Went To Use My Card To Buy Some Gear, And...

[canonloader]

BAM, somebody used it before me. Cleaned my account out, almost. Went to use the card online, wanted another Battery for the 1D, and just stopped off at the online account manager and found someone has been using my debit card numbers all day today. Ran it right down. So I call the emergency number at the bank and got them on it.

Good news is, I won't lose any money. Bad news is, I have no available funds now til after the holiday and maybe 5 days after that if any of the charges clear. They are all pending until the 27th.

So I thought I might just mention it here and tell you to go check your account activity. Think about it, most people are going to be gone, away from online account checking, until they try and use their cards. Those at home can take a look and catch it fast if it happens, what better time for a thief to use stolen numbers than on a long weekend when it's expected most people will be away from home? The buttholes. :(

[SuzyView]

Oh, that's so awful! I'm so sorry. At least you caught it in time. I know I check mine at least every other day just because of this. Someone tried to use my son's debit card and the bank caught it an called me. I called him immediately and he said he never spent that money. Yes, this is something that happens a lot now.

[canonloader]

Second time for me now. First time was not a thief, just bad book keeping by a hosting company that didn't have a record of my closing an account. Got that returned, but still, the bank kills the card and sends a new one. I just hate a thief though.

I am lucky I checked though. Normally I don't check it every day, I mean, I shouldn't have to. Banks are secure right? Otherwise why use them? Pfffftttt.

Either way, I just wanted to mention it so people can check theirs. Long weekends are perfect for these kinds of things. :)

[3Turner]

Sorry to hear of your troubles. Were you able to track down where they may have gotten your account information? Skimmers or a restaurant where the waiter/ress could have written your card info down?

I keep track of my account and am glad that my back will call me when they see purchases that don't fit the normal routine....when I spend a large amount in one day, it is declined unless I call it in and get it approved.

[jde95tln]

Same sorta think happened to me last year, someone had like cloned my ATM card somehow and withdrew all my funds at an ATM machine hundreds of miles away from me. Don't have a clue how they did it, but I had to jump through the same hoops and had my funds tied up for a bit until they confirmed what had happened.

[canonloader]

I have no idea how they got my number. I do use it online for most of the stuff I buy, and at Walmart when I shop, and at the ATM, which is at the bank itself. I assume anyone at any company I use it at online could get the numbers if they knew how. The bank did ask if I was willing to prosecute though. Told them I'd do it myself if I knew who it was. :)

[thekid24]

Sorry to hear. Checked mine today, everything looks good.

Hope youre gets back into shape soon.

[tommykjensen]

I have no idea how they got my number. I do use it online for most of the stuff I buy, and at Walmart when I shop, and at the ATM, which is at the bank itself. I assume anyone at any company I use it at online could get the numbers if they knew how. The bank did ask if I was willing to prosecute though. Told them I'd do it myself if I knew who it was. :)

When using atm or at wallmart do you throw the recipt away? At least in Denmark some years ago the receipts had all the numbers and date needed on the receipts to abuse cards if a thief got the receipt.

The good thing in Denmark is that banks are required by law to protect the customers so if cards are abused and we are at no fault then the banks have to cover all costs themself. That keeps them on theirs toes with regards to security.

[illusions]

Sad... And the problem nowaydays, "most of the cashiers" don't check signatures and IDs ... very seldom I see this done when paying and when somebody asks for my ID, I really thank them.
Good thing my bank has an "alert" option; like any withdrawals/charges made on my credit card and debit card they will send me an email right away. I had mine set up on alert more than $30 transaction.

[canonloader]

When using atm or at wallmart do you throw the recipt away?
No, I never do that, or the ATM reciepts. I always bring them home and shred them before throwing them out.

The checking ID thing is not going to work. There is no name on it to check aganst, as it's my company card. That's why you have a pin number that does not show on the card.

It looks like the card was used online, 4 of the charges were to a Yahoo store and the two big ones to an online store I don't recognize by the name in the records. Two of the charges were for $1 each. Go figure. The point is, this is utterly stupid. Use it to charge online, long weekend, the charges won't go through til Tuesday anyway and certainly, nothing would be sent out before then either. And there has to be a record of what computer it was used on. Thieves aren't known for smarts, but this sounds like a particularly dumb one to me. :)

Just checked again, the two big charges were to SVC.COM, an online computer store. This is utterly stupid, as that means something has to be sent to an address. Well duhhhhh..... :lol:

[3Turner]

Just checked again, the two big charges were to SVC.COM, an online computer store. This is utterly stupid, as that means something has to be sent to an address. Well duhhhhh..... :lol:
Well just try calling the SVC store and complaining to them about the purchase. Maybe they can search by payment used (card numbers) and cancel the order.

