As the holidays draw near, authorities are cautioning people to be alert while using ATMs after a man allegedly robbed a woman at an automated teller machine in West Melbourne, Florida, recently.

Scott Patrick Deason, 44, was arrested today on charges of armed robbery and false imprisonment after his family reportedly turned him into police.

A woman was withdrawing money from an ATM on Monday when Deason came up behind her, put his arm around her neck and demanded money, authorities said.

The 20-year-old woman reportedly told police that she was able to set off an alarm on her car and that the man ran away without any money. She told police she also saw the man carrying a hammer.

Deason's girlfriend turned him in to police after recognizing him in surveillance images released to the public, authorities said.

While authorities say that most ATM holdups occur at night, it was early afternoon on Oct. 9 when a 56-year-old woman was approached by an unidentified man at an ATM in Philadelphia.

The man put two fingers on her back to simulate a gun and allegedly told her he'd shoot her if she didn't give up the cash, police said. That man was still at large.

Jeanine Skowornski of Bankrate.com shared some advice today for customers using ATMs.

"Make sure you're going to a brightly lit area or an ATM that's inside a shopping mall," Skowornski said. "Don't try to play hero. They could have a weapon. … Just give them the cash."