Robbery and ATM Safety
- When entering any bank, market, or store, take a split second to see what is going on inside. Don’t go in if something seems suspicious.
- Avoid exposing your money in public. If possible pay by credit card. If you do pay with cash, avoid flashing large bills or counting the money in front of others.
- Avoid wearing expensive looking jewelry. It often draws attention to you as a profitable mark for a robber.
- Be aware of trouble locations and always be alert to your surroundings. If your intuition says, "something is wrong" something probably is.
- Avoid carrying packages that advertise expensive contents. Have the purchase placed in plain or natural packages or bags.
- Take out a $20.00 life insurance policy. Keeping twenty dollars readily available for a would-be robber may satisfy his need for drug money. If you have no money he or she may get angry enough to hurt you.
- Never count or visually expose how much money you are going to deposit or have received when you are at the Automatic Teller Machine (ATM).
- As you approach the ATM take a good look for any suspicious persons or circumstances.
- Have your ATM access card ready and in your hand when you approach the ATM.
- Secretly enter in your personal identification number (PIN) by using your body to block the view of others.
- Always keep a safe distance between you and others.
- Should you be confronted by a robber — remain calm — do not resist — give up your money, jewelry, etc. — cooperate with the robber — give him time to get away — call the police and report the incident.