Monday, May 14, 2007

Credit Card Machines

Different Types of Documents & Information You Should Shred
By Andy Lawson

This day in age document security is becoming alarmingly important. As a business owner or manager it is essential to take the necessary steps to ensure the privacy and safety of your company's employees and their information. Identity theft in America has forced law makers to focus their efforts on thwarting thieves from stealing private information. One such law is the FACTA Disposal rule, which orders business owners to destroy any paper records that contain vital information.

Almost all businesses generate documents that are processed regularly. Such documents typically include contracts, agreements, purchase orders, memos, invoices and receipts that may contain sensitive information. Document security refers to procedures involved in effective storage and back up, processing, delivery and disposal of important documents. The recent legislation in the United States makes it mandatory for all business owners to dispose of important documents - which may include personal data or vital information - completely.

Useful and sensitive data can be displayed in documents and discs, tapes and CDs. Credit card solicitations, sent by credit card companies, also contain important personal details of prospective customers. Credit card solicitations are sent to customers whose names are included in lists purchased by the credit card companies from credit reporting agencies.

Identity thieves are always on the lookout for bank statements, ATM receipts, Credit card bills, Pre-approved credit card applications and other mail that can provide them with vital information. They in turn, use the information to create new fraudulent accounts. The records they look for usually include personal details like names, addresses, Social Security Numbers, driver's license details and so on. All of this information is sensitive and should be shredded without question.

It is important to employ proper methods to protect personal data and destroy important documents carefully before disposal. Identity thieves will go to any extent to obtain crucial information from large businesses. Most companies use shredders to destroy unwanted documents. In fact, there are several document shredding services that take care of all your unwanted official documents. You can even obtain a portable shredder for domestic use. It is crucial to destroy all your monthly bills, receipts and credit card statements regularly, to ensure that your personal data does not fall into the wrong hands.

Various machines are available in the market that can destroy CDs effectively, ensuring that the information contained cannot be re-accessed. These manually operated machines help to wipe out the data on CDs within a few seconds. A steel cylinder with a rough surface ensures that the data is properly eliminated from the disc.

It is important to destroy pre-approved credit card solicitations. You may receive them regularly, but you can choose to 'opt out' of the list sold by credit reporting agencies.

You should make sure that you check your banking and credit card accounts regularly, for any discrepancies or unauthorized usage. Avoid divulging your Social Security Number to strangers. Make sure that all your outgoing mail is deposited in a collection box authorized by the post office. Do not leave mail in your mailbox unattended for a long time.

Andy Lawson and Southland shredding, a California document shredding services company, work to prevent information security issues by providing collection centers and mobile shredding services for the secure document destruction needs of Southern California companies, government offices or individual privacy protection.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andy_Lawson
http://EzineArticles.com/?Different-Types-of-Documents-and-Information-You-Should-Shred&id=464865






















This day in age document security is becoming alarmingly important. As a business owner or manager it is essential to take the necessary steps to ensure the privacy and safety of your company's employees and their information. Identity theft in America has forced law makers to focus their efforts on thwarting thieves from stealing private information. One such law is the FACTA Disposal rule, which orders business owners to destroy any paper recor

Saturday, May 12, 2007

Credit Card Machines

Credit Card Skimming
By Michael Russell

Credit card skimming is an international problem accounting for losses of over one-billion dollars a year. This type of credit card scam is common in Europe, Asia and Latin America and is starting to show up more in the United States.

This scam is easy to run - it can happen when you give your credit card to a store employee to make a purchase. That employee may not only swipe your card for payment, but also swipe the card with a small machine they hold in their hand known as a skimmer. This small device will store the information from your card into its system. The skimmer is equipped to hold information on hundreds of credit cards and from this information, the crooks are able to produce counterfeit cards.

There are skimming rings working all over the world and once your information is put into the skimmer, it is then downloaded into a computer, ready to be emailed to anyone worldwide.

