DALLAS – Thefts of ATMs have been increasing in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, with thieves targeting the machines housed inside convenience stores, the Star-Telegram reports. In Dallas alone, ATM smash-and-grabs jumped to 79, with only 33 of those attempts successful.

“I don’t know what it is about Texas,” said David Tente, national executive director for the ATM Industry Association. “We’re having reports that that type of attack is more noticeable there in recent years.”

Convenience stores are a prime target because ATMs [there] are lighter and easier to get to than ATMs at the banks,” said Cpl. Tracey Knight, a Fort Worth Police spokeswoman. Jeff Lenard, NACS vice president of strategic industry initiatives, said that improved cash management practices inside convenience stores have made ATMs more popular targets than the cash drawer.

ATMs continue to be popular for convenience stores because of the additional revenue earned from ATM fees—usually about $9,200 annually. In addition, ATMs give customers a way to pay with cash, which helps retailers avoid paying swipe fees for credit or debit card transactions.

For more on ATMs and convenience stores, read “At Your Service” in the October 2015 issue of NACS Magazine.