Money & ATM Scams in Madrid

ATM Card Swap and PIN Shoulder-Surf

A stranger approaches while you use an ATM — particularly standalone machines in tourist areas — to claim your card is stuck or the machine is broken, then "helpfully" retrieves it. In reality they swap your card for a blank and have already memorized your PIN by watching over your shoulder or via a small mirror device on the machine. Losses can run into hundreds of euros before the fraud is reported. This scam is most active around Atocha station and the Gran Vía corridor.