I've experienced this more than four times and before I tell you how to get your card back, I'll share a story on how I got mine back.
It was on a Friday evening, I went to the Access Bank off-site ATM at the Imo State University to withdraw some money that I would use to travel on the morrow. As usual, I inserted my FCMB card and boom, the card was withheld for reasons best known to them.
I called my twin and narrated my experience to him, his own card had previously been retained by the same machine so he didn't sound surprised, he only told me to start coming back to home but I refused.
I insisted on waiting for the security guards that usually opened to the machine because I've seen them on several occasions doing so. I took this decision because of two reasons:
• It was on a Friday and no bank would be functioning the next day to issue a new card to me
• It was on an offsite branch so I won't have to meet any customer care to start signing any documents
Clifford later came and joined me in the waiting and we waited till 7:00 pm and retired for the day. The next day, we came back around 6:00 am and continued waiting for the security guards. Luckily for us, one came to check on the machine and we reported the incidence to him.
He asked for my name and the bank, which I answered. He then requested for my means of identification and I went to get it while my twin waited for him. As I was returning with the ID card, I saw Clifford coming with my ATM card and I was overjoyed.
My ATM Card Is Retained In An ATM Machine, What Should I Do?
I told the above story in order for you to understand that ATM cards getting stuck in a machine is a normal occurrence and cards can always be gotten back. I acted like that because I seriously needed the card, on previous occasions, I just head over to my back to order for new cards.
If you are ever stuck in the same situation, there are two things that you can do:
• Order for a new card: This means ordering for a new card from your bank. You should do it if your card gets stuck while using an ATM in any order Nigerian bank other than your own. In special occasions like my case stated above, you can still get the card back but in most cases, the banks will tell you to contact your bank for it.
Banks in Nigeria send seized ATM cards to the banks that issued the cards originally. Retrieving your cards from your bank might be possible, but in most cases, I've seen people ordering for new ones.
• Contact the customer care: If your FCMB ATM card gets stuck in an FCMB ATM machine, all you have to do is to walk into the bank, contact the customer care and fill a form. You might also be asked to present a means of identification, after which the card will be returned to you.
If the card was seized because you forgot your password, you'll be asked not to use the card in any machine for 24 hours to prevent it from being seized again.
ATM machines mostly withhold people's cards when they input wrong passwords three times consecutively, except in some cases like mine when the network is faulty. If you forget your ATM password, don't hesitate in going to your bank to reset it in order to save yourself from the stress and money involved in ordering for new ones.
Before I forget, the key to getting your card back quickly is acting quickly, you shouldn't hesitate in reporting your seized, lost or stolen ATM cards to your bank so the necessary actions will be taken for your safety.
Remember, the machines are programmed to function like that in order to protect your account from thieves. You can check out how to protect yourself from ATM scams as a Nigerian, Yahoo boys have invented new ways of scamming and you need to be wise in order to avoid getting scammed.
If you've only been using your cards for withdrawing money, you can check out this eye-opening post on 5 uses of the ATM card you never knew about, the number 4 will shock you.
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