If the person was local, I bet it was a cashier from Wal Mart that took your card info. When I was in college, about 5 people got fired for doing something like that. They would copy the receipt that printed out that was supposed to be turned into the store book keeper and then go to another store and use the card info with a cashier that they knew so that the card information was keyed into the register. I was on a team for the company that was to help stop fraud waste and abuse and that was one thing that we fixed. The reciepts at that company now only print out the last 4 digits and do not provide the expiration date of the card. Additionally, if a cashier keys in a card number, it requires that a manager be called to the register to approve the transaction. Since I left that company after helping put that stuff into policy, I always look at the receipts that left where ever I shop or purchase and make sure that my card info is not left on their copy. If it is, I scratch it out with the pen.

[canonloader]

Good idea about calling them, but, they are closed on weekends, it's not a walk in store, and I am sure they will be closed on the holiday. The more I look into this myself, the more this looks like some lame brain thinking I would be gone all weekend. I'll let the bank handle it though, they have resources I can't touch. Would be nice if the idiot was local though, so I could laugh at him in court. :lol:

[steved110]

This sort of thing is happening more and more - it's a great concern to me, but in the UK, like in Denmark as tommy says, the banks are responsible for their security, and you get your money back. the thing that worries me the most, is if it is your debit card that gets copied, they take the cash straight out your own personal account, and that means you are without access to your cash for a while - for me, if this happened when my bill payments are due ( all the day after my salary is paid in) then I could be in serious embarrassment.

So, I never, ever, use a debit card to buy anything at all. I check ATMs for suspicious devices as I do use them, but all my purchases are on a cash back credit card - absolutely everything. If a credit card gets cloned, the crooks are taking the bank's money not mine.

[canonloader]

My money is covered, no matter what. But your right, it's tied up til they get it straightened out. I should have the money back in by Tuesday. But I still get it back, even if the charges had gone through, it just takes 5 more days. I just hope they catch the guy. :)

[Tom W]

It's more likely that your number was taken down somewhere where the card was removed from your possession - restaurant, on-line purchase, etc. A retail clerk at WalMart or similar store doesn't have a lot of time to jot down the number if they can even see it. In most of those stores now, you scan your own card instead of handing it to the cashier (I have no idea if the full account number is visible on-screen to the clerk or not when you scan your own).

Another possibility is that someone with a camera phone snapped a picture of your card while you had it out somewhere.

Anyway, I try to use cash as much as possible. It's convenient, universal, anonymous, and if someone tries to steal it, I at least have a snowball's chance in he!! of stopping the robbery.

[canonloader]

The card has never been out of my hands. I only use the ATM at my branch bank which is right down the road. I have looked, the kiosk is in a very dark alcove sort of thing with no way someone can be beside you or look over your shoulder.

I think it was someone with access to the numbers at some online place I used it at. The bank will find out. The charges were to online stores, that leaves a trail and since it is interstate theft, it's a federal crime. Meaning, there will be no problem for the bank people to trace the electronic trail back to the exact computer it was used on. From what I have seen so far, this toad is not endowed with too many brains. He ordered computer parts online. My god, they have to go to an address, right, otherwise whats the use?

[Tom W]

The card has never been out of my hands. I only use the ATM at my branch bank which is right down the road. I have looked, the kiosk is in a very dark alcove sort of thing with no way someone can be beside you or look over your shoulder.

That's good - it removes the local eateries from you suspect list!

I think it was someone with access to the numbers at some online place I used it at. The bank will find out. The charges were to online stores, that leaves a trail and since it is interstate theft, it's a federal crime. Meaning, there will be no problem for the bank people to trace the electronic trail back to the exact computer it was used on. From what I have seen so far, this toad is not endowed with too many brains. He ordered computer parts online. My god, they have to go to an address, right, otherwise whats the use?

Online is the most likely suspect in my opinion. Depending on the operation, they might be able to see your CC number and possibly that little 3 digit code on the back that some places ask for. Just jot it down along with the expiration date and you're in business.

At any rate, the fact that he ordered online with your account leaves a traceable route to the IP address from which he ordered, and he obviously has given a shipping address (is he/she stupid enough to use his own home address?). I think that they'll find the culprit quickly.

