When we go to an AMT my wife operates the machine while I keep an eye on things. Around 11 AM today we executed our regular plan when a young guy approached me, but looking up he saw my wife and started her way. I got out of the car, told him to leave her alone & he quickly walked away. My LCP was in a pocket holster w/a spare mag in my off pocket but thank goodness I didn’t need it. We went in the bank afterward and they called the police.

The point of all this is never become lax in your daily travels, especially around an ATM.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

Situational awareness is important. Having somebody watching your six is very handy indeed. Good job.

That’s how the wife and I handle ATM’s. She withdraws and I keep a look out. Mostly be cause I always carry and I’m technically challenged and screw up at the ATM.

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Two Handguns every day

As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth more than 665 grains of cure.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

I do everything digitally now. The only time I visited the bank was to open the acct. Crime is everywhere.

I get cash directly from the inside teller if needed, but 99% use my CC.

Great advice. When travelling especially overseas my wife takes a lot of photos. I keep the lookout. Lots of pick pockets and street crimes in some of the larger European cities.

I believe we’re going that route in the future, it’s a lot safer.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

If it’s only a couple hundred my wife uses the ATM. If we go for a large amount or if I have to get cash it’s the inside Teller. Children and Ladies can’t be within hearing distance if I had to use the ATM.

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Two Handguns every day

Have never, will never use an ATM. The teller MIGHT make a mistake, remedied on the spot. A machine; outside? Nope. We're all going cashless before 2030, "social status monitoring" will make digitality complete. Joe

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Wisdom chases me; I'm faster

The closest ATM to me is in the city PD's parking lot. I still lock the doors and mine is the only window that's down and pull as close to the machine as I can (it's a drive up). My carry is in my lap while I'm punching buttons. If I go to an ATM where I have to get out, my carry is in my waistband in front of me. I'm looking around the whole time I'm there.

Our CU has drive up ATMs where if one Knows How To Drive there is about 12 Inches between vehicle and ATM, keep in mind the long front of vehicle and long rear end there is virtually no way some scum bag could get to you. Also remember one could just “ run over them” . Plus the CU has cameras all around. We have zero issues. Some times we go inside just to say hi to some we know fairly well.

I usually go to the ATM inside the Base BX.
Recently was there on a Sunday.
Not many folks there.
Then I noticed Them!
Where’s Paul Revere when you need him?
Redcoats everywhere!
Actually RAF Folks in Fatigues.
I chatted with a Young Lady who told me she was an Aircraft Tech.
And they were here on an Exercise.
I told her that I hope you enjoy your stay and have a great Exercise!

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

I don't remember the last time I went to an ATM. They call them Watering Holes for a reason.

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Retired Career Security Guard

Crime is online too...............

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S&W Accumulator

FWIW, when I was on the job at a small city PD, straight nights I used to watch the ATM’s in the shadows (as best as I could) to prevent robberies. I never caught any ATM robbers but I don’t remember any ATM robberies either.

Do you mean people trying to break into ATMs or mugging people using ATMS?

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Retired Career Security Guard

I wonder if they have moved over here. Red Flag is in full swing.

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Release the Kraken

The ATM I use most often is literally across the street from a Police Department in clear view, only a fool would try to rob someone there, and I always have someone watching my back as I make transactions regardless, so I'm safe.

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Shooting Comfort is bilateral.

I wanted to protect the people. A lot of armed citizens in this town so the crime rate is relatively low. Nonetheless, since I came in-service at 1600 hrs. I made it a point to watch the banks and credit unions at the beginning of my shift (F-S-S-M). This policy actually paid off one Friday afternoon when I arrived seven seconds after multiple alarms were tripped, but that’s another story...

Never ever used an atm, even when living in a city. My cash comes from a nice young lady behind the counter, or usually the drive through. Some likely do not even have that option, but it always helps to actually get to know the people in the bank.

Only problem with that idea, around here, all the cops (literally all) are out on patrol or handling a call. They only go to the station to process arrests

If you go to any of the stations, you find a locked door and a call box to reach County Dispatch.

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Tony

Good thinking for sure

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SWCA#2208
KK4EMO

Never used an ATM. First time I saw one it looked like a slot machine as it was blinking and making strange noises.

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My Daddy was a pistol..

Somebody stole an ATM from somewhere and left it in the dumpster outside my apartment. I never heard the story about how it got there. I called it in on my way to church and it was still there when I got back.

I was at work one morning and was walking my first fence line rounds I found not an ATM but one of the floor safes like they used to have the Domino's that I worked at when I was a kid.

It was a metal cylinder maybe 3 ft deep that was installed in the floor in the manager's office. both Domino's I worked at had one and whenever a driver got above a certain amount they were supposed to do a drop and the drop went into that safe.

I'm not sure that the one that I found came from a Domino's but I sure would like to know how they got it out of the ground.

Every so often I hear on the news that somebody stole an ATM or tried to break into an ATM but I've never heard of anybody actually getting into one.

