MANILA // Filipino thieves have been using low-tech sticky tree sap to rob high-tech cash dispenser machines in banks, police said Tuesday.
Jackfruit sap is daubed on a metal bar that thieves insert into the card slot of ATMs, said a suburban Manila police spokesman Inspector Edwin Malabanan.
Whenever a person tried to withdraw cash, the bills would stick onto the bar inside the machine, which thieves would retrieve once the disappointed customer had left.
“The sap is really sticky. It was really clever of them to think of it,” Malabanan told AFP.
Customers of several banks complaining of losses prompted the police to look into the matter and one of two thieves was arrested last week thanks to closed circuit TV footage of a bank ATM, he said.
Police do not know how many other thieves have used this method, he added.
Malabanan said police charged the suspect under a law punishing tampering of electronic devices for theft, but it was thrown out since he had used a non-electronic tool.
The suspect will now be charged with simple theft which carries a lesser penalty of up to six years in prison instead of up to 20 years in jail under the electronic devices law.
* Agence France-Presse
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'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.