A Reminder About ATM Skimming

With fewer daylight hours and a busy time of year, it's easy to get your data stolen.

A reader asks Liz Weston to remind us that thieves sometimes equip ATMs with skimming devices. These machines read your card number and record your PIN, and that information is used to suck money out of your bank account.

Most ATMs are safe, but you have to be careful. Look for anything that looks funny (even an "Out of Order" sign can be a red flag, as Weston's reader pointed out). You don't need to perform a thorough investigation of every surface, but it's worth taking an extra moment or two to notice the ATM -- or anything else you're about to stick your card into -- and the environment before using it.

Further reading:

• How Skimming Scams Work
• How to Get a Loan