The Last Story I remember hearing on the news was somebody stealing a front end loader and trying to break open an ATM and they couldn't get into it

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Retired Career Security Guard

A shopkeeper was murdered a a block from my bank a few months ago in the middle of the day during a robbery attempt. Amazingly the killer came back to burgle the store a month later and his dna matched the dna on the zip ties he dropped during the robbery

I recall one ATM in kind of a weather shield. The backing made a nice mirror so you could watch behind you whilst doing your business.

I'm wondering if the people who claim to have never used an ATM are really, really old. Even my father who couldn't operate a VCR eventually started using an ATM.

I got my first ATM card as a college freshman in 1976. That was long before you could use your debit card at stores or they masqueraded as a Mastercard or Visa.

I don't go to ATMs in sketchy neighborhoods. I usually go to one in a Sheetz because those have no fees.

Yes I over qualify as old!

I can honestly say I have never used a ATM. I can get in enough trouble with pocket cash or CCs at point of sales location.

My wife on the other hand when she approaches the terminal it blinks all sorts of lights and also flashes on the screen,Welcome back Mrs Lakesider even before she puts her card in. Most times she goes to one that is part of her credit union and I'm just along for the ride. Most of those locations are in sort of safe areas.

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14 S&W Revs none with locks!

And I thought I was the only husband who waited at the car with his Cold Steel Tactical Walking Cane ... just in case .

When you get older you have to play the game like a Tag Team .

I figure if the bad guy is hasseling the person at the ATM ...
He wont see that Tactical Assaulkt Cane coming ...

It may not be fair but robbing old people isn't fair either .

Guys & Gals ... Keep On Keeping On ... old doesn't mean Defenseless !

Gary

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Certified Cajun
NRA Member

Back in the 90s, I made a point of not telling my wife that her ATM card doubled as a Visa so she could use it at stores. It was a nightmare when she found out because she would just spend willy-nilly and I was constantly having to deal with overdrafts. She was the proverbial shopaholic who justified all of purchases as something that she "deserved."

And I thought I was the only husband who waited at the car with his Cold Steel Tactical Walking Cane ... just in case .

When you get older you have to play the game like a Tag Team .

I figure if the bad guy is hasseling the person at the ATM ...
He wont see that Tactical Assaulkt Cane coming ...

It may not be fair but robbing old people isn't fair either .

Guys & Gals ... Keep On Keeping On ... old doesn't mean Defenseless !

Gary

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Certified Cajun
NRA Member

Poker players use ATMs routinely. I've used them at all sorts of times, day and night. I stay alert and I'm easily able to get to my EDC. Sometimes I literally get out of my car to use them because my arms are too short to reach everything. Not all ATMs but many. Never had a problem. Yet.

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Come and take it!!

There hasn't been a robbery at an ATM in my county since I've lived there (2004).

Here they don't rob you at the ATM. They follow you to a place that is less public.

What is jugging? Cash carriers need to know about this rising crime to stay safe

Drive-thru ATM lane at the bank. Pull up close enough that someone can't get between your car and the machine.

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Common sense isn't so common.

My ATM is across the street from the JPD.

Meeeee toooo. I see no logical reason to use an ATM. The bank has very complete open hours so what's the problem?

Am not claiming to never using a atm, i never have. Also don't have a debit card. Am only 67 years old. I do have a checking account and credit card. Am not in the mood to have a bank charge me for taking my money out, and if the pocket cash runs out i quit spending.

I'm not saying this didn't happen but that sometimes paranoia plays a role on these forums. He might have just been walking through, and if I was walking through and someone aggressively got between me and my path I'd take a wide berth too. Maybe he just looked her way instinctively, I look at people around me all the time walking and half the time it's not even on purpose.

I've never had an issue at an ATM or Gas Station, not saying you should be oblivious but I do think there is a certain level where it becomes paranoia. It's easy to see the YouTube video where this happens and think it's common when it absolutely isn't. I'll probably get ripped up and down for this take but I do think sometimes as gun owners we are on such high alert that we see threats that aren't real.

Again, not saying this guy OP is mentioning wasn't a potential threat, I wasn't there, maybe he was. Just saying that I'm sure 9/10 of these situations are false alarms or mistaken perceptions.

I've used debit cards since they became available where I was living at the time, late 80s. I've never had one cash- or account-related issue with them (early on there were occasionally problems with card readers not working) nor has my wife. She had a problem with a teller at Wells Fargo on a cash transaction, and a $100 error took two weeks and the intervention of the Phoenix security office to fix (EVERYTHING at teller line is videoed).

My credit union never charges withdrawal fees from their machines or other machines within their association.

I've used my debit cards in the US, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, New Zealand, Iraq, Bosnia, Qatar, Jordan, Croatia, UAE, Turkey, and Somalia. I check my bank account daily in 3 minutes online.

I use my ATM card a few times per month, and follow appropriate security precautions. Having someone try jugging on me would be amusing.

