Many ATMs are owned and operated by financial institutions, but others come under private ownership. Each machine operates a little differently, some take deposits or contain different currency denominations. Are you paying attention to unique features at the ATMs you visit? Some are more important than others. For instance, your financial institution may only allow one transaction per swipe of the ATM card. Others, however, allow multiple transactions. It is possible that unless you tell the machine that you do not want to complete any additional transactions and verify that the machine returns to the welcome screen, a person approaching the ATM immediately after you may be able to access the funds in your account. To protect yourself from this and other possible risks while using your ATM or debit card, refer to the considerations below:
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Dispose of your receipt at home using a crosscut shredder - do not throw the receipt away near to the ATM machine. Someone watching the machine could simply pick up the receipt and use the any information it contains.
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Don't leave a debit/credit card receipt on the table in restaurants. It's possible that another patron could get a hold of private information on the receipt and misuse or even sell the information later.
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Turn your card face down on the check while waiting for your server to close out your bill.
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Never write down your ATM or debit card PIN, especially on the paper envelope in which many are issued. This makes it very easy for someone to gain access to your account.
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Don't use the same PIN for every card; if someone guesses (or locates) the number used for one card, they then have access all of your cards.
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Do not use a number that is easy to guess from the information in your wallet or purse such as a telephone number, house number, zip code, last four digits of your Social Security number, etc.
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Do use random, non-sequential numbers that are not in sequence as your PIN.
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Always be fully aware of those around you when using an ATM and do not let your guard down after you have completed your transaction.
