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Tackling ATM attacks with ink, glue and synthetic DNA

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ATM attacks are increasingly difficult. Banks and the police use sophisticated techniques to render stolen cash from ATMs unusable and to track down the perpetrators. For example, when an ATM explodes, they can smear the banknotes with ink, glue them together or spray them with indelible synthetic DNA. This makes it very difficult for criminals to spend the notes and easier for the police to track down the perpetrators. The Dutch National Bank (DNB) discussed this during a public meeting.

When businesses and consumers refuse to accept soiled banknotes, ATM attacks will no longer be profitable. Businesses often have equipment to detect stolen and soiled banknotes. If consumers also refuse to accept banknotes smeared with ink or glue, criminals will no longer be able to spend their stolen money, and ATM attacks become pointless.

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