UGH Debit Card Fraudulent Activity

[Alexander]

Yep, it has finally happened. My debit card number has been stolen. Somebody made two purchases at a Walmart somewhere near Washington DC. Fortunately my credit union knows my history and immediately flagged those purchases.

I think I am going to change how I shop online. Does anyone use a prepaid card or have a different way of shopping that you don't have to use your CC or Debit cards? It has just gotten too easy for hackers to swipe people's information.

 

[dhardawa]

This is one main reason why I won't use a debit card. I don't want anyone to have access to my money. I use a credit card for everything. The company just reverses the charges and gives me a new number and I'm never in a situation where I have money missing from my account.

 

[Pesky]

I think I am going to change how I shop online. Does anyone use a prepaid card or have a different way of shopping that you don't have to use your CC or Debit cards? It has just gotten too easy for hackers to swipe people's information.

I only use my credit card online. And I monitor those accounts religiously so I can quickly detect any fraudulent activity. Also, I only use cash or CCs at palces like gas stations and restaurants and even smaller merchants. Anywhere where I am not sure that the # won't be lifted. Hence I use my credit card a lot! I'd much rather dispute about "funny money" (charges that I have not paid) than try and work to get my own money back into my account while bills are coming due.

 

[Swimalie]

I only use my credit card online. And I monitor those accounts religiously so I can quickly detect any fraudulent activity. Also, I only use cash or CCs at palces like gas stations and restaurants and even smaller merchants. Anywhere where I am not sure that the # won't be lifted. Hence I use my credit card a lot! I'd much rather dispute about "funny money" (charges that I have not paid) than try and work to get my own money back into my account while bills are coming due.

This is one main reason why I won't use a debit card. I don't want anyone to have access to my money. I use a credit card for everything. The company just reverses the charges and gives me a new number and I'm never in a situation where I have money missing from my account.

Same here. I will not use a debit card. I use my credit card for everything. I had an incorrect charge on my credit card a few weeks ago. I disputed it and they found it in my favor. In the mean time, my money was never missing while I waited to get it back.

 

[pintamino]

Yep, it has finally happened. My debit card number has been stolen. Somebody made two purchases at a Walmart somewhere near Washington DC. Fortunately my credit union knows my history and immediately flagged those purchases.

I think I am going to change how I shop online. Does anyone use a prepaid card or have a different way of shopping that you don't have to use your CC or Debit cards? It has just gotten too easy for hackers to swipe people's information.

Weird thing is the Wal-Marts aren't really very close to DC! It killed me when I lived in the district. Now I live about 45 minutes outside and have one.

If you don't want a credit card, my bank recommends having a second account (free to us) that you transfer the exact amount in to before you make a purchase.

 

[Sagginit]

Weird thing is the Wal-Marts aren't really very close to DC! It killed me when I lived in the district. Now I live about 45 minutes outside and have one.

If you don't want a credit card, my bank recommends having a second account (free to us) that you transfer the exact amount in to before you make a purchase.

i use credit. even if you have a separate account there still may be lingering issues such as it counts as an overdraft and they charge fees and then somehow link it to your other account. if they used it in a brick and mortar store then that means they had your magnetic strip i believe, and in that case it would not be stolen online, but somewhere you swiped that debit.

honestly i would never go back to not using credit now that i know what i know about banking and how credit works vs debit.

 

[Alexander]

My credit union will not withdraw the funds from my account until they confirm it was my transaction. We were on vacation in the past and they wanted to confirm everything that was purchased. We didn't have a problem with using our card, they just called us each time something popped up in the computer.

There was no money taken out of my account for these fraudulent transactions. By using a credit card, I have to continuously check my account to ensure that there isn't anything on there that isn't mine. Then when there was one time (many years ago), it took a few days to get is straightened out.

The debit card is much more secure for us since our credit union knows us so well. Another time a subscription had been cancelled, yet the company charged me again. When I contacted the credit union, they immediately put the money back in my account and then pursued the company on their own. I didn't have to do anything.

The card is still in my possession, so the card itself was not taken. There is no way for me to know if it was actually taken from online shopping or somewhere it had been swiped. However, I usually use cash anywhere I possibly can. Obviously online shopping that is not an option.

 

[Alexander]

Weird thing is the Wal-Marts aren't really very close to DC! It killed me when I lived in the district. Now I live about 45 minutes outside and have one.

If you don't want a credit card, my bank recommends having a second account (free to us) that you transfer the exact amount in to before you make a purchase.

It was actually the Glen Burnie WalMart, which looks like it it just south of Baltimore. Pretty close to BWI. When I first googled it, it appeared closer to DC. We actually had a layover at that airport in April and I used my debit card to buy dinner at a restaurant. Hmmmmmm

 

[bpesch]

I'm always amazed at how many people think that the only way their CC/DC numbers can be stolen is from online use. The sad fact is that every single time you use your CC/DC you run the risk of it being stolen. It can happen anywhere. There is very little you can do to stop a thief that is determined enough to get someone elses information. The best you can do is be careful and diligent about checking your charges and notify the appropriate financial company at the first sign of anything out of the ordinary.

 

[Alexander]

I'm always amazed at how many people think that the only way their CC/DC numbers can be stolen is from online use. The sad fact is that every single time you use your CC/DC you run the risk of it being stolen. It can happen anywhere. There is very little you can do to stop a thief that is determined enough to get someone elses information. The best you can do is be careful and diligent about checking your charges and notify the appropriate financial company at the first sign of anything out of the ordinary.

