Automated teller machines add the ease of convenience to modern-day money matters, but a string of robberies at Des Moines ATMs has prompted some warnings from Ames police.

The suspect in the Des Moines cases had no weapon but physically threatened victims when demanding money. The robberies happened in midday, but police say it’s generally a good idea to avoid ATMs after dark.

Ames has not had any reported incidences of ATM theft, said Ames Police Sgt. Randy Kessel.

He offered a few safety tips for students when performing ATM transactions.

“Use a well-lit area,” he said. “It’s good to have someone with you, also,” Kessel said, because a “targeting thief” might be deterred by numbers.

He advised students not to use drive-through ATMs alone late at night and not to withdraw money from the automated teller machines on Welch Avenue after leaving a bar at night.

Kessel said when the police patrol Welch Avenue at different times during the night, they frequently observe students performing ATM transactions while they are under the influence of alcohol.

Drunken college students would be an easy target for a potential ATM theft, he said.

“Don’t be impaired,” he said. “You might not even know how much you are withdrawing.”

Further suggestions, Kessel said, are “common sense,” such as not putting the PIN number on the card.

Erika Nelson, junior in journalism and mass communication, said her aunt was attacked by a man at an ATM machine in Madison, Wis., two years ago.

“It was late at night at a drive-through [ATM],” Nelson said. “A guy jumped in her car and grabbed her purse.”

She said the man ran off with her aunt’s purse and the $50 she had withdrawn.

Now, Nelson always checks if anyone is behind her when she uses a drive-through ATM late at night. She said her aunt only uses ATMs in a mall or other open places.