The sad reality is that, due to all sorts of factors (economic, social, political, etc.), our world is far from being a very safe place, whether we're talking about our personal, physical security, information security or the security of our own money. And this last issue is exactly what we'll talk about as follows, namely ATM fraud, to be precise, given the fact that this particular type of crime has skyrocketed over the past couple of years, many people ending up losing their money by no fault of their own.

You might wonder what's ATM fraud got to do with the “Noob's Guide” category? Well, the answer is very simple. In general, most people who become the victims of ATM fraud are those with relatively little experience using such machines (a.k.a. newbies or noobs), although there are also some cases of people who've been using such machines for a very long period of time falling prey to fraudsters.

In any way, before we go into more details regarding just how one can avoid such an unwanted situation, let's describe the most “popular” type of ATM fraud, namely the one involving an illegal card-reading device called a “skimmer.” In general, this device is installed right in the slot used for inserting the credit card within the ATM, where it copies the card's identification data. Typically, the skimmer is very well concealed, criminals involved in ATM fraud going to great lengths in order to conceal the fact that such a device has been installed.

Of course, since knowing a credit card number without the associated PIN would be useless, there's also a second component involved in ATM fraud, namely a small camera, installed right above the ATM's keypad. The camera constantly records the keys pressed by the ATM's users, criminals then matching the video recording's time frame to the credit card's number, in order to find the matching PIN number. Others try to install some fake ATM keyboards, but these are easier to spot, since they're above the machine's overall surface level. After that, the information is copied onto a new card with some specialized equipment and voila: your money is no longer yours.

Now, the simplest way to avoid ATM fraud is by tackling both of the two components of the scheme mentioned above. So, first of all, the skimmer issue. This will be a tougher one, since, as mentioned above, criminals go to great lengths in order to conceal the tiny reader. So, for this reason, it's a very good idea to check out the ATM before inserting your card, see that everything is alright, that nothing looks suspicious and that nothing is out of the ordinary. Plus, it's perhaps a good idea to try to pull the plastic side of the credit card slot, since there have been some cases of the skimmer being installed so poorly that it was actually pushed out, together with the card.

The second thing you should do is avoid anyone from seeing your PIN number. So, since the aforementioned cameras used for recording the PIN are typically placed right above the keypad, you don't have to do anything else but simply cover the keypad while typing with your other hand. It's that simple and effective, plus nobody will notice your doing so. Moreover, it's a good idea to check out the keyboard and see if it's genuine, just to be on the safe side.

In any case, if you have any reason to believe that the ATM you're trying to use has been rigged in any way, the best course of action is to contact the closest police station or police officer. Don't try to do anything by yourself, because the criminals involved in this scheme are most likely supervising the scene, and will move it if they believe you're on to them, something that might have pretty nasty consequences.