Johannesburg - Robberies involving bank clients withdrawing large amounts of money have increased, the SA Banking Risk Information Centre (Sabric) said on Thursday.
"What appeared at first to be a petty, opportunistic crime now has all the makings of organised operations that systematically target innocent users of banking systems," said CEO Kalyani Pillay.
She said perpetrators of the crime operated in groups with some members acting as "spotters" to look out for people making large cash withdrawals inside banks.
Once they had identified their victims, they passed on the information to the other members who carried out the robbery.
"It is this organised fashion with which these crimes are committed that makes it a challenge to investigate and combat," Pillay said.