A decade ago, this fraud was not as easy to accomplish as it is today, due to the fact skimmers were very large and had to be hidden under counters. However, with the advance of technology in the past ten years, they have been able to streamline the skimmer, making it small enough to be hand-held and out of sight of the unwary customer making a purchase. These skimmers are easy to buy; in fact, they can be purchased over the internet at around $300. The machine needed to make counterfeit credit cards is a much larger investment - costing $5,000 to $10,000.

Another form of this scam is done by actually pulling information directly from the credit card terminals. A skimmer bug is placed into the terminal and later retrieved with credit card information on it. Only the older terminals can be violated in this way and with the onset of new credit card terminals, this has alleviated much of this bugging.

As soon as the crooks have their needed information on you, they will start their shopping sprees using your credit card number. They purchase all types of merchandise and charge it to your credit card. Over half of credit card fraud is done over the internet with online purchases. With shopping on the internet becoming more and more popular, card fraud on the internet has also increased.

The crooks will also use the internet to verify the card information is valid. They will purchase many low-ticket items through various websites, checking to see if the card is active. Internet processing of card purchases is done by real-time processing and not handled by a person; thus, no chance of them being caught trying to use a stolen card number.

The cardholder is a victim of this crime and is responsible for up to $50 of the total amount charged on his card, while the real victim in all of this is the merchant whose employee did the skimming. The merchant is held 100% responsible and risks losing the merchandise, and is responsible for paying the fees of the investigation. Investigation fees paid by consumers and businesses in 2003 amounted to an estimated half-billion dollars in annual revenue for credit card companies. This money is used by the card companies to offset costs to investigate charge back claims by their customers.

The crook who perpetrates this card fraud, for the most part, goes unpunished. There is a limit of $2,000 before a criminal investigation can be started; the crooks know this and will not exceed $2,000 on their purchases from any one business. Thus, they are pretty much free to continue to victimize consumers and businesses.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Credit Cards

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell
http://EzineArticles.com/?Credit-Card-Skimming&id=363585

Friday, May 11, 2007

Credit Card Machines

Turn Your Website Into An E-Commerce Ready, Money Making Machine
By Jim Hart

If you are setting up a website or contemplating doing so to sell products or services, you will need to be able to accept all major credit cards to maximize your selling ability and chances for success. The monthly merchant fees associated with accepting credit cards can be costly whether you make sales or not, when using a bank for your merchant account/credit card processor. If you have ever filed bankruptcy or have bad credit, getting a merchant account with a bank is nearly impossible. So what do you do?

The answer is simple: get Pay Pal merchant account. Pay Pal is by far the most widely recognized online processor for e-commerce transactions and is the primary processor for Ebay sales. While there are other online credit processors like Click Bank and others, Pay Pal overshadows them all.

The nice thing about Pay Pal is the sheer volume of people that have Pay pal accounts set up for Ebay who do cruise and shop the Internet. Pay pal, while not flawless, uses 128 but encryption offering the highest level of online security for both buyers and sellers. The seamless integration of the pay pal e-commerce function allows people to conduct transactions over a secure server right at your site without leaving. A number of automated tools provide for redirection anywhere you want the customer to go on your site after they complete their purchase. It is simply the fastest and easiest way to get your e-commerce site up and running quickly and easily.

We chose Pay Pal for our site because it was the most cost affordable solution to accepting payments from our customers with the highest level of security for both them and us. After comparing the cost of a traditional merchant account with a bank including monthly fees, activity fees, transaction fees, terminal fees, online fees, etc, it was a no-brainer to go with Pay Pal. Why? Well, the service is as good, if not better and there is NO cost UNTIL a purchase is completed—and then the transaction fee is like 2.5% or so of the transaction which is a really affordable and easy solution to a complicated problem for some.

If you are interested in seeing how the Pay Pal system functions, you can visit our site by clicking the link below, go to the product page and click on any BUY NOW button shown. You don’t have to complete the purchase but it will give you a good demonstration of the seamless quality of Pay Pal. Keep in mind that I am neither trying to hump product and I do not have any affiliation with Pay Pal. I am simply passing our experience with the system to you.