[canonloader]

I'm leaning toward some place I have used it online in the past. Wal-mart is about the only other place I use it for groceries. We'll just have to wait and see. I'll post here when I find out anything. :)

[slimninj4]

I was a victim of idenity theft. I actually did not find out until 5 years later when I started to get these letters in the mail from collection agencys. I got about 5 of them for several thousand dollars each. I found out someone had name, address and SSN of mine. Made accounts all over the usa. Took 2 years to resolve it with the credit companies and almost affected my clearance.

[canonloader]

This is what I do not understand. Identity theft should be the easiest thing to prove. You can't be two places at the same time and it should be childs play to prove that you were not in Pine Tree Arizona using a crdit card on July 4th 2003. Sometimes I think these investigators are harrassing people even when they know it can't be you.

[tommykjensen]

This sort of thing is happening more and more - it's a great concern to me, but in the UK, like in Denmark as tommy says, the banks are responsible for their security, and you get your money back. the thing that worries me the most, is if it is your debit card that gets copied, they take the cash straight out your own personal account, and that means you are without access to your cash for a while - for me, if this happened when my bill payments are due ( all the day after my salary is paid in) then I could be in serious embarrassment.


Surely the bank would help in a situation like that. I certainly expect my bank to do that if this ever happens to me. If they don't I will switch bank.

[steved110]

Surely the bank would help in a situation like that. I certainly expect my bank to do that if this ever happens to me. If they don't I will switch bank.

UK banks don't have a reputation for helping....and I would also expect the bank I use to take a lot longer than a few days to replace siphoned funds. Then again, I trust nobody these days.


I have heard that scammers use computer generated card numbers and just try their luck; there was also a scandal here where gas station employees were skimming card details - it was a huge operation, the funds were being sent to the Tamil tigers, all the skimming was happening from just one chain of stations - and to date the cops have managed to arrest --- no one at all.

The police are not particularly interested in card fraud, and the banks seem to accept a certain level as an unavoidable cost of doing business.

[tommykjensen]

UK banks don't have a reputation for helping....and I would also expect the bank I use to take a lot longer than a few days to replace siphoned funds. Then again, I trust nobody these days.


Thats strange. I would think it is in the banks own interest to service their customers so they are happy.

[canonloader]

They may accept a certain level of theft as the cost of doing business, cause it may cost more to prosecute them than they will ever recover. But I am covered, not only by the banks interest in keeping customers happy, but also by Federal Law. And one thing about governments, they do not think in paltry terms of theft in small amounts so let's forget it. Government never forgets. They will undoubtedly find out who used these numbers. If it's an easy bust, they will bust him, it the bank or customer won't prosecute, then there is still a record of it. And records are forever. This guy may be 19 now, but if in 50 years he tries it again, and get's busted, this occurance will be brought up to use against him. I guarantee it. ;)

Anyway, here's my guarantee;

Our Guarantee
We guarantee that you will be covered for 100% of funds removed from your Wells Fargo accounts in the unlikely event that someone you haven’t authorized removes those funds through our Online Services. To qualify for this guarantee, you must follow Your Responsibilities below.

Note: Federal law provides certain protection to individual customers when there is unauthorized account activity. This guarantee provides additional protection from loss resulting from unauthorized activity.

[KirkHMB]

There's a little good news for you. When I had a Wells Fargo account, that is the one thing they did very well, returned all my money when an ATM card was stolen. I stopped the card later than the rest of my cards, since I had a WF credit card, and thought both would stop with one call. Took me way to long to file the papers, but as soon as I did, the $$ came back.

If they had only done other things well.

[BillsBayou]

I got phished last week. The email said there was an alert on my account. There was a link to my bank that was not quite the same web address. I typed in that address on a computer in one of the student labs. The site looked EXACTLY like my bank's site. However, the only link that worked was the "Login" link.

I notified my bank right away. The site was closed by the end of the day.

NEVER click on a link in ANY email you get. This crap is getting dangerous.

[LeeSC]

I have heard that scammers use computer generated card numbers and just try their luck;

My wife and I had a similar thing happen several months. We have a credit card that has never been used and are both locked in a fire safe (only activity was a small balance transfer for 0%). She got a call stating someone tried to use our card in California (we live in South Carolina). She told my wife someone attempted to swipe the card at a drug store for a nominal amount. The card company had refused the charges and my wife confirmed it wasn't her.

When my wife told me about this, I became concerned. Since the cards had never been out of our possession, there was no way someone should have been able to swipe it. My concern was that someone had breached my wife's identity and had a duplicate card sent to them. The card company had no record of this. The Rep went on to tell us that Scammers will make "blank" cards with random numbers on it and try to use. Pretty scary what technology is available now.

