Cash-loving Germans fret over exploding ATMs amid cross-border crime wave

Thieves in Germany are blowing up more than one ATM per day, with attacks rising more than 40 per cent since 2019 as Dutch machine raiders cross the border

Frequency of ATM attacks is falling in the Netherlands, partly due to security measures such as glue that makes blocks of cash inside ATMs unusable

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Law enforcement officers investigate the scene following an attack on bank ATMs in Ratingen, Germany on March 15, 2023. Photo: via Reuters

Published: 9:38pm, 14 Apr 2023Updated: 10:23pm, 14 Apr 2023

In the German town of Ratingen, exploding cash machines are a hot-button topic.

Two got blown up early on the same morning last month, at branches of Santander and Deutsche Bank across the street from each other close to the Düsseldorf suburb’s main square.

A year ago, residents of the flats above Santander unsuccessfully sued to have the machines removed due to concerns they could be raided – a gesture that might in retrospect be deemed prophetic in other countries.

But in Germany, thieves are blowing ATMs up at the rate of more than one a day.

A year ago, residents of the flats above Santander bank unsuccessfully sued to have the machines removed due to concerns they could be raided. Photo: via Reuters

Attacks are up more than 40 per cent since 2019, according to the interior ministry, and investigators say two factors are driving the increase.

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