Has anyone been a victim of a shimming device on an ATM?

[McQueenofHrts]

Hello,

I need advice. We have been a victim of a shimming device on an ATM. Whoever received our Visa Debit card number from the ATM and created a new card decided to have some fun in TX. We live in Ca. Unfortunately, we are down $700, but still have three pending transactions. The bank can't tell us what the dollar amounts for each pending transaction are, so we don't know how much our bank account will be debited even further. They tell me they can't stop the pending transactions either. The bank shut down the Visa Debit card. I asked them if the crooks could somehow get access to the other accounts linked on his card. The bank said no. I am concerned about this because the card is linked to our savings account which will enable us to eat and pay our bills until we receive the money back. I can't shut down the entire account because we are supposed to receive our federal tax refund in the next few days. So, here are my questions. I would appreciate any help or hear any personal experience so I know how to weather this storm.

1. For people that have experience in this area, do you think this could lead to identity fraud? Can they get to the other accounts linked to his card? I can't trust the bank because they have been of zero assistance other than to say we will get our money back within the federally mandated 10 business days. What can I do to prevent further damage?

2. Is there a bank or financial institution that is serious about catching fraud? BTW: I was the one that contacted the bank about the fraudulent charges. My husband used his card in Ca the same day it was being used in TX, yet the bank didn't flag the charges to be reviewed. One would think this would trigger a flag!

Sorry this post is soo long. I am just trying to figure out this mess.

Thanks,

Pam

 

[Swimalie]

Sorry this happened to you. First of all, I would call all 3 credit agencies and put a fraud alert on your credit report. Don't rely on calling one and then letting them let the others know. You call all 3. That will help hopefully prevent anyone else from getting access to your accounts. Secondly, I would stop using a debit card. They are not as secure as a plain ATM card or a credit card. From Clark Howard:

Feb 09, 2006 -- Debit card fraud about to strike you
As you probably know, Clark despises fake Visa and MasterCard debit cards. But there is one customer who should use this product. If you cannot control yourself with a credit card, you should get a debit card and only a debit card. The risk is that anyone can use your card and empty your bank account as long as they know your PIN. It’s not that hard, believe it or not. It happened to 3 million people last year. The average person had $900 debited from his or her checking account. Most of us can’t afford to have that much taken out at one time, yet there is no requirement that Visa or MasterCard cover you when a criminal steals your money. So, essentially you’re fighting to get your own money back. Fraud related to debit cards now accounts for 88 percent of their chargebacks, according to credit unions. Credit cards account for only 12 percent these days. If you don’t need to use a debit card and the only reason you use it is to withdraw money, just get a simple ATM care. Some banks refuse to issue just an ATM card because they make so much off the debit cards. If that’s the case, give that bank the boot!

 

[worm761]

I am so sorry you are going through this.
I use Wachovia. They were bought out by Wells Fargo a few years ago. Wachovia is really good about watching accounts for strange activity. I used my card to purchase a camera online a few years ago. I don't normally shop on the internet. when they saw the charge they shut my card down until I called to find out why my transactions were being declined. They had tried to call me but had an old phone number on file. My fault, I forgot to change it. But I was very happy that they were watching my account.

 

[Tinkerbelle9980]

Here is an option you could ask your bank about for your savings account. Take the money you will need to live on until you get your money bank. Then ask the bank to put a no debits hold on the account, only a debits hold. This should allow you to still receive your credits. I have yet to find a bank that can not do this.

When you go to the branch make sure you talk to the branch manager or someone higher up about it. Even if someone at the teller line says they can help you, ask for someone higher up. I do not mean that there is anything wrong with the tellers, I was one until recently. I just mean that they may not be able to help you as effectively.

I think, now I could be wrong, that only the account being used when the skimming occurs can be accessed. The card only carries the information that was being used at the ATM or store, which was the primary account.

Good luck, I hope everything turns out okay!

 

[IDoDis]

OP, I'm sorry you are going through this. I was curious how you know that the card information was stolen from an ATM scanner?

I've never been through your situation, but think about it often and have tried curbing my debit card use over the internet and when dining out. When people pay at restaurants using a debit card, the waiter takes the card away where you can't see it. He could easily and quickly take a photo of the card (front & back) and use that information to make purchases over the internet. I worry about my bank account being drained and not being able to pay my bills. I've even thought of opening a savings account at a separate bank and keeping a few thousand in that account just to have a back-up should our debit card info get stolen.

