Credit and debit card fraud happens too often. It is a pain when you get the call that your card is compromised because at the very least you need to get a brand new one.

A lot of the time, they manage to make some unauthorized purchases or pull money out of your account that can sometimes take a while to correct.

There are however a few tricks you can use to try to prevent this issue. Machines have a few giveaways that can show you whether or not they are the real deal. Here is how you know:

1. Fake machines tend to be larger

There is more space in the machines to add the skimming devices that will steal your information. While there are a lot of different types of machines, watch the details.

2. No lights

Normally machines will have lights when your card enters or as a backlight to the buttons. If the machine has been tampered with, sometimes the lights will not work.

3. Stylus not attached/No where to attach one

On machines where you have to sign your name on the screen, you will be able to notice a little spot to attach the stylus. With the fake machines, they usually don't have anywhere to attach the stylus.

If you think you have used a suspicious machine, contact your bank right away. They will be able to cancel the card before anything bad happens.

Keep your money safe!