Another thing new webmasters should consider is that making online sales is tough unless you are doing a substantial amount of advertising and marketing to drive traffic to your website. It makes no sense whatsoever to pay monthly fees to a bank until your site traffic and sales justify doing so and even then, the need for a bank is questionable. If you are moving say, 1000 units a month, then you may want to consider a bank for volumes of transactions and record keeping, auditing, etc. If not, Pay Pal is the answer. Screw the banks—they are doing nothing more than Pay Pal is and it requires a whole lot more site engineering to install their e-commerce function on your site.

To your unwavering success!

Copyright © 2006 James W. Hart, IV All Rights Reserved

Be Smart, Visit SBS. http://smart67.com Where Smart People Get Smarter Faster.

SBS is an online information resource for individuals and business persons. Our focus is real estate and business information solutions through books, kits and ebooks. We also have a free acess to dedicated research center with quality links to help you get key information fast including a media center. Check us out now and learn how SBS can help you. SBS, a smart people place :)

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_Hart
http://EzineArticles.com/?Turn-Your-Website-Into-An-E-Commerce-Ready,-Money-Making-Machine&id=347323


































Have you been denied a merchant account at banks? Don't want to pay the ridiculous fees associated with accepting credit cards? Do you have poor credit? Bankruptcy? Frustrated with all the complicated technical mumbo-jumbo of e-commerce? If you are looking for a fast, effective, secure, reliable and easy to install e-commerce system, this article is for YOU.

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Credit Card Machines

Requirement of a Credit Card Processing Service in Business.
09th April 2007
Author: Michael Braganza

Today more and more people are using the Internet and the number of older users is increasing fast. The internet is becoming an important source of news and information. With the popularity and widespread usage of Internet, the popularity of ecommerce business is also spreading like a wildfire.

To get by any ecommerce business or online business or set up retail storefront successfully, Internet credit card processing service plays a very important role. If your ecommerce business is still not laced with Online Merchant Account or credit card merchant services, consider getting one without wasting any more precious seconds. Only then you will conduct online ecommerce business successfully. Because Internet credit card processing service is the best way to process clients’ payment online.

First of all we discuss about what online merchant credit card services are and how It work? An online merchant credit card services is a service that facilitates you to make payments or accept payments online for you. Online credit card merchant services work through online merchant account that is provided by a bank. These services allow you to make or receive credit card payments through Internet. Being laced with merchant Solutions services can be extremely beneficial and fruitful to your ecommerce business because it allows your visitors and customers to easily make payments.

Now we discuss about what Internet credit card processing is? It is a process of getting the authorization of a credit purchase when ordering online. Generally Internet credit card processing requires three components – a payment gateway, an online merchant account and a credit card processing company. On the type of online merchant account it may also require various equipments such as; credit card machines, computers, hypercom terminal, pin pad and related software.

Now we describe in brief about merchant credit card services provider and choosing a reliable service provider. There are a number of merchant credit card services providers in the market. But you ought to take precautions before selecting one of them. Accepting credit cards can be risky and can you make suffering with paying high priced services on Credit card receivables terminal that your business does not in need of, and force to pay high monthly fees if precautions are not observed in choosing a reliable Internet credit card processing services provider.

A reliable Internet credit card payment processing service provider that is versatile in nature can assist your ecommerce businesses in increasing their sales. It offers security protection by using modern technology and assures you and your clients to be tension free for the duration of the transaction and when the credit card information is being processed. By hiring a good service provider you can accept all forms of payments and accept credit card anywhere and anytime.
At last we want to say the always go with a good merchant solutions provider and appropriate equipments and related software.

