Well I guess it was only a matter of time..

[C.Ann]

I've read about it often here on the BB.. Someone hacked my debit card last week and made an online purchase with it.. Fortunately it wasn't a large purchase (probably just their first attemp to see if it would go through okay) and I caught it right away..

Of course they couldn't have made a very large purchase anyhow because I have several safety features I have put in place regarding that particular debit card/account.. It's only used for online purchases - and I only keep a small amount of money in that account in between purchases.. If I know I'm going to make a purchase, I transfer the exact amount a day ahead of time and then make the actual purchase within 24 hours.. I also carry no overdraft on that particular account so if someone tried to make a purchase of let's say $100, the bank would not allow it to go through - nor would I incur any penalty charges from the bank..

Contrary to what I have seen via some posts here and elsewhere, the problem was corrected in a very, very short amount of time.. After calling the bank, the money was returned to my account in less than 24 hours and I had a new debit card in my hands within 72 hours (would have been sooner if I had wanted to drive all the way down to the bank - 60 miles from here - and pick it up in person).. I was very pleased with the service I received from the bank and in case anyone is wondering, my card has the MC logo - not the Visa..

With the safeguards I have in place, I still feel confident in using the new card and will continue to shop online.. I've had this particular card for 6 years now, so only one incident in all that time is probably pretty good..

 

[SandrA9810]

wow. You're a smart shopper.

We used to have two checking accounts, because we thought a checkbook was stolen. And we never got another checkbook for the new accounts. I much prefer to pay rent with a money order.
Anycase, all paychecks and money is deposited into one account, which is also tied to the banks online bill payments, the other acccount is tied to the debit card for making purchases. There's only ever enough in the debit account for daily purchases. And if a large amount is coming out, it's transfered from the second account. NONE of the accounts are tied together.


After paying 31$ for a mc'd's sweet tea... I stopped all overdraft protection. It really helps to not fall into a spiralling trap. Because it can take two to three days for overdraft fees to show up, when i think there's money in the account and come to find out there's not...

There's ways to play it safe with credit cards. You just have to take a little extra time to do it.
.

 

[yeahdisney]

Glad you caught it early. Not to over take thread today I thought I lost my Disney credit card and drivers license on the train in Chicago. I cancelled my visa during my day trip. When I returned to my car both were on my car seat. Visa stated they would have a replacement at my house tomorrow by UPS- Wow they really want me to keep using their card. D

 

[Sparx]

Glad you caught it early! A girl in one of my classes last semester had her debit card number stolen. Over 600.00 was emptied out of her checking account, and then with over draft fees it quickly ended up over 1000.00 before the bank caught it. Of course all the fees were waived, but it took almost a month before her money was credited back to her by the bank.

 

[C.Ann]

Glad you caught it early! A girl in one of my classes last semester had her debit card number stolen. Over 600.00 was emptied out of her checking account, and then with over draft fees it quickly ended up over 1000.00 before the bank caught it. Of course all the fees were waived, but it took almost a month before her money was credited back to her by the bank.

Although I don't keep enough money in that account between purchases to ever get hit that hard, I still think it's a good idea to do away with the overdraft "protection" on all accounts.. Basically it's just a way for the banks to make huge amounts of money off of the customers.. I'm so glad the banks now have to give people the option of opting in or opting out..

I was very pleased with how quickly my bank acted on this matter - not the weeks and months that some people say apply to debit cards..

 

[SandrA9810]

when the bank account was first opened in 03, overdraft was not placed on it. Then they "upgraded" the account from e-checking to cash back checking and automatically applied the overdraft sometime in 06. In about 07, i had to argue with the bank to have it taken off and write a letter and fax it to the supervisor. Huge pain.


I'm so glad that you now have to opt in to it. I was thinking of switching banks at one point and none of them would not take off the overdraft. So i never made the switch.

I know of some people that would use overdraft protection as a cash advance kinda thing. Hit the bottom of the account, then make a small purchase to get as much as possible cash back to make it till payday. Seriously?? So stupid. Without overdraft protection, if there isn't any money, then i didn't need it. I worked on a tight budget and made sure there was enough for the basics. Sorry to get off topic.

 

[bettymae1121]

I was very pleased with how quickly my bank acted on this matter - not the weeks and months that some people say apply to debit cards..

But some people say it because sometimes it's true. Just like the PP stated, it took over a month to straighten out, and while it worked out in the end, that's a long time to be out $600. Not all banks have the same proceedures, and some are better/faster than others at resolving fraud issues.

If people want to rely on debit rather than credit cards, they should take it upon themselves to sit down with someone at the bank and find out what exactly happens if there is fraud, so if/when it happens you know what to expect, and if you aren't happy with the answers they give, you can change banks to one that is more proactive. Your bank did great, but you only found out after the fraud happened that they are quick to respond and get you your money back. What would your opinion have been if, like the PP, it took weeks or even a month?

 

[a1tinkfans]

I've read about it often here on the BB.. Someone hacked my debit card last week and made an online purchase with it.. Fortunately it wasn't a large purchase (probably just their first attemp to see if it would go through okay) and I caught it right away..

Of course they couldn't have made a very large purchase anyhow because I have several safety features I have put in place regarding that particular debit card/account.. It's only used for online purchases - and I only keep a small amount of money in that account in between purchases.. If I know I'm going to make a purchase, I transfer the exact amount a day ahead of time and then make the actual purchase within 24 hours.. I also carry no overdraft on that particular account so if someone tried to make a purchase of let's say $100, the bank would not allow it to go through - nor would I incur any penalty charges from the bank..

Contrary to what I have seen via some posts here and elsewhere, the problem was corrected in a very, very short amount of time.. After calling the bank, the money was returned to my account in less than 24 hours and I had a new debit card in my hands within 72 hours (would have been sooner if I had wanted to drive all the way down to the bank - 60 miles from here - and pick it up in person).. I was very pleased with the service I received from the bank and in case anyone is wondering, my card has the MC logo - not the Visa..

With the safeguards I have in place, I still feel confident in using the new card and will continue to shop online.. I've had this particular card for 6 years now, so only one incident in all that time is probably pretty good..

Glad to hear this worked out okay for you.
My dh recently was notified by his card that someone charged money on his card in Mesa, Az. We are on the east coast. The card has never left our home, a new card and there was one transaction on it that he made. So, how did they get the account info??? Inside job??? They reversed the charge and closed the account, re-issued a new card and sent us paperwork to fill out. We filed a Police Report locally as it IS identity theft. We also have fraud alerts on all our accounts and have a monthly monitoring system for him now ( I always had it). We were told by the Police that it is happening more and more and that we Should file a report, to not only document the theft but to also have a CYA if down the line, someone attempts to ...take a loan, apply for another card, etc..
Credit bureaus are on alert and we've done all we can. The cc company, handled it quickly, interesting to see if they actually are able to track this "Loser/s". that made our lives a bit more complicated! I hope that all those that steal like this go to JAIL!