2sp_
Ha ha - I know where you're coming from.
This statement in the Mail story is a little confusing though:
[i]The latest annual figures show that, in 2012, the top five countries for fraudulent activity on UK issued cards were USA (£23.4m), France (£7.9m), Luxembourg (£6.9m), Italy (£5.4m) and Ireland (£5.2m).[i]
I would've thought that Romania would have topped that list, based on the story's content?
The answer as bank customers is to be very aware of who is standing near you when you're withdrawing money. If you think that someone is should cover the ATM keypad (actually, best to get into the habit all the time).
Also, keep the telephone number of your bank on your mobile phone. If your card isn't returned during the transaction there should be a message on the screen stating that your card has been retained.
If no such message appears, then your should contact your bank immediately to get your card cancelled, because the machine will ALWAYS tell you if your card has been kept for whatever reason (it's built into the software that runs the machine).
At least that way, if the card is appropriated by one of these gangs, they won't be able to use it.
Also - as far as possible, don't withdraw money whilst drunk...for obvious reasons.