I hope you get things worked out soon! And do put a credit block on your credit records for a few months, at least.

 

[riley2008]

I don't think this will lead to identity theft. I think you are likely safe there.

As far as a bank that monitor accounts, I can't say. Don't know.

I don't have a credit card linked directly to my bank account specifically for this reason. I still habe my old debit/ATM (use a PIN number for every transaction) card. My bank has tried to dissuade me, unsuccessfully. There are only a few places that won't take a debit card without a Visa or Mastercard logo, but they usually take a check or I have another credit ard that I use (and pay off monthly).

I think this kind of theft is becoming more and more common. And the previous poster is right about the financial institutions issuing a credit card linked to an account not having the same responsibilities as a credit card company.

Hope it all is resolved quickly and thank you again for the reminder about these types of things.

 

[megsters]

to you, i hope your bank resolves this quickly!

something similar happened to dbf last summer, right after we moved. we had gone out to lunch (i remember it was payday ) and his bank card was declined, and he was furious!! he called the bank, and it turns out that there were 3 card swipes at a walmart and a gas station or two in mississippi, and the bank had flagged them all for possible fraud before he had even figured it out, and they resolved it quickly, had all of his money back, closed the account, and over nighted him a new card # immediately.

its scary as , i wish you good luck

meg

 

[Stumpy]

Since the purchases were minor in comparison to what they could be, the bank's fraud detection probably didn't pick it up. Granted, the transactions were in other states but that is possible when people travel, so that wouldn't necessarily have triggered an alert, either.

To answer your questions, I agree with other posters that your identity should be secure. As far as any banks that take this seriously, trust me, yours will. First, I believe the arrangement with Visa allows them to hold you responsible for no more than $50 worth of charges (and likely the bank will hold you free of any liability) so they are on the hook for this. Furthermore, what they did is a felony, so the laws are pretty strict on this and the bank will prosecute if they can determine who did it. Unfortunately, scammers of this type are experienced in doing this without being caught.

I didn't have a shimming device used to steal our debit card info, but did have a store clerk swipe our ID information and use it. Fortunately for us, she (yes, she) used it for online pornography and used her personal email information to register. Through some investigative work (and AOL chat - this happened several years ago), my wife was able to start a seemingly innocent online chat with the person and they were dumb enough to provide us with a name, place of employment (hence we were able to figure out when our card was stolen) and some other details that the police and our bank were more than happy to receive.

 

[Tarheel girl 1975]

I am sorry that you are going through this.

I work for a credit union. If your card is closed then that should stop any further authorizations. They should not be able to access your account numbers or any other information. If you want to contact the major credit reporting companies for extra peace of mind you can do that. You can also get free credit reports at www.annualcredit.com.

We have a fraud monitoring department that is open 24 hours so I like to think we're pretty proactive about potential fraud, but people complain about that too sometimes. Also, sometimes skimmers can get your pin number because they set up a camera near the ATM as well - usually behind a fake mirror. I hope that you are able to get your money back quickly.

 

[anna08]

I can only imagine how stressful this must be. Your case is a good reminder to everyone to change pin numbers occasionally as well. If you can open an account with them, USAA has been a wonderful bank for us for years. Other small things we do is to spread out our money over a couple banks and we try to only debit where we have to (costco). So sorry for your frustration.

 

[SOnotLayuh]

I have absolutely nothing helpful to add, but I just wanted to wish you luck and let you know we will keep you in our thoughts!! DMIL was a victim of identity theft and it was just awful - shes a banker, and you have to keep your accounts in pristine order.

 

[turkeymama]

Here is an option you could ask your bank about for your savings account. Take the money you will need to live on until you get your money bank. Then ask the bank to put a no debits hold on the account, only a debits hold. This should allow you to still receive your credits. I have yet to find a bank that can not do this.

When you go to the branch make sure you talk to the branch manager or someone higher up about it. Even if someone at the teller line says they can help you, ask for someone higher up. I do not mean that there is anything wrong with the tellers, I was one until recently. I just mean that they may not be able to help you as effectively.

I think, now I could be wrong, that only the account being used when the skimming occurs can be accessed. The card only carries the information that was being used at the ATM or store, which was the primary account.

Good luck, I hope everything turns out okay!

