Playa del Carmen cracks down on illegal ATMs

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Q. Roo —  Of the 54 ATMs operating in the tourist area of Playa del Carmen, city officials say that at least 20 are operating illegally.

City of Solidarity treasurer, Asunción Ramírez Tello, says that they have found at least 20 ATM machines illegally set up inside convenience stores. What makes them illegal is their lack of permit to be installed in those locations.

Since the discovery, the new city council has begun a census to review installed ATMs, including the 49 that are currently operating along Fifth Avenue and adjacent side streets.

Ramírez Tello says, “We are verifying the situation to form an updated census, mainly in the convenience stores. None of these businesses have city council permits to have the cash machines installed within their facilities.”

Cristina Torres Gomez, municipal president of Solidarity, said that they are seeking the aid of federal authorities to ensure the ATMs in the tourist area do not become points of irregularities with fraud and cloning of plastic bank cards. The machines are expected to be reviewed before the arrival of peak tourist season.

During 2014 and 2015, the Cyber Crime Prevention unit of the Federal Police warned that Playa del Carmen and Cancun have become places with growing incidences of fraud through cloned ATM cards.

Source: riviera-maya-news.com.