German ATMs keep getting bombed as a crime wave exploits the country’s preference for cash

• In the past few years, Germany has become a hotbed for ATM bombings, the Financial Times wrote.
• That’s because Germans still favor cash over electronic payments, making ATMs ripe targets.
• Last year, about 30 million euros were stolen via ATM bombings, up 53% from a year earlier.

The German preference for physical currency may be costing the country dearly, as Europe’s largest economy has seen an explosion in crime that features ATM bombings, the Financial Times reported. 

While Germans have long favored buying things with cash instead of cards or other form of electronic payments, organized criminals have exploited this habit in the last few years.