This is what I was going to suggest as well. I did banking for quite a few years and this is exactly what we did when people fell victim to fraud. You will most certainly need to speak to a manager or supervisor to get this done. You'll probably need to go see them anyway to sign the dispute forms.

And it is true that the bank can't stop the pending transactions since they have already been authorized. I know you didn't authorize them, but the merchants received authorization when they swiped the fake card. Once the transactions all clear, you will be able to dispute them and get your money back. It sucks having to wait, but the bank really can't go forward while the charges are pending.

As far as your second question is concerned, yes, the banks are serious about stopping fraud. Unfortunately, this is one of those situations where they react after the fact. If the card number on the fake card was identical to your husband's card number, I'm surprised it didn't get flagged. Did the bank confirm it was his card number and not yours? They should be able to get that information now, even with the transactions still pending.

 

[seashoreCM]

I, too, would take money out of a savings account in the same bank and move that to a different bank.

If a store clerk swiped your card privately, he had a portable shimming (skimming?) device.

I only use credit cards and don't carry a debit card. If you must use a debit card at a store or restaurant, do not use your PIN. If the clerk asks "debit or credit", say "credit" even if that is a lie. This causes the processing to not need a PIN and also most debit cards with benefits like airline miles give the benefit only when you say or push "credit".

I have never seen a shimming device but if I did and could, I would take it off and confiscate it on the spot.

Disney hints: http://www.cockam.com/disney.htm

 

[Boston Tea Party]

Hello,

I need advice. We have been a victim of a shimming device on an ATM. Whoever received our Visa Debit card number from the ATM and created a new card decided to have some fun in TX. We live in Ca. Unfortunately, we are down $700, but still have three pending transactions. The bank can't tell us what the dollar amounts for each pending transaction are, so we don't know how much our bank account will be debited even further. They tell me they can't stop the pending transactions either. The bank shut down the Visa Debit card. I asked them if the crooks could somehow get access to the other accounts linked on his card. The bank said no. I am concerned about this because the card is linked to our savings account which will enable us to eat and pay our bills until we receive the money back. I can't shut down the entire account because we are supposed to receive our federal tax refund in the next few days. So, here are my questions. I would appreciate any help or hear any personal experience so I know how to weather this storm.

1. For people that have experience in this area, do you think this could lead to identity fraud? Can they get to the other accounts linked to his card? I can't trust the bank because they have been of zero assistance other than to say we will get our money back within the federally mandated 10 business days. What can I do to prevent further damage?

2. Is there a bank or financial institution that is serious about catching fraud? BTW: I was the one that contacted the bank about the fraudulent charges. My husband used his card in Ca the same day it was being used in TX, yet the bank didn't flag the charges to be reviewed. One would think this would trigger a flag!

Sorry this post is soo long. I am just trying to figure out this mess.

Thanks,

Pam

We are going through this, too, and I have to chuckle because we live in TX and our card number was used in CA - to the tune of approximately $700 as well!

Our charges have processed and now we have to contact the fraud department to get our money back. DH used his debit card in three places over the past two weeks. I wrote all three of them. I got two form letters returned and the third one gave me no response. He had not used an ATM. I suspect that it was skimmed at a McDonald's the day before the charges started coming through.

I am so aggravated because nobody seems to care about the criminal aspect of it. They just want you to go through the motions to get your money back - which is a good thing, getting the money back, but... it is a crime, isn't it?

I guess that it is just so prevalent there isn't the manpower to investigate all of it. Sad, isn't it?

 

[turkeymama]

We are going through this, too, and I have to chuckle because we live in TX and our card number was used in CA - to the tune of approximately $700 as well!

Our charges have processed and now we have to contact the fraud department to get our money back. DH used his debit card in three places over the past two weeks. I wrote all three of them. I got two form letters returned and the third one gave me no response. He had not used an ATM. I suspect that it was skimmed at a McDonald's the day before the charges started coming through.

I am so aggravated because nobody seems to care about the criminal aspect of it. They just want you to go through the motions to get your money back - which is a good thing, getting the money back, but... it is a crime, isn't it?

I guess that it is just so prevalent there isn't the manpower to investigate all of it. Sad, isn't it?