Michael Braganza is an eminent analyst and writer in Software and Technology related topics. He has authored many books on Technology and Online Merchant Account Services like Merchant credit card services Now he is rendering his services to http://www.themerchantsolutions.com/

This article is free for republishing
Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_145844_15.html

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

Credit Card Machines

What is a Credit Card Machine
17th August 2006
Author: Steve Depraida

The Credit Card Machine is used for the retail transaction settlement. This whole process is done through the Credit Card System, named after the small plastic card issued to users of the system. The credit card issuer lends the consumer money and this card allows the consumer to 'rotate' their balance. Credit card machine is the tool for accepting credit cards.
To keep the business run smoothly, one needs Credit Card Machine to be installed for speedy and safe transactions. The credit card system helps to maintain the competitive edge in the business. As a Merchant you need a Credit Card Machine and a Merchant Account. With the help of a credit card machine, the merchant account transaction is initiated. Once the merchant swipes the card in the machine, the account information is keyed in this information is passed on to the bank. The bank now checks the customer's account for the availability of funds. If the funds are sufficient the transaction is authorized. Thus in a matter of seconds, the whole transaction process is carried out. The customer is happy as he or she gets instant service and a convenient payment option while the merchant is also satisfied to receive an instant payment.
www.merchant-accounts.com offers the best service at the lowest prices. It provides different types of Merchant Accounts like Retail Merchant Account, Internet Merchant Account, Wireless Merchant Account etc. These Merchant Accounts help the Merchant by providing credit card processing service. It also offers credit card processing equipments like credit card machines and terminals. Various types of credit card machine are available on the site, which fulfill different requirements of Merchants. You can choose the machine that suits the type and size of your business.
The Credit card machines also come according to the specific need of the merchant. Some Credit card machines are wireless, some come with printer, some without printer. The wireless one is the most expensive but is functionally the best. www.Merchant-accounts.com offers some of the best credit card machines from well-known brands like Hypercom, Verifone, Lipman, Nurit etc. These credit card machines will add volumes to your business and increase your sales manifolds.
www.Merchant-accounts.com provides reliable and safe merchant accounts and efficient credit card machines and terminals. Visit the site to know more about the services and products offered by the merchant services provider.






This article is free for republishing
Source: http://www.a1articles.com/article_82371_19.html

Tuesday, May 8, 2007

Credit Card Machines

SIMPLE MONEY MACHINES- AN HONEST REVIEW by ANTHONY FONTANA

If you are interested in developing a serious income online, but you lack the skill set necessary to do so, then I may have a solution for you. Over the past few years I have tried just about every possible system out there to make money online, from using EBay to actually trying to create my own product. The results? Nada, nothing, zilch! Thousands of dollars latter I found myself just giving up. I received enough information to make my eyes bleed and head throb. I subscribed to so many guru lists that I was forced to create alternate email addresses just to get rid of all the spam.

Every new product that came out generated hundreds of emails to me from dozens of so-called experts selling it to me. I took me a little while to realize that the only people making the money were the guys that took other peoples info, repackaged it and sold it to idiots like me! Can you say tech dummy? That is me in a nutshell. I am a banker, accountant, and mortgage loan officer. I am also a dreamer like you. I want the best that life offers. Give me the tools to achieve my dreams and I will run with them. I have absolutely no ability to absorb all of the tricks, techniques and ideas sent to me. It is all just over my head.

I have never been one to give up, so I began to focus on just one area. Affiliate Marketing became my vehicle to creating wealth. I signed up with click bank and joined over 30 different programs. I made a few dollars but realized that I was not capturing the information that I needed to build a long term income stream. Short term profits were okay, but they did not last and required constant work to maintain. By sending my customers to an affiliate product web site, I was basically giving them my customers forever. I was missing the opportunity to market other products to them in the future.

Eventually I stumbled upon an amazing internet marketer, who seemed to be able to focus his teachings like a laser beam into my brain. He recommended a product that had all of the elements I needed. The name of the program is Simple Money Machines. Simple Money Machines may not be what you need if you are a total technology nerd. If you are tech savvy, like me, then this could be your ticket to financial freedom!

