TOP TEN WAYS YOU CAN PROTECT YOURSELF FROM FRAUDULENT CHARGES ON YOUR ATM/DEBIT CARD

When you use an ATM or debit card, it’s important to understand the precautions that can help protect your account from being compromised. While we all rely on our financial institutions to secure our accounts and provide us with a safe place to store our money, there are things you can do to ensure that your money stays safe.

Here are ten tips for protecting yourself against fraudulent charges on your ATM/debit card:

Monitor your account balances and transaction history.

You should check your account balances and transaction history periodically. It’s also important to know the bank or credit union you’re using is secure.

If you see something suspicious, contact your bank or credit union immediately. If it turns out to be fraudulent activity, they can help you dispute the charge and protect your money from being stolen by criminals.

Keep your card in a safe place at all times.

If you want to protect yourself from fraudulent charges on your ATM/debit card, you must keep your card in a safe place at all times. This means that it shouldn’t be left in your purse or wallet, which could easily be stolen (or lost).

It also shouldn’t be left in the car—if someone breaks into your vehicle, they will likely see and steal any valuables they can find. The same applies if you have an ATM/debit card with you while walking around town: if someone bumps into you or grabs at your pockets, there’s a good chance they’ll grab the little plastic rectangle with all of its numbers and security codes written on it too!

• To avoid these situations—and more—make sure that when using an ATM/Debit Card for purchases or withdrawals from banks and other establishments, as well as cash machines (ATMs),
• always keep both hands on the machine where others can’t see them;
• never let anyone else touch either side of the said machine unless necessary due to physical limitations; never leave one’s self alone during such activities without knowing exactly what is happening around them at all times;
• call the local police immediately after noticing anything suspicious about another person using this same machine before doing any further business whatsoever with them;
• don’t forget about fingerprint identification technology used by many larger financial institutions today so make sure yours has been updated recently if not already done so within last ten years or so before attempting access again!

Cover the keypad when you enter your PIN into the PIN pad.

• Cover the keypad when entering your PIN.
• Use a hand or other object to cover the keypad as you enter it so that no one looking over your shoulder can see what you’re typing. This also prevents them from reading any light emitted from the keypad and helps prevent skimmers from stealing information.
• Use an ATM instead of a store counter when possible. The machines at stores are often smaller and more likely to be positioned in a place where people are standing behind them (for example, in front of the cash register), which means there’s less privacy for anyone using that ATM.

If you give someone your ATM/Debit Card number, do so only as a last resort.

If you give someone your ATM/Debit Card number, do so only as a last resort. If someone else needs your card number, make sure it’s only for something you trust them to do. Don’t give out your PIN either.

If someone calls and says the bank needs to verify a transaction on your account or fix something with the automated system, don’t give them any information without first calling the bank yourself and verifying that it’s legitimate (at this point, there is no way for an imposter to know whether or not they need to verify transactions on your account).

Be cautious of people looking over your shoulder when you make a transaction.

• Be cautious of people looking over your shoulder when you make a transaction.
• Don’t let strangers get close to you.
• Don’t let strangers see your PIN.
• Don’t let strangers see your card or even the numbers that can be deciphered by observing where they are located and how they are printed.
• Don’t tell anyone what your account balance is, who uses the account regularly (especially children) when bills will be paid (especially if it’s a payday), or any other information that could help someone with ill intent gain access to one of these accounts and make purchases using them.

Ask if the terminal is working properly before inserting your card.

The first thing you should do is ask the person using the machine if it is working properly. If they say yes, proceed with inserting your card into the slot on top of the device.

If they respond with a shrug or an expression that says “I don’t know,” don’t use it! This could mean that either their card has been compromised and fraudulent charges are being made from other ATMs, or someone has tampered with this specific ATM to steal money from anyone using it.

If there are any suspicious signs about the machine (such as visible damage), don’t use it! You may think that you are fine because everything looks okay, but there could be something hidden behind those covers where plastic has been placed over small holes through which data can be transferred wirelessly without your knowledge.

Some thieves will even put fake buttons around these areas, so people will think they have pressed one when in fact, nothing happens at all except for them handing over their PINs and money to criminals who now have access to an unlimited amount of cash thanks to technology’s ability to make things work perfectly fine even when they aren’t working at all!

Be wary of requests for your account information over the phone or Internet by someone who claims to be a representative of your bank or credit union.

The bank will never ask for your account information over the phone or Internet. If you receive a call from someone claiming to be a representative of your bank or credit union, hang up and call the company directly to verify their identity.