The reason for this is the bank can't pursue any type of criminal charges until a customer has completed all the fraud affidavits and related work. This protects the bank in the long run. When a customer signs the fraud paperwork, they are essentially swearing that they didn't initiate any of the transactions in question, and that they release the bank to file criminal charges if, and when, they find the culprit. This protects the financial institution. You wouldn't believe how many people will come in claiming fraud, only to discover that a relative has taken some liberties with their accounts, or that a spouse has made some purchases that he/she didn't want anyone to know about. (You see all kinds of things when you work in banking.) This is why they go through the motions with all the paperwork before they return any funds or attempt any type of investigation.

In no way am I implying that the OP's situation is like the examples I gave. Shimming is becoming more and more of a problem these days. With more and more people using plastic versus paper checks (or even cash), I wish more could be done to prevent it from ever happening.

 

[McQueenofHrts]

OP Here!

First, let me thank EVERYONE for their words of support and advice. It does help ALOT!

Secondly, I will try to answer the questions, but since I am not an expert at quoting, I am going to address the questions directly to the person who asked.

Tinkerbelle9980 and Turkeymama-Thanks for the info. I will march into the bank bright and early tomorrow.

Swinalie-Didn't know that plain Atm cards still existed. Will have to ask for that as well.

Anna08-Thanks for suggesting USAA. I use them for auto and home insurance, but since they don't have a branch I didn't know how cumbersome banking might be. I looked into them last night and it looks like banking is pretty easy.

Stumpy-Great work! My friend wanted to do some investigating for me, but I declined. I told her this has to be a well run ring of smart thieves to make a card and start charging as fast as they did.

IDoDis-While we are not 100% confident that it was the stand alone ATM in the mall, the bank as well as us thought that that was the likely candidate to having a shimming device on it. The same day he went to the ATM, he used it at Burger King. Now reading Boston Tea Party's story, I guess it could have been Burger King!!! But like Boston Tea Party's DH, my husband rarely uses his card, except to pull money out for the week when he is at CVS or a grocery store. He likes to pay for things in cash. I am the one with the bad habit of using the Visa Debit card too much! After this, my husband won't break from his habit ever again of getting cash out at safe places, and I will curb my use of the card.

BostonTeaParty-Thanks for the chuckle back! Good luck to you! My crooks had a really expensive meal for $588, (Maybe for a team bonding night?) had some fun at three gas stations and three other eating establishments. How about you?

TurkeyMama-I can see online which card number is associated with each charge, so I am confident the bank knew even before I verbally listed which charges were legit or not. What I encountered (and maybe this is what Boston Tea Party encountered too) was apathy of the reps my husband and I had to speak to on the phone. The first day we had to speak to three different reps who were assigned to do three different things. Unfortunately, we were given incorrect information the first day and had to call back. (The rep told us the pending transactions were canceled and would not appear in our account.) Blankly telling me that I will get my money back and I need to sign some forms doesn't exactly make me have confidence that all will be well. After all, I didn't know if the burden laid on the consumer to prove whether or not it was fraud. Would they come back later and ask me for info? If so, tell me now. No reason to wait in my opinion. But no one really took the time out to explain how I could further protect myself and what they, the bank, were going to be doing to help me. I, literally, asked if there was going to be an investigation and the rep said no. How can there not be an investigation? Thus my lack of confidence.. I agree with Boston Tea Party. It is sad. It is sad for the banking industry as well as the consumer. I realize the bank and the consumer (unless you are Stumpy of course!) have our hands tied behind our backs when it comes to resolving the problem. Hopefully, there is a team of hard working people out there, somewhere, working specifically to prevent this type of fraud! Turkeymama, thanks again for your advice.

To end this post, I will ask this:

Why can't the smart crooks use their creative thinking for good rather than evil?! :0

 

[balletmom97]

I have gone through this twice.

The most recent time was discovered when my very angry husband asked what I intended to do with the $1200 purse I purchased off Ebay.

After some sleuthing, we discovered that a trojan keylogger had made it's way onto my laptop. We determined it happened while I was using the free wifi in a hospital waiting room. Check your computers! (FWIW- my husband is an IT guy and all our computers run daily scans and have multiple levels of protection. The keylogger still made it on and ran undetected! The bad guys always seem to be one step ahead.)

You definitely should alert the credit reporting agencies that you have been the victim of fraud. You just have to contact one and they will share the info.

I think the #1 thing the OP needs to do is find a new bank! Both times my bank conditionally returned my money within 24 hours of notifying them. (They reserved the right to take it out again if they decided I was lying...) They were very, very helpful-- as they should be! There are too many good banks in the world to stay with one that doesn't have good customer service.