Simple Money Machines is a new platform that allows someone with no technological abilities what-so-ever to set up a complete online business. You do not need to host an account, no software to purchase and learn, no worrying about back ups and no expensive testing required. Simple Money Machines does it all.

Here is a little bit of what Simple Money Machines includes

Web site creation using WYSIWYG for either an affiliate marketing site or an e-book marketing site Auto-responder so that you can capture email addresses, build your own list and send future promotions. This is critical to your success. The key to developing a long-term internet income is in the list. Every large marketer online has one and use it to generate future sales. The auto-responder feature is used to send periodic emails to your customers. You determine what to send and when to send it. Headline generator to create effective headlines Web page video to increase conversions Web page audio. You can create a message to your prospects using your home phone Split-testing: Allows you to track conversions of different versions of your site Opt-in Page also known as a Squeeze Page. It is an excellent way to develop an email list and it provides you with the ability to offer a bonus to your subscribers just for looking at your site Traffic tracking software that lets you analyze the source and costs of different traffic options Credit card processing and tracking Simple Money Machines is unlike any other business-in-a-box program. The primary purpose of the program is to promote the affiliate programs YOU are excited about. You can use it to market your own e-book product. It lets you focus on the Marketing, and not on the programming. You can be up and running in under 1 hour. My first site was running thirty minutes after I joined the program. The program comes with a wonderful manual to guide you step by step on what to do.

You can sign up for the program for $ 1.00 for a 2 week trial. The trial will give you the ability to create up to five individual web sites promoting anything you want!

$ 1.00! There is absolutely no risk.

So there you have it. It is now up to you to drive the traffic to your new website. That is actually the easiest part. The internet is filled with tried and true methods to drive traffic such as pay-per-click, ezine article submissions, or any creative method you can devise.

Are you ready? Congratulations! You are now in business for yourself!

Anthony Fontana has been a banker and tax accountant for almost 30 years. When he discovers something that makes his life easier, and makes his business more profitable, he loves to share it with everyone he knows! Visit: http://simplemoneymachinesprogram.smmsite.com for more information.


About the Author

Anthony is a mortgage banker and tax accountant. He has been in the finance and banking industries for almost 30 years. He is currently building his online business and is an expert on marketing, advertizing and finance.

Friday, May 4, 2007

Credit Card Machines

SIMPLE MONEY MACHINES- AN HONEST REVIEW by ANTHONY FONTANA

If you are interested in developing a serious income online, but you lack the skill set necessary to do so, then I may have a solution for you. Over the past few years I have tried just about every possible system out there to make money online, from using EBay to actually trying to create my own product. The results? Nada, nothing, zilch! Thousands of dollars latter I found myself just giving up. I received enough information to make my eyes bleed and head throb. I subscribed to so many guru lists that I was forced to create alternate email addresses just to get rid of all the spam.

Every new product that came out generated hundreds of emails to me from dozens of so-called experts selling it to me. I took me a little while to realize that the only people making the money were the guys that took other peoples info, repackaged it and sold it to idiots like me! Can you say tech dummy? That is me in a nutshell. I am a banker, accountant, and mortgage loan officer. I am also a dreamer like you. I want the best that life offers. Give me the tools to achieve my dreams and I will run with them. I have absolutely no ability to absorb all of the tricks, techniques and ideas sent to me. It is all just over my head.

I have never been one to give up, so I began to focus on just one area. Affiliate Marketing became my vehicle to creating wealth. I signed up with click bank and joined over 30 different programs. I made a few dollars but realized that I was not capturing the information that I needed to build a long term income stream. Short term profits were okay, but they did not last and required constant work to maintain. By sending my customers to an affiliate product web site, I was basically giving them my customers forever. I was missing the opportunity to market other products to them in the future.

