Better Biz Bureau Cautions Against Cash Machine Crooks

Tech-savvy swindlers have booby trapped cash machines with devices that can steal your financial information, warns the Better Business Bureau.

"According to the ATM Industry Association, card skimming is defined as the unauthorized capture of magnetic stripe information by modifying the hardware or software of a payment device, or through the use of a separate card reader," according to a statement from the Better Business Bureau. "Once a consumer swipes their card through the fake card reader, their account information is sent to the scammer, leaving the consumer vulnerable to theft."

Particularly thorough thieves go so far as to install hidden cameras to record customers punching personal identification numbers onto keypads, according to the bureau's statement.

The Better Business Bureau handed down these tips to avoid to being victimized in a cash machine caper:

• Inspect cash machines
• Protect your personal identification number
• Monitor your statements
• Report fraud immediately