Debit-card dilemma

Debit-card purchases for 2008 are expected to have risen by 13 percent, but those cards have downsides, including a growing appeal to thieves. Using a technique called skimming, thieves set up devices that capture magnetic-stripe and keypad information when you input your PIN at ATMs, gas pumps, or retailers. Then they pull cold cash from your bank account. Here's how to protect yourself:

Don't type your PIN at the pump

Gas pumps are notorious for skimming. Use a credit card rather than a debit card, or if you must debit, choose the screen prompt that identifies it as a credit card so that you don't have to type in your PIN.

Stick with ATMs at banks

A thief has to attach a skimming device to the ATM and retrieve the device. That's easier in nonbank settings.

Monitor your bank accounts regularly

Federal law limits your liability for fraudulent debit-card charges, and Visa and MasterCard go further, but there are time limits for reporting a problem. And when a thief steals money from your account using a counterfeit debit card, you might not have access to that cash until the bank classifies the act as fraud.