigerian prison is an
experience you will like to partake in.
Adedunmade Onibokun, Esq
@adedunmade