Forklifts are the new getaway cars in automated teller machine (ATM) heists, according to a
New York Times article.
The October 8 article, sourced from The Associated Press, said thieves had used forklifts to steal ATMs in Canada, Estonia, Indonesia, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, and the US since the 1990s.
The thefts have become so common there's even a name for it.
Rob Evans, industry marketing director for NCR Corp, the world's largest ATM maker, calls it the "smash and dash".
About 21 smash-and-dash thefts were accomplished or attempted in Pheonix, Arizona, this year. The area was open to ATM thefts because it had plenty of construction projects and drive-through banks with ATMs bolted to the ground, the
New York Times article said.
Forkliftaction.com News has reported on smash-and-dash incidents in Australia (
Forkliftaction.com News #224).
An ATM is known in other English-speaking countries as a bank machine (Canada), a cash machine (UK) or a cashpoint (New Zealand).