Is it true that if you enter your ATM PIN backwards in Australia, the police are dispatched?

Question

I received this email and did a bit of searching with no luck on its authenticity. Is it true? Please send through a respectable source link. Thanks.

PIN NUMBER REVERSAL

If you should ever be forced by a robber to withdraw money from an ATM machine, you can notify the police by entering your Pin # in reverse.

For example if your pin number is 1234 then you would put in 4321.

The ATM recognizes that your pin number is backwards from the ATM card you placed in the machine.

The machine will still give you the money you requested, but
unknown to the robber, the police will be immediately dispatched to help you.

This information was recently broadcasted on TV and it states that it is seldom used because people don't know it exists.

Please pass this along to everyone possible so that more people are aware of this.

Australian Federal Police.

AFP Web site: http://www.afp.gov.au

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

No, this is actually an urban legend. I have put some links for you below.

If you should ever be forced to withdraw money, nothing is more important than your life, so don't try to be a hero.

Source(s):

http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl…
http://www.snopes.com/business/bank/pina…
http://ychittaranjan.wordpress.com/2006/…
http://www.cardwatch.org.uk/faqs.asp?sec…

Asker's Rating:

Asker's Comment:

Golly. That was a blonde moment! Of course it is a hoax with all those palendromic numbers!

Answer 2

That's an unban legend. IT IS NOT TRUE.

-MM

Answer 3

That has gone around in the states, too, and it was false then so I doubt this is true.

Go to http://www.truthorfiction.com/ and enter as little info in the search engine as you can (too much limits the search) or read through some of the lists that they have.

You can also check many of these at http://www.snopes.com/

I seldom ever forward anything now without checking at one of those sites first.

Answer 4

If it's true, I'm screwed. My number could be transposed, as in 6776, so man, it's a good thing I'll probably never make it down under. :) Girl, stop reading (and worse, believing!) spam like this!! You know when you open emails from spammers, all it does is tell them there is a live person on the other end, and you'll get more and more and more spam... best of luck~

** How is the money still going to come out, if you're entering the wrong number?? Didn't that jump out at you?

Answer 5

Sounds like bogus nonsense to me. That would mean that you actually have two PIN numbers (1234 & 4321) along with the other thousands of bank customers. What would the point be in keeping this information secret? You would have been told of this feature when you got your PIN.

Another urban myth.

Answer 6

nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

but i might try it, hahah just to be sure. i have neaver heard of this

Answer 7

It is not true. Just think about it for one second. What if another customer somewhere just so happens to have a pin that is the same as your but the numbers are in a reverse order?

Answer 8

no

Answer 9

it wouldn't be worth it. by the time the money is withdrawn the thief will be long gone before the police arrive. that is assuming the guy/girl has half a brain

Source(s):

cop

Answer 10

Yet another BS Urban Legend.

Answer 11

I think not. It is absurd to think so.