If you are referring to me, I didn't say that it was stolen from online usage. I was asking if anyone has used an alternative to online shopping than using their debit/credit cards, like a prepaid card. Since I use cash for almost all of my other purchases, I would like to change what I do for online shopping since cash is not an option.

 

[Fire14]

I know with some of my CC's I can get a seperate number that works just as if it was cc number but it's not.
I had a number stolden from me way back when and I had card in my hands and hadn't traveled anywhere but yet had strange charges. I'm guessing someone had just gotten lucky in card number lottery.

 

[Lucky St. Louis]

Former banker here and I will not use a debit card. You can be liable for up to $500 for fraudulent activity as opposed to $50 for a credit card. I use credit cards for almost everything and pay in full each month. I also have one card that I use for online transactions only.

 

[pigletto]

My debit card has been compromised three times. Most of the debit cards here are the kind that are tied to a bank account but don't have a Visa or Mastercard logo. There are a few places online that you can use direct-debit but hardly any. The only one I've used is to order movie tickets.
Anyway.. our card has been compromised 3 times, once from a store in town, twice from gas stations. Apparently someone switched out the bottom piece of the debit machine with a "reader" that scans the card number and your PIN when you enter it and then they get the info.
I've never been held liable because literally hundreds of cards #'s are stolen in a day with these machines.
So my only experience has been with my info being stolen in an actual store. I've never had a single problem online with my credit card.

 

[Swimalie]

My credit union will not withdraw the funds from my account until they confirm it was my transaction. We were on vacation in the past and they wanted to confirm everything that was purchased. We didn't have a problem with using our card, they just called us each time something popped up in the computer.

It's great that they check with you before completing transactions but I, for one, wouldn't want to be interrupted all the time while on vacation (or any other time) with my bank calling to ask me if I really meant to make that purchase. I'll stick with my credit card.

 

[Planogirl]

DH's debit card was compromised once but I caught it the day after it happened. The bank replaced the money, investigated and found in our favor. I was nervous about debit cards too until the bank handled it so well.

 

[sissy_ib]

Let me put out this scenario-Your debit card is compromised. Your real money is tied up until it is discovered and corrected. What if your mortgage is due the same day and your account is overdrawn? Or worse the payment does not go through because your account was cleaned out?

Now if it were a CC you would not have to worry about waiting for your cash to come back or bills getting paid on time.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

It was actually the Glen Burnie WalMart, which looks like it it just south of Baltimore. Pretty close to BWI. When I first googled it, it appeared closer to DC. We actually had a layover at that airport in April and I used my debit card to buy dinner at a restaurant. Hmmmmmm

This is the #1 reason why I pay cash when eating out. When you hand your card over to pay the bill and that card is out of your sight god only know what a server is doing with your card.

As for the PP who asked about pre paid cards. The crook can still steal that number as well and you will have a harder time recovering your lost funds since you are not deal with a local financial institution.

Another thing to be on the look out for is to make sure that the site you are buying something from is a secured site which will display the https when you check out.

 

[Heluvsme]

I started a thread here about this very thing just a couple weeks ago, my dh's debit card number was stolen (most likely skimmed---the typical places are restaurants and gas stations). Thankfully Visa caught the activity and stopped it after only 3 purchases, our credit union didn't hold us financially responsible for those amounts, and issued a new card. BUT.... in the meantime, it was a sickening feeling. Yes, I know it can happen anywhere, anytime, and it happens literally to thousands of people everyday, but when it happens to you it just makes you sick!

We live in the Cincinnati, OH area... the fraudulent activity was happening in New Jersey, IF the card # had been sold, or used closer to us, we would have been held liable because it would not have been caught, and we would have a hard time proving it wasn't us.... thankfully at the same time one transaction was happening in NJ my husband was using it here so that actually helped our case.

Sorry that happened to you, it is a terrible feeling!

 

[antmaril]

My debit card was compromised about six weeks ago. Someone made a purchase at a local Target store for $773!!! Then, they tried to spend another $321 at a local Meijer store and it sent up a red flag. The $773 was returned to me, but I had to go into the bank and sign an affidavit that I hadn't made the purchase. It took about five days for the money to be returned to me. Of course, it had been deducted from my checking account during that time.

The banker advised me to always run my debit card as a credit and never pay at the pump.

It is very unsettling. I have been using my debit card for many, many years and this is the first time this has happened. I have been paying cash more often these days. Debit is making me a little nervous.

 

[creativeamanda]

A similar thing happened to me last week. McAfee recharged me for antivirus protection even though I have not used them for years. They were somehow able to get my new debit card number, as I changed cards when my bank was bought out by another one.

I have opened all new bank accounts, and instead of using the bill pay from each company's website, I'm using my bank's bill pay feature. That way, they send the payments and I am not left in the dark. For the things I used to pay with my Visa Debit card, I'm putting it on my cash rewards card and paying off the balance. As soon as the debit hit my bank account, I cleared my bank account and put it on the credit card because I needed plastic!

It would have taken 10 days to get my money back, but McAfee reversed the charge when I called them and let them have it.

It's taken a week to get through the mess. I still have the original account open, because I go on vacation this week and I had a direct deposit last week. You have to be really careful with who you give your numbers to, because even the "reputable" companies do underhanded things.