What is ‘fork trick’ used to steal €80,000 from Paris cashpoints?

Two men have been found guilty of committing nearly 300 thefts from cash machines, stealing in total around €80,000. They used no more than a fork to gain access to the cash.

Last week, two men were arrested by police in Val-de-Marne (Île-de-France) for stealing from cash machines.

They were taken to the local court and have now both been sentenced to 30 months in prison.

The men are thought to have committed 296 thefts from cash dispensers across Paris since May 2023, gaining €80,000.

How did they do it?

They are said to have used a ‘fork trick’ to steal the cash.

This works by them first making a withdrawal from an ATM with a prepaid bank card. As the cash machine opens, they insert a device resembling a fork which later blocks the exit of banknotes when other users come to make withdrawals.

They then retrieved the banknotes blocked by the fork the next morning, using a screwdriver.

The use of video surveillance and telephone records were used to help catch the thieves.

The ‘fork trick’

Robbing cash machines with a fork is not a new crime.

Thefts using a fork, in some way or another, were committed in France in both 2012 and 2021 at least.

In all of the cases someone was later arrested for the crimes.

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