The American Bankers Association today urged House Judiciary Committee leaders to support a bill that would codify ATM crimes under the Bank Robbery Act and ensure the penalties for such crimes are consistent with those for bank robberies. The Safe Access to Cash Act, introduced by Rep. Rose (R-Tenn.) and four cosponsors, would establish new criminal offenses for ATM robbery and related acts such as ATM theft.
In a letter, ABA noted that attacks against ATMs have increased in recent years and will continue if criminals view the machines as easy targets with a low risk of prosecution. The association also said that as banks have increased their defenses to protect ATMs from attack, criminals have increasingly targeted the people who service the machines.
“By encouraging the prosecution of these crimes and enforcing the same penalties as bank robberies, we hope that individuals at ATMs and the ATMs themselves will be less attractive targets for crime,” ABA said.
