Protect Your Card and Pin
It's very important to keep that number a secret. Don't write it on your card or give the number out to anyone, including your friends and family. ATM fraud is most often committed by individuals who know the ATM cardholder.

Be Prepared
Have your ATM card ready in your hand when you approach the machine. Don't pull it out of your purse or wallet when you get there.

Conduct Your Transactions Privately
Use common courtesy at the ATM. Give people ahead of you space to conduct their transactions. When you use the ATM, make sure no one watches you key in your pin number. Use your body to shield the ATM keypad.

Lock Your Car Doors
If you leave your car and walk to the ATM, turn off your ignition and lock your car. If you use a drive-up ATM, be sure to roll up passenger windows and lock your car doors.

Take a Friend at Night
If you must use the ATM at night, consider taking a friend along.

The tips in this brochure are meant to make you aware that although rare, ATM crime can happen. Preventing such a crime must be a cooperative effort between you and the bank.

Count Your Cash Later
Once you've completed your ATM transaction, put your money away immediately and leave the ATM premises. It's best to count your money later.

Observe Lighting and Landscape
Use extra caution when using an ATM at night. If the lights at the ATM are not working, don't use it. If shrubbery has grown up, or if a tree blocks the view, select another ATM and notify the bank. In fact, it's always a good idea to let the bank know whenever you notice anything out the ordinary at an ATM- from overgrown bushes or poor lighting to a malfunctioning machine.

The Bank's Role
What are our correspondent banks doing to ensure customer safety at ATMs? They're putting ATMs in areas that are visible by passersby's, trimming landscape to prevent potential criminals from hiding, and installing or upgrading lighting that is bright enough for use at night.

Some banks also have installed cameras, rear view mirrors, panic buttons and special signs.

The Customer's Role
Bank customers should always use common sense when using an ATM.

The tips in this brochure are a start, but the best advice is simply not to use an ATM if you feel at all uncomfortable doing so.