The ThisIsMoney blog has mentioned something that I was made aware of in an email a few weeks ago – a rumour that you can notify the police you’re being mugged by typing your PIN in backwards at a cash machine.
Although these types of rumour are probably propogated by welling-meaning folk, this is of course completely untrue and should be totally ignored.
As ThisIsMoney states, the police have better things to do with their time than run around checking on wrong PIN numbers, it would simply be unworkable. You’re also likely to aggregate your mugger more by getting your PIN wrong – who knows what could happen then. Spreading these ill-thought ideas could also give false-hope to some people.
You’re probably better off handing over the cash and getting on the phone to the police afterwards, in my opinion.