If You Use ATMs, Read This

Anyone can become a victim of fraud and there have been numerous stories in Connecticut of thieves attaching skimmers to ATMs in an effort to steal debit and credit card numbers, which will then be used to drain your bank accounts. A New York man is hoping to educate us all so we won't become a victim.

A New York man who found a card skimmer attached to an ATM at a 7-Eleven shared his story on Facebook hoping that it would be shared to help others spot skimmers and avoid becoming a victim.

Ryan Brady's story has been shared more than 150,000 times since he posted it last Friday night. The 33-year-old from Massapequa found the skimmer the same day at the 7-Eleven located at 4020 Sunrise Highway in Seaford.

Skimmers are installed right over the card slot on ATMs and they capture debit and credit card numbers that thieves can then use to make fraudulent charges and drain bank accounts.

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"Don't be paranoid, but pay attention to detail and your surroundings," Brady told Patch of what he hopes readers take away from his Facebook post (which can be seen below). "I have no formal training in spotting these so if I found it, so can anyone. Keep your eyes open."

For more tips on how to spot a skimmer, check out this article from PC Magazine.

Story written by Ryan Bonner, Patch National Staff