Electronic Swindle

We've had very limited internet access and problems with the VPN, hence the lack of recent posts.
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On Wednesday evening, Stirling went to the ATM, the ATM that has served us so well. It is close to our apartment, only across the canal and two blocks down. It operates 24-7. It allows a maximum withdrawal of 3000 yuan ($440) which makes the $5 service charge per transaction our bank imposes a little less painful than for ATMs with a 1000 yuan limit. This time, however, our convenient little ATM balked. It took the card, took the PIN, smiled broadly, shuffled some money, and shut down. Stirling tried several other machines and they also refused to cooperate. Thursday morning, however, our bank account showed a $440 withdrawal executed at 6:12 am Utah time/8:12 pm Shenzhen time on October 7. We were robbed.

At the university, I printed out the bank record showing the debit to our account and asked, Cheryl, one of the law school employees, for help. She called the bank, then said “Let’s go” as she hopped into her car. Her confident manner and the fact that she actually spoke with someone, inspired hope for a quick resolution. I naively expected to walk into the branch office right next door to the ATM and, presto, chango, $3000 yuan in my pocket. ‘Twas not to be. Whoever she spoke to, it wasn’t at the branch office. On arrival, we learned that the branch office was still closed because it was the last day of the National Holiday (Holiweek really) that began with National Day on October 1, continued through the Mid-Autumn Festival on October 3, and extended to October 8 for good measure and travel time. It opened again on Friday, October 9, but we were already supposed to be on our way to Gaungzhou (formerly Canton) and wouldn’t be back until late Saturday. On a second phone call, the bank said it didn’t matter when we made the complaint. We could show up on Sunday or Monday with our passport and receipt and fill out a complaint form. I reminded Cheryl we didn’t have a receipt because the machine shut down. She smiled so innocently and said the bank would check its records, consider the matter for a few days, and “if it was real,” maybe give us the missing money. We are supposed to meet Cheryl at the ATM branch office Monday morning at 9:00 am.

At least we were robbed in a culturally appropriate way. Shenzhen was the first special economic zone in China in the 1980s. Nobody is going to stick us up on the street, but an electronic swindle fits right in with the high flying business zone.

Post Datum:
Stirling sent an email to our bank in the US which immediately filed an international fraud complaint. They said our account would be credited within 48 hours. We didn't go with Cheryl to the branch office because the US bank seemed to be handling the situation well. But, we're still waiting for the credit to our account.