Safety tips for ATM card holders

There are a lot of people today who are in the habit of making frequent use of ATM cards to withdraw cash. ATM cards are very useful as we no longer need to carry bulky cash in our pockets. The ease with which we can simply walk into the nearest ATM and withdraw as much money as we like makes ATM cards an indispensable part of our lives. However, the recent rise in ATM card frauds and crimes against users of these cards makes it important to take certain protective and preventive measures. If you have an ATM card, you can follow the below mentioned security tips to guard your hard earned money:

1. The first step for any account holder is to never make the mistake of revealing the pin number that is needed for withdrawing cash from the machine. This way even if your card is lost or stolen, the funds in your account can still be protected as the machine does not work without filling in the PIN number that is uniquely assigned to every card.
2. You should never leave confidential information or documents relating to your bank account lying around. As soon as you are assigned the PIN number, it is best to tear it up and remember it by heart rather than writing it down on a piece of paper and exposing yourself to risks.
3. If you receive any calls from persons stating to be bank officials, you should refuse to divulge information related to your ATM card. A majority of the banks have a policy not to ask for such information on the telephone or through e mail. The caller is thus likely to be a person posing as bank staff. You should quickly check back with your bank and verify where the call came from before revealing anything that may put your money in jeopardy.
4. When you walk in to withdraw money through your ATM, you should do so quickly and not loiter around. You should not stand there and start counting the money that you have withdrawn. It is better to put the cash withdrawn immediately in your pocket and count it when you are safely seated in your car.
5. You should not enter ATMs that are located in areas that are not well-lighted or hidden from public view. Any ATM that has places around where possible criminals can hide should not be approached.
6. Whenever you go to withdraw large amounts of cash, it is best to take someone trustworthy along with you. Having another person along is said to reduce the chances of theft by as much as half.
7. You should never throw the receipt provided by the machine without tearing it up to pieces. You should throw the receipt that you receive far away from the ATM. This is because there have been instances where thieves have browsed through the receipts and committed ATM fraud on the basis of the information contained in them.

The above mentioned tips and a little common sense can come quite in handy to protect you from ATM fraud and theft. Just taking a few precautionary measures is much better than going through the hassle of filing police reports and trying to get back lost money that may take months or even years.