If you are asked for your password, even if it’s supposedly needed to help protect against fraud, do not give it out.

When ordering checks, choose delivery methods secured by signature only (no delivery to mailboxes).

• Signature-only delivery. Please choose this option, and your checks will be delivered to your door with a signature required for them to be left on the doorstep or inside.
• No delivery to mailboxes. Do not allow checks to be left at mailboxes or in mail slots, as there is no way for you (or anyone else) to verify that they weren’t stolen from there after being delivered by mistake!
• No email delivery. This allows anyone who has access to the Internet and knows your account number or routing number (which can often be found online via a simple Google search) access your bank account information without any authentication whatsoever!
• No electronic delivery (including but not limited to: text messages and phone calls). Although these are convenient methods of contact with businesses when dealing with fraudsters who pose as representatives from banks who falsely claim there’s been some problem detected with their accounts, please don’t fall for it!

If it were real, then those companies would contact people directly through those methods instead of just contacting them via email anyways, so please remember never to give away any personal info over social media like Facebook Messenger because someone could easily hack into it by pretending they’re someone else entirely like maybe even one day pretending they’re somebody close enough friend whom may know another person who should get hacked first before

If you are uncomfortable doing business with a merchant, use an alternative form of payment.

If you are uncomfortable doing business with a merchant, use an alternative form of payment.

If you’re uncomfortable with a merchant, use cash instead. It’s as simple as that. However, if they won’t accept your debit card and your only other option is cash, then take the hint and go elsewhere!

You can also try using your credit card instead of debit because it is protected differently under the law than debit cards are (but beware—credit cards can still be used without your approval).

If the store is refusing to refund or exchange an item even though it was defective or damaged when purchased, try calling the corporate office (if there’s one) or contact their customer service line.

If you are expecting a replacement card or new checks that do not arrive after a reasonable period, call your bank or credit union.

If you are expecting a replacement card or new checks that do not arrive after a reasonable period, call your bank or credit union. If you lost your card and did not report it immediately, there is a chance that someone could have used your information to make purchases on their account. This can be very dangerous if someone who has stolen your information is illegally using it.

If your card is lost or stolen, report it immediately! Thieves are usually looking to steal ATM cards because they allow quick access to money without requiring face-to-face interaction. Often there are fees associated with these kinds of transactions.

Hence, if possible, try not to use ATMs in unsafe areas such as dark alleys if at all possible because this can increase risk exposure significantly as well as cause trouble if something goes wrong during the transaction process itself (e.g., getting stuck in line behind someone who doesn’t realize how much longer they need so they stay put while others move forward while waiting).

Good habits help protect you from fraudulent charges!

Here are some good habits that can help protect you from fraudulent charges:

• Keep a close eye on your account. Always check your bank statement for any suspicious activity, even if it’s only once every few months. If something looks out of place or seems like a charge that shouldn’t be there, call the bank immediately to report it and get it resolved before too much money is taken out of your account.
• Check ATMs regularly for skimming devices—thieves use small devices to steal information from cards as they slide them through card readers at ATMs or gas stations (or anywhere else where people swipe their debit cards). Look around at other people standing nearby before you swipe to ensure there isn’t anyone lurking nearby with nefarious intentions; if all seems clear, go ahead and take out some cash!
• Never use an ATM unless it belongs directly to a branch of your bank; this means no chain-store ATMs or ones in retail stores like Walmart and Target—they’re less secure than bank machines because there’s often no camera monitoring their operation (and thus less evidence if something goes wrong). If you have trouble getting cash from one branch of the same bank as another across town due to heavy demand, try going during off hours instead; otherwise, wait until later when things have cooled down again.

Conclusion

You can help protect yourself against fraudulent charges by following these tips. The key is to be aware of your surroundings, keep your card in a safe place and cover the keypad when entering your PIN.

If you give someone your ATM/Debit Card number, do so only as a last resort and always ask if the terminal is working properly before inserting your card into it. Be wary of people looking over your shoulder when making transactions at ATMs, over the phone, or on the Internet by someone who claims to be a representative of your bank or credit union.

Also, choose delivery methods secured by signature only (no delivery to mailboxes) when ordering checks. Always remember, if you are uncomfortable doing business with a merchant, use an alternative form of payment such as cash or another credit card!

Finally, if you expect replacement cards or new checks after a reasonable time has passed, call the customer service department immediately!