ATM Banco Popular main branch triple dipping

[relaxtime]

Playero?

I agree with BobK on the Playero peso scam. They do it all the time. I have seen double ring ups at Playero in the past, but have not caught one recently.

On the ATM card subject, I have never had a problem using my card and I check each transaction as soon as I can. I normally get a favorable exchange rate and don't have the hassle of visiting a bank and then an exchange house to get a good rate. There has to be something that can be done about these bank scams, since it is likely that I will see one of them based upon this thread.

What I hardly ever use here is a credit card. Cloning my credit card has happened to me here but with no ultimate financial damage being done. It was just a small ordeal to provide statements that it was not my charge. That and the poor exchange rates I have seen are two motivations not to use credit cards. And, did you ever notice that most shops try to charge more if you pay with a credit card to cover the percentage they must pay Visa/Mastercard? This is a certain violation of their agreement with the credit card companies and should also be stopped. But, please remember, we are just guests here and we won't change the system.

What is Playero and where is it? This whole bank/credit card scam discussion is making me very concerned about our trip to Cabarete. I'm gathering we should only use cash everywhere we go. Does the exchange rate change every day? Can anyone recommend a reliable place in Cabarete where we can exchange money?

Thanks,
Relaxtime aranoid:

 

[relaxtime]

Playero is the larger supermarket in the area located in Sosua. It is the most like a European/North American supermarket that you can find in the Cabarete/Sosua area. We shop there all the time, just watch them carefully and you will be fine.


If you are afraid to use an ATM card based upon the above thread:

Bringing travelers checks might be a good option for you, but I don't have personal experience changing them into pesos. Someone with experience doing that should respond about traveler's checks.

For changing money in Cabarete use either Caribe Express which is on the west end of town in Plaza Media Luna or Western Union (Remesas Vimenca) in the middle of Cabarete. I don't recommend using money changers on the street and the various banks do not provide good rates.

Got it! Thanks for the info/advice!

 

[El_Uruguayo]

I've never had a problem with Scotia Bank machines. Withdrawing from a reliable machine seems to be the most convenient, you get a better exchange rate, and don't have to worry about bringing tonnes of cash with you, and it is advised to take out the max 10 000 at a time, so you don't get dinged a $5 international charge for takeing out $20 worth. One thing to note, there is a slight difference between DR bank machines and North American bank machines which can cause you to forget your card. In north america you select the amount of money you'd like to withdraw, then select no more transactions, the machine wil FIRST return your card, then dispense the money. In the DR the machines dispense the money first, then the card after selecting no more transactions, which could lead you to leave thinking you have your card because you have your money- out of habit.

 

[whirleybird]

My UK debit card was cloned back last November at the ATM in Cabarete on a Sunday lunchtime... guy left the machine and stood back whilst my husband went to withdraw and the machine said "no" - he then returned to the machine.... we remember him well as he had his arm in plaster but we went down the road and withdrew funds elsewhere. I did'n't realise the scam for a few days and by the time I did they had taken the equivalent of over $3400 from my account, at a rate of approx $600 per day in various small amounts. Fortunately my UK bank, Halifax plc, refunded the money to me along with the transaction costs but it certainly taught me a lesson.

 

[relaxtime]

My UK debit card was cloned back last November at the ATM in Cabarete on a Sunday lunchtime... guy left the machine and stood back whilst my husband went to withdraw and the machine said "no" - he then returned to the machine.... we remember him well as he had his arm in plaster but we went down the road and withdrew funds elsewhere. I did'n't realise the scam for a few days and by the time I did they had taken the equivalent of over $3400 from my account, at a rate of approx $600 per day in various small amounts. Fortunately my UK bank, Halifax plc, refunded the money to me along with the transaction costs but it certainly taught me a lesson.

Yeah fortunately! What a terrible thing to have to go through! Thanks for sharing? it will definitely force me to be more aware!

 

[snowbird44]

My husband and I spend each Winter in Cabarete from November to end of April. We could not possibly take cash to last all that time, so we withdraw money as needed from the ATM, mostly ScotiaBank. In the past 6 years I had one incident where the RD$ 10,000 was charged to my account and I did not get any money from the machine. My bank in Ottawa rectified the problem within a week of reporting it.
If you are in Cabarete for just a week or two bring cash and just exchange anywhere where they will give you the best rate....usually not the banks....The rates in Sosua are usually better than in Cabarete I find. Your Bank card or credit card could be used for emergencies, if you are uncomfortable using the ATMs after reading all the input in this tread.

