A desperate
craving for cash often leads up to sketchy sidewalk ATMs, and throughout the city, these
graffiti-covered devices are causing problems. A recent study by Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer found that many of According to the Daily News, out of the 950 automatic teller machines that Stringer’s office surveyed, 242 were found to be unregulated, and in the East Village, only two out of 100 were associated with major banks.
Stringer says that “This is more than just a nuisance: The exploding number of sidewalk ATMs need to be covered by the same consumer protections that apply to bank ATMs.” Banks require mirrors and cameras, but more than 85% of the ATMs examined had no surveillance and less than 4% had mirrors.
Our general rule for avoiding these identity-theft recruitment centers is to think about why we're taking a pile of 20s from an Avenue B ATM at 3 a.m. and decide if it's really how you want to spend your time.
