Italian ATM scam nets thousands in stolen funds

ROME, Oct. 5 (UPI) -- Five Italians have been arrested in a scheme to rip off ATMs by snatching more cash than they legitimately withdrew, police said.

The practice, dubbed "reverse cash trapping" by police, was first spotted recently. Security footage shows the suspects using the ATM normally, and then inserting a fork-like device into the cash slot prior to making a nominal withdrawal. The trapper snatches up the cash as the machine spins internally, counting the appropriate amount of money to dispense, TheLocal.it said Friday.

The scheme can net perpetrators as much as $2,700 on a withdrawal of just a few bucks, police said.

Italian police said they'd recorded at least 35 incidents of the scheme in central and northern Italy. So far, they have charged four men and one woman identified by security footage.