 

[relaxtime]

My husband and I spend each Winter in Cabarete from November to end of April. We could not possibly take cash to last all that time, so we withdraw money as needed from the ATM, mostly ScotiaBank. In the past 6 years I had one incident where the RD$ 10,000 was charged to my account and I did not get any money from the machine. My bank in Ottawa rectified the problem within a week of reporting it.
If you are in Cabarete for just a week or two bring cash and just exchange anywhere where they will give you the best rate....usually not the banks....The rates in Sosua are usually better than in Cabarete I find. Your Bank card or credit card could be used for emergencies, if you are uncomfortable using the ATMs after reading all the input in this tread.

Thank you for your suggestion!

 

[hicksy]

Update on Banco Popular and ATM

Today I had a meeting with the director of the Main branch of Banco Popular. Jose Gonzalez G. The problem he explained, is not that their bank is debiting our cards incorrectly, but the ATH and Cirrus (the computor linking system) to the foreign accounts is sending the information incorrectly. Which leads an explanation to why it"s the foreigners having the complaint and not the locals as mentioned above in previous posts.

Think about it, impossible for (some one to program the ATM machine to do this) over ride HSBC bank where I bank to give out double the daily amount. My bank allowed that because of a systems error. They accordingly will deal with it.

Yes, my money is in cyberspace somewhere.......The reason that they ask us to call our banks is so our banks, since the money was debited out of their bank, will contact Cirrus, ATH, Interact etc. etc. and reconcile with them and the records of where the money was taken out.

My knee jerk reaction was to demand him right on the spot to give me my money which was sitting in his ATM machine, however until it is resolved with the companies that send the information, they can not return it from their machine.

I hope this information will shead some light on this problem.

Yes, they are aware there is an issue as all the banks are. There are problems like this all over the world with the use of ATM machines.

 

[hicksy]

I was choked about the atm and when I started this thread I mentioned that I wouldn't use this bank. Speaking out of anger and frustration. Now, that I have information, and spoke to a close friend that vouches for the integrety of the Sosua Branch after I called him to get the VP of Banco Populars info, since he knows him.....................to get my money.

I will say, yes I would bank there............and we all need to contact our banks to put pressure on the information systems that is sending our information incorrectly.

Good luck to everyone that has had this problem. May we all reclaim our $$$

 

[RonS]

Not for one second do I believe that this is some kind of mix up in the transmission of information. I'm sure the officials at the DR banks would like you and each of us to believe that. I don't.

This is not the first report of this kind of scam. And it is not the first time that it has happened to me personally. I have made every attempt to be careful, however, it happens, and, unless I deal solely in cash in the DR [which I intend to do in the future], it will probably happen again. Fortunately for me, my bank investigates these incidents and promptly returns my money to my account. But, it is not just a matter of getting the money back. It is the inconvenience, and the idea of the scam in the first instance.

It sounds like the bank official you spoke to, did his job, and reassured you that it was not the banks fault. I am certainly not surprised, Dominicans are good at pointing fingers. But as I said earlier, scamming is a national obsession in the DR and those of us who visit must be very, very careful.

 

[mountainfrog]

E' Facil

... scamming is a national obsession in the DR and those of us who visit must be very, very careful.

I remember a case in which a tourist's credit card was debitted within only hours at several far apart places in the DR.
This made it relatively easy to prove the fraud but it also suggested that inside jobs in a red of bank employees and shop owners were involved.

Well, the man was reimbursed by his foreign bank and the Dominican bank people lived happily ever after....

m'frog

 

[Rocky]

Not for one second do I believe that this is some kind of mix up in the transmission of information. I'm sure the officials at the DR banks would like you and each of us to believe that. I don't.

Nor do I, nor should anybody.
Y'all remember this little bit of info?

http://www.dr1.com/forums/living/63510-atm-banco-popular-main-branch-triple-dipping.html#post528034
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=alt2 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 1px inset; BORDER-TOP: 1px inset; BORDER-LEFT: 1px inset; BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px inset">Originally Posted by Sharlene
My British bank re-credited funds immediately while investigating and were eventually told by the bank concerned that their cashpoint had, in fact, balanced on that day, so that I must have received the money!


