Free, from the author of AUTOMATIC
Check the ATM before you put your card in
Seven quick checks drawn from FBI and U.S. Secret Service advice. It takes about a minute, and once it’s saved to your phone it works without a signal.
What it can and can’t do
Most ATM skimmers sit deep inside the card slot, where the Secret Service says they are usually impossible to see from outside. These checks cover the signs you can see. The habits in them, like covering your PIN, protect you either way.
Keep it on your phone
Make a note to send
Write down where the machine is. Then share the note in a text or email to the bank or store.
Help
If you think your card was skimmed
- Call your card issuer’s fraud department right away. The number is on the back of your card.
- Ask them to turn off the card and send a new one with a new PIN.
- Watch the account closely for charges or withdrawals you didn’t make.
- If you lost money, the Secret Service suggests filing a fraud affidavit with your card issuer and reporting it to your local police.
- Follow up in writing. The FTC suggests a letter to your bank confirming what you reported and when.
Report it fast
The FTC says to report charges you didn’t make right away. If you wait, you may have to pay for them or lose the money taken from your account.
From the U.S. Secret Service and the FTC
Your bank’s fraud number
Save the number from the back of your card so it’s one tap away. It stays on this phone.
Sources
Where this advice comes from
Every check in ATM Check comes from these public guides. They have more detail, and they are worth reading.
- FBI, “Skimming”https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/scams-and-safety/common-frauds-and-scams/skimming
- U.S. Secret Service, “Skimming”https://www.secretservice.gov/investigations/skimming
- U.S. Secret Service, public alert on ATM and POS terminal skimming, February 2025https://www.secretservice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/2025-02/Public-Alerts-2025-ATM-POS-Terminal-Skimming.pdf
- Federal Trade Commission, “Lost or Stolen Credit, ATM, and Debit Cards”https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/lost-or-stolen-credit-atm-and-debit-cards
ATM Check isn’t connected to any of these agencies. It has no account, no ads and no tracking, and the bank number and any note you type stay on your phone.
Made by Marvin Bowers, author of AUTOMATIC: How the ATM Changed the World, coming May 2027.