These are tough times for most folks these days, people are struggling just to pay their debts and keep their head above water, good people who work hard every day are having trouble with their personal debt management. While we all are trying to decrease our debt and practice better debt management habits there is a dirty underside of the economic crisis which is crime, that people don’t even realize they need to incorporate in their lives.
In times of economic hardship it is unfortunate to say, but true, that crimes of armed robbery and other financially motivated crimes increase substantially, making all of us more vulnerable. Most people know there is some element of risk when using an ATM machine at times that aren’t recommended such as; late at night in a dark isolated location with someone loitering about the area, these are common sense examples of what not to do and most people would never use such bad judgment. Unfortunately, today you need to rethink your banking habits and practice due diligence when it comes to taking out your hard earned money from your local ATM machine.
Comparative studies done during the Great Depression and other significant economic crises show a direct correlation to unemployment and rising crime rates within the United States, as misguided people who cannot pay their debts sometimes become desperate and resort to financially motivated crimes. This is not being offered as an excuse, but as a warning there are more people than ever out to separate you from your money and some are not particularly skilled at this profession which can increase the rate of violence.
Therefore here are some new tips to help you avoid being a victim of a violent financially motivated crime:
Do your banking inside the bank; but have your keys handy when leaving and lock your doors immediately and leave, just because you’ve gone inside and its daylight don’t assume that someone could not be watching you to return to your car.- If you do outside ATM banking, be as diligent as if you were doing this transaction at night, carefully check your surroundings and when possible don’t go alone, have an adult with a cell phone in the car who can call for help if something occurs.
- During drive-thru transactions day or night practice all the above and watch your side and rearview mirrors with the doors locked, drive away if someone is approaching while your transaction is in progress, don’t wait for them to approach you, assess the situation from a safe distance and call 911.
- Avoid night time ATM withdrawals at banking locations; go to a public ATM that is well lit with people traffic such as a grocery stores etc. even if you have to pay a fee, your life is worth more than $2.00.
In these tough times, we all have to practice wise money and debt management practices, part of doing that means being diligent in when and how you practice your banking practices. We hope this is an informative alert of how to hold on to your money, and to do it safely.
