At least one Landsbankinn customer fell victim to thieves last week. We consider it not unlikely that they will try again, in a Landsbankinn ATM or other such machines.
The incident appears to have been perpetrated by a gang of four, three men and one woman. One of the thieves observed as a Landsbankinn customer inserted their card in the Bank’s ATM in Borgartún. When the customer had entered their PIN, the thief pretended to alert them to a ticket or note that had fallen to the floor. While the customer bent down to pick up the fallen item, another member of the gang approached the ATM and removed the customer’s card, while they were still being distracted by the first member of the gang. The thieves then immediately went to another ATM in the neighbourhood and withdrew funds from the customer’s account, as they were in possession of both the card and the PIN.
These methods are common abroad but have not been used much in Iceland.
The police have been notified and are investigating the incident.
To reiterate, please ensure that nobody is able to observe as you enter your PIN. It’s also important to be vary of any interruptions while withdrawing funds.
Response to fraud
If you suspect that someone may have obtained your payment card, it’s important to freeze or close it immediately. If your card or card number has been stolen, you can freeze it at once in Landsbankinn’s app. We recommend that you also contact us as soon as possible by calling +354 410 4000, by email to landsbankinn@landsbankinn.is or through our web chat function. Outside of our opening hours, you can call +354 525 2000, which is the emergency number of the issuer of Visa cards.
