How to protect yourself from ATM skimming

Even if you're picky about the ATMs you frequent, you can still become a victim of identity thieves who install difficult-to-detect devices known as skimmers on machines to steal your information, the Better Business Bureau recently warned.

ATM skimmers are stealing an estimated $1 billion annually from unsuspecting consumers. Javelin Strategy & Research estimates that one in five consumers have become victims.

Identity thieves employ a number of different methods to tamper with ATMs in order to steal debit card numbers and personal identification numbers, or PINs. These criminals sometimes record keystrokes by using hidden cameras or fake keypads placed over the real ones. Criminals also place small electronic devices over or inside the slots of ATMs that read the magnetic strips on debit or credit cards and transmit your account information to them.