Thank you for your comments and ideas. Here is some of our feedback with regards to this idea:

· The panic code implementation could possibly result in more violent crime being committed at our ATMs. We value the safety of our customers and should the customer be caught by the criminals performing such an act, our customers safety will be at risk.
· The reverse pin idea stemmed from a hoax email that began circulating approximately in 2005 where is stated that one of our competitors had implemented such a feature on their ATMs. There is no truth to this, nor is it practically possible to implement as some pin numbers would be the same in reverse e.g. 13331
· Adding an extra digit at the end is also not possible because the pin verification process would be impacted and security features of such would be compromised.

It is important to be aware that many criminals also have bank accounts and any of the above ideas (should we implement) would also be made known to criminals which would then lead to more violent crime against our customers.

Our suggestion is that if a customer were to witness any criminal activity taking place at any one of our ATMs, they can report it to the SAPS or directly to us via any of the toll free Standard Bank numbers displayed at our ATMs. Customers should only do so once they have left the site and are safe from any potential harm. We value the safety of our customers and even if sometimes the crime appears to be petty, these perpetrators are usually armed and very dangerous.

People being held up won't have the presence of mind to put in a card and type in a rarely-used pin. They are also putting themselves at additional risk if discovered.