There’s a small segment of the population willing to spend hours-and-hours working on ways to steal your money. If these guys (and gals) would use the same level of energy in a lawful enterprise, they’d probably get rich.

Call The Cops! has learned from The University of Texas at Austin Police, that technically-trained and well-organized teams of crooks have refined a scheme that’s working in several parts of the country. The result is, crooks are draining bank accounts through the bank’s own ATMs.

Here’s how these scoundrels work: They fabricate a piece of equipment that’s custom-made to slip over the front of the genuine ATM. The device covers the slot you’re supposed to insert your ATM card.

But, a "skimmer" is installed covering the legitimate card reader. With the fake equipment in place, you swipe your card, and the data is copied through the skimmer. Meanwhile, the crooks have installed an innocent-looking pamphlet box on the real ATM machine. Concealed inside the pamphlet box is a tiny camera that’s aimed at the key pad where you punch in your PIN number.

All of this personal financial data is sent — by wireless transmission — to a receiver in a car or van parked nearby. With these data — your name, account and PIN numbers —they’ve gotcha!

Armed with financial data you give them unwittingly, these crooks can clean out your bank account in a heartbeat.

They don’t use this nefarious device at ATMs located on bank property. They use only locations away from banks. Places like shopping malls, grocery or convenience stores. And the crooks do their thing only after banking hours and on weekends and holidays, when fewer bank officials are watching.

What are your chances of financial recovery? Slim.

There may be cases where insurance may cover your losses, or banks may investigate and find in your favor. But don’t wait up nights hoping for good news.

What can you do to protect yourself? Become familiar with the equipment used at your bank’s ATMs, and be suspicious of anything that doesn’t look the same.