I have never been to an ATM in my life and don't plan on going. I also do not own (never have) an ATM or Debit card either. Every time I walk into my Bank, (maybe all of 3-4 times a year) they ask me if I'd like one and I politely refuse. When hey ask why I simply state, first off I don't need one, and secondly, debit cards are scanned in peoples pockets every day and compromised. While eventually you will probably get back your money, who needs the hassle to be out in the first place!

I use my Visa Credit Card for 99% of all our purchases these days. The pay me back 4% on Gasoline, 3% on Restaurants, 2% at Costco and 1% on everything else. I probably average around 2 - 2.5% a year and I actually receive a check that I can cash and do what we want with.

If the card is compromised (has happened more than once) they cancel all fraudulent charges immediately, cancel the card and overnight to me (at their expense) two new ones the very next day no matter where we are. I have zero money taken out of our checking account, no hassles and they immediately give me the new account number even before the card comes so it can be used when I hang up the phone.

On the rare occasion someone writes us a physical check, I can easily and instantly deposit it electronically from my phone, no need to go to the bank. There are only a few times when I actually visit the branch at that is when I need to deposit a large check over the electronic limit - not an everyday thing! When I go into the bank, I will make sure I have some cash on hand for emergency situations or to just have on me but honestly, I rarely use cash anymore!

I do also have a bunch of other credit cards that I will use on a rare occasion if it benefits us financially. Sometimes Home Depot offers 20% off when you use a coupon and their own card. Sometimes my wife gets similar deals at TJX, Belks, etc. but most of the time we just use our Visa. So that's my reason I have never needed a ATM or Debit card - just no reason too. I don't concern myself with what the interest rates are because I never pay any interest. My bills get paid electronically on autopay so there are never any late or interest payments - so no concerns to us there.

My recommendation is to find alternate methods of payment and forget ATM's. Most businesses today don't even want cash! Go figure!

The gun just has 1 button to operate.

Bet there is more money stolen by online fraud/credit card fraud/Debit card fraud than ever stolen by perp at ATM.

Not to mention, there is a digital track record every where you swipe your card. Not so much with cash.

Rosewood

I use the drive thru ATMs. Pull up as close as possible. Only have that 1 window down. Pull out pistol to keep it handy. Leave vehicle in drive with foot on brake in case I need to run someone down..

Put up card and money before I move vehicle.

Rosewood

ATMs are Convenient. Just about every time we go inside one of our CU branches there is a Line of up to 10 people some times less but why wait? Seems some “ individual” is at the tellers window with some convoluted issue that they should go to a specialist desk. Most are just running their mouth preventing others from their transaction.
Common courtesy and thinking about someone OTHER than themselves is sadly about gone from society.

Back in the early 80s, someone said to me, "Some day you'll be able to use your Mastercard at McDonald's to buy a cup of coffee." I thought that was an absurd I idea. I still do because I use my Discover card.

I used to carry my checkbook in my back pocket for large purchases or if I was short of cash. Cards were for major purchases like a new suit or a sofa.

I do feel sorry for the merchants who get hammered with credit card fees but I use the card out of convenience. I understand all about inflation it is inflation that has made cash so inconvenient because I can only fit so much cash into my wallet.

When I was young, I could fill up my car with a $20 and get $5 in change. Now is takes over $60 to fill up my tank. Back then a couple twenties in my wallet and I was good to go: gas, lunch, a six pack, etc. Now a couple twenties is gone in a heartbeat.

Of course the government doesn't make it any easier. The $100 bill has the buying power that a $20 had when I was young. Now the $100 is the biggest bill, the $500 should be reintroduced but they are "worried about drug traffickers." How much of our lives is being driven by the unwinnable war on drugs? I view it as just a ruse to control the people.

Credit cards allow you to fall into a financial trap very easily. If you live on a cash basis and you're wallet is empty when you want to buy a cup of coffee, you don't get the coffee. With a card, the impulse buy is much easier.

I had a customer who had at least twenty different bank cards in her purse. She was sorting through them saying, "That one's full, that one's full . . . " I can't imagine how much debt she was carrying.

Fortunately there are a lot of options, as we all have differing circumstances. Am living in a small city (2600?), and the bank employees know who i am, and my dogs name. Can easily walk to the bank if need be, and rarely have to wait in line. Have no need for debit card or visit to ATM. However, when banks decide to limit my options based on the specific needs of a subset or to gain more control, am gonna object. Am slowly adapting to big city ways, as a credit card is real handy at gas stations, getting my meds mailed direct and buying reloading supplies or other items not available locally.

Different strokes for different folks.

My bank reimburses me for the fees charged by ATM's, as long as I don't use those ATM's more than a certain number of times a month (not sure what that number is but its never an issue for me). There is an ATM in the supermarket that we shop in regularly, so rather than drive to the bank to use their machine, I use the one which is discreetly situated in the supermarket. Whether or not I have used the ATM, I am always trying my best to be situationally aware when I leave any store to walk to my car. So far I've never had any problem and I am ALWAYS armed (I prefer pocket carry, and that allows me to have my hand on my gun in my pocket which would allow a very fast draw. If I am walking toward my car I almost always have my hand in my right front pocket, ready to draw if needed.)