</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>In other words, there is no doubt that it's a bank scam.
One might have believed that someone had hacked their way in, but when the offending bank says their cashpoint balanced, you know it's them running the scam.

There's no way in he** that their cashpoint could balance, if they weren't behind the scam.
I don't believe it, and never will.
The BS that director gave hicksy is a well rehearsed story.
It's their "alibi".

 

[Sharlene]

Yes Marc, and I stand by that information.

I was amazed when, after a lengthy investigation (it was actually only 1000 pesos, but I'm not a woman to be messed with! ) they told me that the POP bank's cashpoint had balanced. As many people have pointed out, for every person that checks their balance, there is a person who is walking around unaware that they've been mugged! Because, at the end of the day, that's what it is - silent mugging! :bandit:

 

[caro]

it s happen to me at the atm machin of banco popular in puerto plata , the one in front the central park. the atm machin told me I dont have the money in my account so I go right at home to look my account on internet and my money was there but with 10 000 pesos less . I called my bank for a reclammation . this happen on may 13 and I still wait for my money. my bank told me that could take 2 month because is a international transaction.

 

[RonS]

this happen on may 13 and I still wait for my money. my bank told me that could take 2 month because is a international transaction.

My theft occurred last Friday, June 8th. When I discovered the theft on Saturday, I sent the bank an email immediately and when I returned to the US Monday I called them and filed a fraudulent transaction report. They immediately verified the fraud and the bank reimbursed my money within 24 hours. Banks may differ in thier policy, but that 2 month business because its an internationational transaction is nonsense and you should tell them that!

 

[tarrantino]

When I was there last month I used the Scotia bank machine,and I didn't have any problem, maybe that is because I don't have lots of money in the bank at any given time lol. So far I have used that particular machine twice and I haven't encountered any problems yet. I guess I should consider myself lucky.

 

[tflea]

Minority

I don't believe local DR banks are scamming anyone and I KNOW that is certainly a minority opinion but I know some bankers and have asked the questions and have understood their positions. International banking is not a subject easy to follow especially when it is through an ATM. Local banks CAN balance at the end of the day because it's NOT their money they are balancing through the ATM. It is what is REPORTED through the intermediary that reconciles the local bank in the DR with your foreign bank account. If you want total security and don't trust banks then just don't use them, simple as that. Go use the guys on the street or the cambistas or whatever makes you comfortable but don't blame a system you don't understand.

 

[Luperon]

Maybe the only alternative is to have two accounts and only transfer small amounts online just before you make that withdrawl.

 

[RonS]

Go use the guys on the street or the cambistas or whatever makes you comfortable but don't blame a system you don't understand.

What an outrageously ignorant statement to make to people who have been the victim of an obvious scam. I understand the system very well, thank you! Scamming does not require rocket science or a Ph.D. to understand.

Those who read this forum should not be misguided into using street hustlers. All I am saying is that everyone be very careful when they use DR banks and ATMs.

 

[Rocky]

I don't believe local DR banks are scamming anyone and I KNOW that is certainly a minority opinion but I know some bankers and have asked the questions and have understood their positions. International banking is not a subject easy to follow especially when it is through an ATM. Local banks CAN balance at the end of the day because it's NOT their money they are balancing through the ATM. It is what is REPORTED through the intermediary that reconciles the local bank in the DR with your foreign bank account. If you want total security and don't trust banks then just don't use them, simple as that. Go use the guys on the street or the cambistas or whatever makes you comfortable but don't blame a system you don't understand.

I'm no expert, but the way I see it, if they have to balance their cashpoint, it's because they have the capacity to do so, and when Sharlene complained, and they claimed that it balanced, then the obvious conclusion is that they are involved, maybe in collusion, maybe entirely their scam.
Bear in mind, that if you check previous threads on DR1 concerning ATM frauds, Banco Popular has the dubious honour of having more complaints than all the others combined.
If it were happening on an international level, why would the occurrences be so much more frequent at BP?
I think it's great that you play the devil's advocate.
There's always two sides to every story, however, in this case, BP looks guiltier than heck.
I do want to point out that I have no expertise in these matters and remain open to being proven wrong.