Crime doesn't pay and neither should you, not with your hard-earned cash, gadgets, credit cards, and even your life. Awareness is key to everything so brush up on the M.O.s of the old-timers and newbies in the world of fast cash cons in the country.

1. Sneaky Office Intruders

Saksi video: Credit card theft recorded via CCTV

Scene of the crime: Thieves prey on workplaces with little or no security, usually during lunch hour or the afternoon break when employees leave their desks.

Plan of attack: Taking advantage of offices' downtime, these intruders sneakily work their way in. They may take on different disguises like posing as an employee's friend, visitor, or as a messenger--complete with a Visitor's ID. They target valuables like mobile phones, cash, laptops and credit cards.

Saksi reported in April 2009 how a woman was caught on camera stealing the wallet of Sandy Wong, an employee of a review center in Quezon City. The suspect slipped inside the office and stole the wallet containing cash and seven credit cards. By the time Wong reported the credit cards missing, four of them had already been used. Over P50,000 was charged to her. When the suspect tried to buy a laptop worth P23,000, the store tipped off Wong, and the police arrested a certain Liza Garcia. Upon reviewing the CCTV footage, it was found that Garcia was not the same woman seen inside Wong's office.

Defense mechanism: Unless your office has implemented extremely tight security measures, it may be wise to bring your valuables in a small bag wherever you go, or lock them up somewhere thief-proof. Definitely a hassle but it's a lesser struggle compared to slaving away to pay fo someone else's shopping splurge. If an intruder has already hit your workplace, report the incident immediately. File charges if security catches him or her.

2. ATM (Automated Teller Machine) Scams

Saksi report: Public warned versus ATM card switching

Scene of the crime: Usually in the vicinity of ATMs, where scammers try all sorts of things to make a quick buck at the cost of unsuspecting card owners.

Plan of attack: ATM scammers have become more technology-savvy through the years. For instance, in 2007, they used magnetic rulers to trap money, surveillance cameras and external keypads to get PINs, and skimming machines to read ATM card information. In 2008, they used a detachable aluminum contraption and some sort of paste to trap money. In 2009, police discovered a new kind of scam, the ATM card switching.

24 Oras explained  how the M.O. works: If you have just withdrawn money from an ATM, a scammer may approach you and tell you that you left a P500 bill behind. He or she will suggest that you check your ATM balance. As you do so, the scammer will sneakily memorize your PIN and drop a P500 bill on the ground. When you pick it up--as you are most probably inclined to do--the scammer will swipe your card and replace it with a fake one.

Defense mechanism: In the 24 Oras report, the public is advised to lock ATM booth doors when they are inside, bring someone along when withdrawing money, cover the keypad when typing the PIN, and move to another ATM when there are suspicious people around, among others.