A friend of mine mentioned one of those "urban legend" stories today up on Facebook. It purports that if you are ever forced by a robber to go to an ATM and get cash out, all you have to do is enter your PIN backwards and the bank system sends an automatic alarm to the police who will soon be on their way to help you. Oh, yes....the ATM will also actually give you your money, recognizing that you are who you are supposed to be but that you are acting under duress.
Um, I don't think so. My friend had already gone up on Snopes.com to check it out and it was reported to be false. Apparently this type of system is not in existence. You can enter your PIN backwards all you want but don't hold your breath for help to arrive because it isn't going to happen. There WAS someone who did come up with this idea and try to pitch it to the banking industry but it never did fly. I can understand why.
God forbid I should ever find myself in this type of scenario but if I did, this is how I imagine it would go down.....
Robber: "Hurry up and get that money out of this ATM!"
Me: "I'm hurrying. I'm hurrying. I just have to remember my darn PIN number."
Robber: "What's taking so x#%* long?"
Me: "Please just be patient. You're making me nervous but I think I remember it now." (thinking to myself...Oh, my gosh...I have to enter this backwards. I can't even remember it the normal way. How in blazes am I going to enter it backwards? Let's see, do I have to put the 2 first?)
Robber: "Hurry up or I'll blast you!"
Me: "DON'T RUSH ME!"
At this point, he will have unwittingly unleashed the full fury of "Dee the Stressed" and, depending on my level of stress, he'll either be decked out cold on the pavement OR I'll be on my way to meet my Maker. Either way, one thing's for certain.....something that my children learned from an early age....you NEVER try to rush me when I'm stressed.
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