Safety pact signed against ATM boards

As part of a banking summit on April 11, 2025 in the Ministry of the Interior, a security pact between the Federal Ministry of the Interior and the banking industry was signed. The aim is to combat ATMs outlines and the fight against organized crime. Interior Minister Gerhard Karner emphasized: “We are dealing with international groups of perpetrators. Therefore, close cooperation between all security actors is needed – nationally and internationally, public and private. We stick to it and will get it.”

In addition to Interior Minister Gerhard Karner, General Director and division chairman Michael Höllerer, the WKÖ federal division, Robert Zadrazil, Presidium member of the WKÖ federal division, Banks and President of the Banking Association, Gerda Holzinger-Burgstaller, CEO and Board of Directors, as well as General Andreas Holzer, Director of the Federal Criminal Police, also took the bankrupt. part.

Michael Höllerer emphasized: “The security of our customers and our employees has a top priority for us. That is why we invest in a targeted manner in preventive technical measures in order to significantly increase the level of protection of our infrastructure.”

Robert Zadrazil: “This cooperation is the right way to tighten the situation together, as the groups of perpetrators accept that uninvolved people are harmed.”

Gerda Holzinger-Burgstaller also thanked for the good cooperation and emphasized: “As banks, we have to become unattractive for the criminals.”

Many perpetrators come from abroad, primarily from Holland. Andreas Holzer: “We assume that several hundred perpetrators are willing to blow up ATMs. These acts are not just normal burglary theft, but also well -structured criminal organizations.”

Central pillars of the security package

“Since the beginning of the year, more than 17 ATMs have been committed by international groups of perpetrators in Austria. In response, a special commission (SOKO ATM) was set up in the Federal Criminal Police Office almost a month ago,” said the Interior Minister. “All investigations are bundled and coordinated there. Last weekend, a first suspect in Vienna was arrested – a significant success in the fight against this form of organized crime.”

Karner spoke of the establishment of a common information platform: “In the future, banks and the Federal Criminal Police Office will exchange security -relevant positioning information in real time. The immediate flow of information via groups of perpetrators, crime patterns and threats should enable a faster and more targeted reaction – a decisive step to always be one step ahead of the perpetrators.”