Payment card scam used to empty NYC ATMs to the tune of $17M

Security

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July 25, 2025

A Summer Youth Employment Program scam in New York caused $17 million in loses from ATMs within a few days. With this program, youth are given cards for work programs to use at ATMs for earnings. However, instead, they were able to empty out ATMs for tens of thousands of dollars, according to a report by the New York Times.

The program offers individuals ages 16 to 24 for work placement for six weeks. Some are paid via bank account, but those without accounts receive payment cards.

However, viral TikToks began making the rounds where individuals were selling these payment cards for up to $1,000 claiming that they were “printing money.”

Mark Suzstovich, chief public information officer for the NYC Department of Youth & Community Development, which runs the work program, says that these scammers were preying on youth.

“We are deeply disturbed by scammers preying on our participants just as they started their work assignments to support themselves and their families,” he said in the report.

When the scam was underway, ATM operators such as ATM World Corp. began receiving reports that their ATMs were being emptied out.

“Students or other people who had the card just started going to ATMs and pulling out unlimited loads of cash, 10, 15 20,000 dollars at a time,” Youssef Mubarez, COO, ATM World, said in the report.

It is unclear how the scam operated or how the cards were able to pull out so much cash. ATM Marketplace has reached out to ATMIA for comment.