No more cash

ATMs blown up: how the banks are reacting

Blown up ATM in Kagran. Not an isolated incident. There has been a series since the beginning of the year.

(Bild: zVg)

Following a series of ATMs being blown up, the first banks in Vienna are restricting the availability of cash withdrawals. The "Krone" asked the most important banks whether customers can continue to withdraw money at any time.  

Since January, several ATMs have been blown up in Vienna - the "Krone" reported. Fortunately, there were no injuries. But the material damage (including to buildings) is extensive. And the presumably highly specialized gang of perpetrators has not yet been caught. When will the next detonation wake the residents from their sleep? It could happen at any time.

• Post and Bawag have reacted to the incidents. Several Yellow Fox ATMs remain empty. Bawag, on the other hand, closes its foyers between 10 pm and 5 am. The cash dispensers outside the branches are not affected, according to a spokesperson.

The "Krone" asked the other relevant financial institutions how they are dealing with the situation:

• Raiffeisen: "The ATMs and foyer machines of 'Raiffeisen Wien. Meine Stadtbank' are still available for our customers around the clock," explained a company spokeswoman. However, the protective measures have been increased.

• Volksbank: " No Volksbank branch has yet been affected by an ATM being blown up. For security reasons, however, the bank does not want to disclose any details about cash withdrawals.

• Erste Group: Also for security reasons, Erste does not want to talk about whether its customers can continue to withdraw cash around the clock at the ATMs in its branches.

• Bank Austria is more forthcoming: the bank has strengthened its security. However, you should always be able to withdraw cash from the ATMs.

Different access points. The police are still investigating at full speed.