Volume 3, No. 20 April 18, 2003
Practice safety at the automatic teller machine By Gene Friedman It’s hard to imagine life before automatic teller machines. Before these ubiquitous ATMs were available, people had to plan well ahead to ensure that they had all the cash necessary until the bank reopened. These days people don’t have to be that careful. A person can run out of cash at anytime and get more almost anywhere. While most people appreciate this convenience, the number of these machines and their locations has not gone unnoticed by criminals. They love the convenience of the machines as well. With so many people using so many ATMs, criminals have found that they have many more targets. There have been incidents in which people were robbed directly after retrieving money from an ATM. As these crimes are crimes of opportunity, people must not give the criminals the opportunity or they will certainly commit the crime. To reduce the possibility of being victimized at the ATM, follow some basic guidelines: • Use the ATM during the daytime. If you have to use the machine at night, go with someone you trust and only use machines that are well-lighted and visible from the street. • Before starting your transaction, look around the area for suspicious people or activity. • If you see anything that concerns you, even if you started your transaction, cancel the transaction and leave immediately. • When entering your PIN or secret code, use your body to shield the keyboard from view. • Do not reveal your PIN or other codes to anyone, including those identifying themselves as police officers or bank officials. No legitimate official will ever ask for these. • Always take the transaction receipts and statements from the machine. • Do not display your money at the ATM; quickly verify that it is the correct amount and pocket it. • If there is a problem with the machine, contact your bank as soon as possible. Do not accept assistance from anyone you don’t know. • When using a drive-up ATM, be sure that all doors are locked and all passenger windows are closed. Friedman is director of campus safety. The University of California (Berkeley) Police Department contributed to this article.
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