US officials: US$17mil lost in ATM scam that spread on TikTok

An ATM in a store on Rockaway Parkway in New York, June 30, 2025. Many elements of the scam remain unclear, including how it began, what made it possible, how many of the payment cards and ATMs were used, and who exactly made the withdrawals. — Hilary Swift/The New York Times

NEW YORK: It took less than three days for US$17mil (RM71.71mil) to disappear from ATMs across New York in a scam that went viral on TikTok and that city officials say is linked to a youth jobs programme, according to two law enforcement officials briefed on the matter.

The withdrawals, using payment cards issued to thousands of young people in the programme, should have given users access to only that week’s earnings – perhaps several hundred dollars at most. Instead, they opened a spigot of unlimited cash available in sums of US$10,000 (RM42,185), US$20,000 (RM84,370) and even US$40,000 (RM168,740) per ATM.