This is a personal experience from beautiful downtown Catemaco and is probably true anywhere else.
You stick your card in the ATM, punch in your code and amount desired, the machine does "crunch crunch" and NO MONEY comes out.
You kick the machine, yell for the manager and find yourself facing a blank wall.
You check your balance on the internet, and sure enough, your money was deducted.
This scenario has occured to me and an acquantance repeatedly in Catemaco. Both Bancomer and Serfin are culprits in this scam.
This scam only occurs when using a US debit card. It has never happend to me using a Mexican debit card. The Mexican bank, just like its compatriots in the US, will tell you, that it is not their problem and you have to contact the bank that issued the card. Usually that bank will resolve the problem anywhere between 1 and 5 days depending on the quality of the bank. (Screw Bank of America).
The more serious problem arises when you decide to repeat your transaction more than 3 times. Then the Mexican bank machine will hold your card and the management will chop off a piece.
To avoid that, use an ATM that permits you to just slide your card through a reader and returns it to you immediately. If you give your home bank a hard time, they will cancel your card and reissue a new one, which is very unhelpful while vacationing in Mexico and your taste for tacos and beans while sleeping in a hammock is not on your "to do" list.