Eventually I stumbled upon an amazing internet marketer, who seemed to be able to focus his teachings like a laser beam into my brain. He recommended a product that had all of the elements I needed. The name of the program is Simple Money Machines. Simple Money Machines may not be what you need if you are a total technology nerd. If you are tech savvy, like me, then this could be your ticket to financial freedom!

Simple Money Machines is a new platform that allows someone with no technological abilities what-so-ever to set up a complete online business. You do not need to host an account, no software to purchase and learn, no worrying about back ups and no expensive testing required. Simple Money Machines does it all.

Here is a little bit of what Simple Money Machines includes

Web site creation using WYSIWYG for either an affiliate marketing site or an e-book marketing site Auto-responder so that you can capture email addresses, build your own list and send future promotions. This is critical to your success. The key to developing a long-term internet income is in the list. Every large marketer online has one and use it to generate future sales. The auto-responder feature is used to send periodic emails to your customers. You determine what to send and when to send it. Headline generator to create effective headlines Web page video to increase conversions Web page audio. You can create a message to your prospects using your home phone Split-testing: Allows you to track conversions of different versions of your site Opt-in Page also known as a Squeeze Page. It is an excellent way to develop an email list and it provides you with the ability to offer a bonus to your subscribers just for looking at your site Traffic tracking software that lets you analyze the source and costs of different traffic options Credit card processing and tracking Simple Money Machines is unlike any other business-in-a-box program. The primary purpose of the program is to promote the affiliate programs YOU are excited about. You can use it to market your own e-book product. It lets you focus on the Marketing, and not on the programming. You can be up and running in under 1 hour. My first site was running thirty minutes after I joined the program. The program comes with a wonderful manual to guide you step by step on what to do.

You can sign up for the program for $ 1.00 for a 2 week trial. The trial will give you the ability to create up to five individual web sites promoting anything you want!

$ 1.00! There is absolutely no risk.

So there you have it. It is now up to you to drive the traffic to your new website. That is actually the easiest part. The internet is filled with tried and true methods to drive traffic such as pay-per-click, ezine article submissions, or any creative method you can devise.

Are you ready? Congratulations! You are now in business for yourself!

Anthony Fontana has been a banker and tax accountant for almost 30 years. When he discovers something that makes his life easier, and makes his business more profitable, he loves to share it with everyone he knows! Visit: http://simplemoneymachinesprogram.smmsite.com for more information.


About the Author

Anthony is a mortgage banker and tax accountant. He has been in the finance and banking industries for almost 30 years. He is currently building his online business and is an expert on marketing, advertizing and finance.

Thursday, May 3, 2007

Credit Card Machines

Credit Card Authorisation Advice
By Peter Kenny

Most of us use credit or debit cards regularly, and normally there are no problems verifying that these cards belong to us. However, sometimes there are extra security measures or technical problems that make it hard to verify if a card belongs to someone or not. If you find yourself in this situation, there are a number of steps you can take to resolve the situation.

Entering the wrong PIN

If you have a number of cards or are just in a rush, it can be easy to enter the wrong PIN in a cash machine or retail machine. If this happens, you have two more chances to enter the right PIN. Sometimes software error can cause your PIN to not be authorised, especially in handheld chip and PIN machines. If you are unsure of your PIN then stop trying. If you enter the wrong PIN three times then your card will be locked and you will have to call your card issuer to sort out the situation.

Phoning your card issuer

When you need to sort out any disputes or get some questions answered by your card issuer, you will likely need to provide some information. Simply providing your card number and name will not be enough, and either your credit limit, date of birth or bank statement details will also need to be provided. Although this may seem like a tedious process, it is for your own security.

Shop authorisation on the phone

When you buy something from a shop, there are times when extra information is required. These checks are usually done by the card company and are random, and help to monitor security levels. You will usually be asked for some extra personal information or card details in order to verify your purchase. If this happens to you, don’t think you are in trouble, just remember that it is all for your own safety and security.