Best of luck sorting it all out!

 

[Evi]

My mother recently had this happen to her and its made me very weary of who I hand my card to. She believes they skimmed her card while at a restaurant because she says she never uses debit machines that arent in the bank and if they look odd she wont use them. Fortunately her bank notified her before much damage was done and they were able to recredit her account. Now I'm trying to make sure I cover up when I enter my pin and only use my card at major stores otherwise at restaurants and such I'm trying to pay cash.

 

[ShafeDawg]

Hello,

I need advice. We have been a victim of a shimming device on an ATM. Whoever received our Visa Debit card number from the ATM and created a new card decided to have some fun in TX. We live in Ca. Unfortunately, we are down $700, but still have three pending transactions. The bank can't tell us what the dollar amounts for each pending transaction are, so we don't know how much our bank account will be debited even further. They tell me they can't stop the pending transactions either. The bank shut down the Visa Debit card. I asked them if the crooks could somehow get access to the other accounts linked on his card. The bank said no. I am concerned about this because the card is linked to our savings account which will enable us to eat and pay our bills until we receive the money back. I can't shut down the entire account because we are supposed to receive our federal tax refund in the next few days. So, here are my questions. I would appreciate any help or hear any personal experience so I know how to weather this storm.

1. For people that have experience in this area, do you think this could lead to identity fraud? Can they get to the other accounts linked to his card? I can't trust the bank because they have been of zero assistance other than to say we will get our money back within the federally mandated 10 business days. What can I do to prevent further damage?

2. Is there a bank or financial institution that is serious about catching fraud? BTW: I was the one that contacted the bank about the fraudulent charges. My husband used his card in Ca the same day it was being used in TX, yet the bank didn't flag the charges to be reviewed. One would think this would trigger a flag!

Sorry this post is soo long. I am just trying to figure out this mess.

Thanks,

Pam

Hi all!!

Just an FYI that my husband was shimmed $1700 by someone in Mexico while he was flying an airplane in the States. We bank with USAA and they told us “too bad - can’t help, since the person had our chip reader and PIN.” We were seriously blown away. He talked to supervisor after supervisor and nobody would reverse the funds. We were told it’s a civil matter and had to file a suit! But a suit against whom? Who do you sue if you have absolutely NO idea who did it?

My husband has been with USAA for years and years (retired military) and has proof that he was flying an airplane when the charges occurred (he’s a pilot). To no avail.

USAA is apparently not up to speed on shimming and won’t reimburse if your card is shimmed!!! Unbelievable!!!!! I would NOT recommend banking with them!!!!!

 

[wishuponastar1984]

Just an FYI that my husband was shimmed $1700 by someone in Mexico while he was flying an airplane in the States. We bank with USAA and they told us “too bad - can’t help, since the person had our chip reader and PIN.” We were seriously blown away. He talked to the supervisor after supervisor and nobody would reverse the funds. We were told it’s a civil matter and had to file a suit! But a suit against whom? Who do you sue if you have absolutely NO idea who did it?

This is why I don't use debit cards often. You have very little recourse. We charge everything to a reward earning credit card that gets paid off in full each month. I won't use my debit card for online shopping either as it is one of the most common ways card numbers are stolen. You have a lot more avenues to get your money back from a credit card company than a debit card. CC also frequently come with additional benefits like travel insurance and extended warranty on some products. Using a CC allows you leeway to fight rather than having your paycheck tied up in dispute. I only use my debit card (which does have a Visa logo) inside a branch ATM during daylight hours. Using ATMs in malls or other places is a frequent place cards are skimmed. I am also not a fan of using lots of cash. Lots of debt advisors recommend using cash but it is one of the least safe ways of storing money. If you lose it then you are SOL. I keep my cash to a minimum and in small bills for places that only take cash (garage sales, street fairs, etc.) or when I know I am going out with a group for dinner and I know I will have to add my share to the pot. Having small and exact bills to throw into the pot makes things much easier.

I am probably overly cautious and have accounts at two banks. One is the local Chase that I use for ATM withdrawals and to pay my CC each month but my savings are at a Charles Schwab which does not have any associated cards and is never used for online purchases, bill payments, etc. Most large corporations will allow you to split your payroll check direct deposit to multiple accounts. Only my "working capital" goes to Chase and all excess savings goes to Schwab. It also helps that Schwab investor checking accounts has a decent interest rate return.