We all want to be safe but this is not the way.

A friend of mine re-posted this warning/message on facebook the other day...

"If a thief forces you to take money out of an ATM, do not argue or resist. What you do is punch in your pin# backwards. EXAMPLE: if it's 1234, you'll type 4321. When you do that, the money will come out but will be stuck in the slot. The machine will immediately alert the local police without the robbers knowledge and begin taking photos of the suspect. Every ATM has the feature. Stay safe."

That is a LIE! A great idea, but not so. The reason it is known to not work is because...

This ATM PIN reversal trick is merely a myth because Congress directed the Federal Trade Commission to analyze the use of such technology as well as potential future applications as part of the Credit CARD Act of 2009.

To this date the ATM pin reversal trick is still being discussed as a safety feature, but there are far too many bugs to work out of the system. For example, if your pin # is 1001, to reverse that number it is still the same pin#.

One has to wonder how this myth not only got started, but why it has been around for so long. According to wallethub.com

"The notion that entering your PIN in reverse at an ATM would send out a call for help didn’t just materialize out of thin air. It actually began circulating the Web around 2006 after the technology was patented by Chicago businessman Joseph Zingher in 1998. "

Newson6.com has some REAL advice on what to do if you are being robbed at an ATM...