[canonloader]

Well, the latest update is, I got the paperwprk from the recovery operations section faxed yesterday, signed and sent back this morning. In the mean time, three of the small charges and one for $25 were off the list yesterday by the end of the day. They apparently, did not clear. But then this morning, two new ones were on there, one for 45 cents and one for $5.15, both were for Currency Exchange fees in Europe.

That got her attention at the bank. I guess meaning it was more than just some small potato trying to be a big shot running a card. At any rate, my money is locked up till it's refunded to the account and the new card hasn't gotten here anyway, so I am dead in the water for the next week. And that pisses me off more than anything else. :(

[AngryCorgi]

BAM, somebody used it before me. Cleaned my account out, almost. Went to use the card online, wanted another Battery for the 1D, and just stopped off at the online account manager and found someone has been using my debit card numbers all day today. Ran it right down. So I call the emergency number at the bank and got them on it.

Good news is, I won't lose any money. Bad news is, I have no available funds now til after the holiday and maybe 5 days after that if any of the charges clear. They are all pending until the 27th.

So I thought I might just mention it here and tell you to go check your account activity. Think about it, most people are going to be gone, away from online account checking, until they try and use their cards. Those at home can take a look and catch it fast if it happens, what better time for a thief to use stolen numbers than on a long weekend when it's expected most people will be away from home? The buttholes. :(

I know how that sucks! Back in '01 something similar happened to me. I was just leaving Jakarta and was checking my account with my laptop at the airport when I noticed my account balance had gone from over $7000 to -$2,200 (yes that's a negative balance)! The real issue was that the only other card I had on me at the time was a $500 credit card with an unknown balance on it and I still had a night booked in Hong Kong on the route home. That was irritatingly frightening, as I was traveling alone. At any rate, I got all of it back in a week and a half of returning. It will work out, it will just be inconvenient.

[SuzyView]

If you have other ways to spend money, you are okay. These things do take time, unfortunately. My son's card didn't come for 10 days, but he didn't need it, thank heavens. And they were little charges to test out the card numbers.

[canonloader]

Well, I do have a PayPal account, but no other way to get cash other than to write a check. Who does that anymore? :p

[BillsBayou]

Wow, I'm sorry you're going through this. I hate to see this happen.

I don't know if this is your situation or not, but...

I don't ever want a debit card. I pay off my credit cards at the end of each month. To me, that's the same thing when it comes to only spending what I have. The big drawback to debit cards is if there is fraud, you have to fight to get your money back. With credit cards, I just have to fight to not pay what they say I owe them.

I'd rather have the money in the bank and fight the charges than be broke and looking to get my money back.

[canonloader]

Well, I'm not broke. They did leave $77. LOL And I had other money coming and deposited already. I also have money in my PayPal account and a bunch of cash I keep around. What bothers me is, I caught it within hours, and stopped the card through the emergency number. The big charges were made to a computer parts online store. They were closed for the holiday and nothing got shipped. So why can't the bank contact them, kill the charges and refund the money to the account without a bunch of paperwork involved, and why does it take 2 weeks to get me a new card?

Yes, they do have a service that if I am truely broke, they will forward me some money. But hey, through no fault of mine, my debit account was defrauded through a weakness in their system. If I ran the customer relations section of this multinational bank, instant refunds as soon as it was determined there was indeed fraud by a third party and overnight Fedex of a new card would be part of doing business. It's Thursday already and I just know I won't see the card till next week. This pisses me off as much as getting burned by the hosehead who scammed the bank.

[BillsBayou]

...my debit account was defrauded through a weakness in their system...

It seems to me that the weakness is built into the system. (see my reasons in my previous post above)

[canonloader]

It's a combination of both e-commerce and the inability of humans to take the initiative when it arises. OK, so the account and cardreader are all part of mechanical/computer system, but when it get's broken, the weak link is the human that couldn't find his ass with both hands. All it would take is a few keystrokes from an intelligent source and walla, I could be spending money again. ;)

[tommykjensen]

At any rate, my money is locked up till it's refunded to the account and the new card hasn't gotten here anyway, so I am dead in the water for the next week. And that pisses me off more than anything else. :(

That sucks. If my bank treated me like that I would switch.

[canonloader]

The card came today, it is activated and I just went down there and got a new PIN number applied to it. I am still trying to recover all of the money though. Even after the card was shut down last Saturday, other charges were still made on it as late as Thursday and just appeared on the statement yesterday. I think it was an embarrassment to them and showed me that on-line database banking isn't all it's cracked up to be. In fact, it seems to leak like a sieve. I am not happy with this, but I figure all of them will be the same. Some maybe worse. :(