Remember last year's successful hack of an ATM network? We're not talking about a single machine being compromised by crooks using a card skimmer. We're talking about an entire network of 2,200 Citibank-branded ATMs at 7-Eleven stores being hit!

The crooks captured possibly millions of card numbers, which allowed them to take about $2 million from ATMs using duplicate cards.

Now The Financial Times of London has a sobering report about points of weakness in our nation's ATMs.

It's important to realize that you can't prevent hacking en masse like this. So it becomes extremely important to check your bank statement every month.

Unfortunately, the number of people balancing their checkbooks has, as a rule, declined over time. It's become difficult to keep track with so many automated deposits and debits in modern life.

But this is a case where it pays to go back to basics. Try carrying a check register and writing down each transaction as you do it. Or if you use a smartphone, try a free app to help with your balance sheet. Finally, you can also sign up for the free Mint.com and let them track your spending by hooking directly into your account.

The banks are so powerful that you lose if you delay bringing a fraudulent transaction to their attention in a timely manner.

Consider the inequity: If you mistakenly get a credit to your account, your bank has an unlimited number of years to take the money back from you. Yet if it's a debit in error or by fraud, it's incumbent on you to report it in 60 days or you're out the money.