If your card is denied

There is a possibility that even if you have enough credit your card will be denied. This might mean your card has been used illegally, or simply that the authorisation system is not working properly and your card cannot be verified. Try and remain calm and don’t panic, as this can happen to anyone at any time. You can always try the card again, but if it doesn’t work you will need to use another card or phone up your card issuer immediately. Usually the problem can be sorted very quickly.

Signing for your purchases

If you go anywhere and you are still asked to sign for your goods instead of using Chip and PIN, then be very cautious. Everywhere should get you to use Chip and PIN now, and if they don’t they are putting you and themselves at a greater risk of fraud. Make sure that proper authorisation is given before paying for anything at all. This will help your card to remain safe and secure.

Peter Kenny is a writer for creditcards-gb.co.uk Please visit us at Credit Cards and 0% Balance Transfers
http://www.creditcards2go4.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Kenny
http://EzineArticles.com/?Credit-Card-Authorisation-Advice&id=483821

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Credit Card Machines

How to Protect Yourself from the Latest ATM and Credit Card Fraud Tricks that Will Rob You Blind
By Gary Simpson

If there is ONE thing that I truly detest it is unscrupulous con-artists and thieves trying to defraud honest people just going about their daily business.

The latest fraudulent practises to hit Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs) are:


- a small device inserted into the card slot that physically traps your credit card
- the addition of a tiny camera alongside or above the ATM to record your credit card number and Personal Identification Number (PIN)

Let's look at how these criminals are getting away with your card and/or your personal details:

1 - CARD ENTRAPMENT:

A thin piece of rigid film, usually in the form of a section of x-ray film, is cut and shaped then inserted into the area where you insert your card. It is shaped in such a way that a small "sleeve" traps the card and prevents it from being returned to you.

Obviously, the people who design these traps have some sort of working knowledge of the machines themselves.

If your card is "swallowed" by the ATM it may be a machine fault. However, it may also be the work of a fraudster who will invariably be lurking nearby, possibly waiting for you to leave. Be particularly wary if this happens outside banking hours.

Check to see if you can locate a small slip of clear plastic or x-ray film located around the lip of the machine. If so, removing that will also remove your credit card.

If you cannot see anything, pretend to leave the area and see who makes a "beeline" to the ATM. Note, this may place you in danger if the con-artist is violent.

Be particularly suspicious if anybody just happens to turn up to "assist" you.

That person could very well be your thief. He or she may then use their body to block your view and then, in a deft movement, palm your credit card into their pocket.

2 - MINI CAMERA AND RECORDING EQUIPMENT:

Mini camera devices are now being concealed and used to record numbers entered at the ATM.

Be particularly suspicious if a plastic brochure holder is placed near the keypad. Banks will not place anything near an ATM. Such an object will be fitted with a lens and a small recording device all shielded and cunningly camouflaged by official bank pamphlets - stolen, of course, from the bank itself.

Look for anything that is not a NORMAL part of the machine. Be aware also of roof mounted devices. These can be taped directly above the ATM with the lens eye pointing downward.

A good way to beat this trick is to mask your keystrokes with your other hand.

SUMMARY:

Keep your wits about you at all ATM's. Never use one outside banking hours. If you are alone you are also at the risk of being mugged AFTER you get your money. Be alert.

Here is a big tip - be on the lookout for ANY person lurking nearby, especially if they are wearing a hat, sunglasses and a collar turned up. Such a person is making himself or herself difficult to recognize in the event that they themselves are filmed by security cameras.

Credit card fraud is an increasing crime. Be wary of these warnings and you will seriously reduce your chance of becoming a victim.

Gary Simpson has written nine books on various subjects including "How to Save $1000's and Increase Your Net Wealth." If you are looking for a better financial future then go to Turn Debt Into Wealth. Here you can also get a password for the "Wealthy Minds" newsletter in the exclusive Members' Only section of the site.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gary_Simpson
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Protect-Yourself-from-the-Latest-ATM-and-Credit-Card-Fraud-Tricks-that-Will-Rob-You-Blind&id=427174