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What a shock.

I just used my debit card at a Bank of India ATM in Delhi to withdraw pocket cash.

WARNING – do not casually discard the little printed receipt that the machine spits out at you along with the cash.

Burn it to ashes and crumple those into a good breeze.

In the USA, and other countries where I’ve used ATMs, the receipt usually shows only the last four digits of my card.

Here in India, the printed receipt shows the:

- card number – the complete number

- which account it came out of (checking, savings, etc.)

- available post-transaction balance

In other words, the only detail anyone would need to withdraw every remaining Rupee in that account is the four digit PIN – and if you are like most people, you have chosen one that is easy to remember – and therefore easy to guess.

Suggestion – either save the receipt in a folder that will go home with you or, if you want to dispose of it, tear the receipt into small pieces. Dispose of some of those small pieces in one place, put the remainder in your pocket and dispose of those in another. That way, the info cannot be reassembled.

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