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By Harriette Halepis

Earth Times.org, February 2009, Athens Greece – Police in Athens, Greece, are puzzled at the recent ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) attacks that have been occurring within the country over the past year. Robbers have been attempting to rob ATMs of as much cash as possibly by breaking into the machines. In fact, the European Network estimates that “…physical attacks to ATMs in Europe increased in the period between September 2008 and August 2009 by 32%…(Earth Times).”

GPS & ATM

In order to combat these attacks, Mellon Technologies in conjunction with Easy Systems is offering the Greek government the help of some very sophisticated GPS trackers. These trackers will be installed on various ATMs throughout Greece (and other countries). Not only will the trackers be able to pinpoint the exact location of an ATM, but they will also be able to detect temperature of shock changes.

In other words, if a thief attempts to crack into an ATM with a crowbar, those ATMs outfitted with GPS trackers will alert authorities right away. With the help of security cameras that are already installed on most ATMs, police should be able to find thieves within a matter of moments. The GPS trackers in question can be installed on any kind of ATM (regardless of model, size, or manufacturer), which means that nearly every ATM in Europe can now be tracked.

ATMs are also targeted throughout North America, though the number of ATM break-ins in North America is not nearly as high as the number of break-ins throughout Europe. In most North American instances, thieves tend to rob ATM customers, though most machines are left in-tact. In Europe, the opposite seems to be true, since many ATM customers never face a thief, though some thieves have attempted to move entire machines.

The reasoning behind these recent ATM attacks is relatively unknown, though many speculate that it has to do with the recent economy. Many countries within Europe have been thoroughly impacted by tough financial times, and this often leads to crime. Many European countries are hoping that the new GPS tracking systems will deter thieves from attacking ATMs, though the result of this new system will not be revealed until next year. The GPS trackers will be installed throughout Europe within the next few months.