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For those who don't live in high-crime areas, a visit to the ATM is probably one of the most dangerous things we do.

Criminals know that people leaving ATMs have cash. It's like a lion hunting at a waterhole--prey will be coming if you have the patience.

Here's something that happened to me at an ATM. I was leaving a store and as I was passing an ATM, there was an elderly lady in a large car pulling up to the ATM veery slowly.

Prior to that, I had noticed that there was a really ratty looking car parked just across from the ATM. I thought that was strange because the lot was nearly completely empty and the ATM was probably 100 yards away from the nearest store. The main store in the complex had been had been one of those electronic superstores that closed. Some sort of book store bought the store but they never came close to filling the lot like when the superstore was there. Anyway, I thought it was weird that someone would park so far away from any of the stores when the lot was almost completely empty.

As I passed the ratty looking car, I saw that there were two men in the car watching the car at the ATM very closely. I was almost out of the lot when it hit me what was probably going on. I pulled back around and made another slow pass by them--they promptly pulled away and left the lot.

I can't say for sure what was going on, but I know what it looked like. I think they were waiting there for a likely victim to either follow home or rob on the spot.