Debit Card Fraud (Possible Identity Theft)

[Renolin]

Originally Posted by Marck

I use my BofA debit card for almost every purchase I make. It would probably be smart to use cash more often but I don't care. I just take 30 seconds out of my day to check my online banking to make sure everything is legit. I've caught a couple of restaurants adding an extra buck or two onto the tip once they process the tip into the charge a day or two later. Sneaky fuckers.

I'd like to hear how common this is. I don't watch my account THAT closely or routinely to notice a dollar or two but I do eat out a whole lot. Many people notice their tips shifting upward?

[prescient63]

I got triple charged for a meal once. $32 lunch turned into almost $100 but I just racked that up to some sort of glitch and nothing nefarious. They refunded me the next day when I called.

[Frawdo]

Originally Posted by spronk

This is why debit cards are to be stored in the house under lock & key and used ONLY for ATM cash withdrawals, and all other purchases should be made by credit card.

Paranoid much?

I use my debit card all the time, I just do most of the swiping myself or keep an eye on my card when they swipe it.

To the OP: As has been suggested, it was mostly likely swiped through a card-reader then the information was used, or they got her PIN somehow (camera, looking closely) and made a duplicate card.

Most banks/credit card companies realize that this sort of (identity) theft is a reality of modern life and deal with it in a very efficient manner for the innocent customer.

[Marck]

I'd like to hear how common this is. I don't watch my account THAT closely or routinely to notice a dollar or two but I do eat out a whole lot. Many people notice their tips shifting upward?

The two places it happened at weren't any large chain or anything. One was a 24 hour breakfast/hamburger place kind of like denny's. I think I only noticed because it was one of those times my friends gave me the cash and I put the whole thing on my card.

[Burkex]

BTW, There is a scam where some people put a special reader over the atm where you put your debit card into then when you punch the keys it tracks your code too, so they have all your info. Then they can clone your card and take money out of that same atm and just punch in your info. You have to be careful what atm's you use, and make sure nothing is strange about them. In Boston a guy did this and used the info on over 1000 atm cards including 3 cops. The guy only used like one transaction per card so people would not notice but he was nabbed because all of the cards he used were from the same ATM machine.

Make sure when you put your card into the atm machine it is going directly into the machine and not through a reader that is easily concealed to look like part of the ATM.

[tikkus]

The bank told her that more than likely the information was taken from an online purchase (ecampus.com). That was honestly the LAST thing I expected. Obviously my faith in internet transactions was misplaced, to say the least.

[Gahid]

In a college level business class we had an executive from a credit company tell us about credit fraud; I forget the boring details, but the way the law is set up in the states individuals are highly protected against fraud and the loss goes to the company which serviced the fraudulent charges.

[Ashe]

Sometimes the companies and the processes can be very secure and trustworthy, but the Joe Asshole who works for them at entry level and processes your payment may not be as honest as the company and their reputation. This is especially true for online companies who frequently outsource to centers of employees they never directly hired themselves and were therefore never screened for honesty.

Also, the shipping address for the order is rarely ever the home address of the person who actually committed the actual fraud. Sometimes its a stranger, a relative, college friend, or P.O. box, so going vigilante on the person who's house it is can be a bad idea.

[Celebrindal]

Second Damage Report On The T.J. Maxx And Marshalls Security Breach

[Dabamf]

Why ever use an ATM card when you can get at minimum 1% cashback on a credit card plus a 30 day grace period before you have to actually fork over the money.

[Aegdaien]

Originally Posted by Dabamf

Why ever use an ATM card when you can get at minimum 1% cashback on a credit card plus a 30 day grace period before you have to actually fork over the money.

QFT. I don't use my debit card anywhere, not because I'm scared of identity theft, but because it's smarter to use my credit card. Up until July I got 5% back on gas and groceries, and 5% off at a lot of online stores (Dell online for one). Last year I got about ~$250 in rewards from Citi and paid them a whopping $0 in fees of any kind. Not to mention that ATM purchases do nothing for your credit. Pretty good deal if you ask me.

[Eomer]

Paranoid much?

I use my debit card all the time, I just do most of the swiping myself or keep an eye on my card when they swipe it.

Nothing to do with paranoia. As others above have already said, you're far better protected with a CC than with straight debit (and in Canada, we're stuck with traditional debit cards, we don't have those fancy Visa debit cards or whatever they're called). Basically, once the money comes out of your account with a debit purchase, that's it. It's not coming back, no matter what. Even if it was fradulent, the terms of your service agreement with the bank pretty much state "tough shit if your card got stolen and they guessed your pin, it's not our problem." CC's are pretty much the exact opposite. You're just far better protected with a CC than with a bank card.

And again as others have already mentioned, you don't pay any fees on most CC's, and get a shit ton of bonuses and freebies from them. There's honestly no reason to use a debit card in place of a CC, unless the store doesn't accept CC's (and honestly, I can't blame them. With debit cards, you're paying all the fees to the bank, with CC's it's the retailer paying 1-2% to Visa or whoever).

I remember in highschool a friend of mine had her ATM card stolen out of her purse at school by a classmate, and said classmate went to the bank and managed to bullshit her way into $400. There was even security video of the girl at the bank, Chinese as can be (friend is white), taking the money and walking out. The bank refused to re-imburse her, and for some retarded reason the Principal of the school convinced the bank and cops not to press charges. The girl got away with it completely, and my friend was out $400.

[tikkus]

Originally Posted by Eomer

I remember in highschool a friend of mine had her ATM card stolen out of her purse at school by a classmate, and said classmate went to the bank and managed to bullshit her way into $400. There was even security video of the girl at the bank, Chinese as can be (friend is white), taking the money and walking out. The bank refused to re-imburse her, and for some retarded reason the Principal of the school convinced the bank and cops not to press charges. The girl got away with it completely, and my friend was out $400.

Thats horrible dude. Did the girl not even try to press charges?

[Langemede]

Originally Posted by Burkex

BTW, There is a scam where some people put a special reader over the atm where you put your debit card into then when you punch the keys it tracks your code too, so they have all your info. Then they can clone your card and take money out of that same atm and just punch in your info. You have to be careful what atm's you use, and make sure nothing is strange about them. In Boston a guy did this and used the info on over 1000 atm cards including 3 cops. The guy only used like one transaction per card so people would not notice but he was nabbed because all of the cards he used were from the same ATM machine.

Make sure when you put your card into the atm machine it is going directly into the machine and not through a reader that is easily concealed to look like part of the ATM.

Wasn't this a CSI episdode?

I use my debit card for all of my purchases that do not require a check.

Funny BofA story:

Used to travel for work (telecommunications, blah), but left a debit card at home with a trusted roommate in case of emergencies. Well, BofA had noticed that my debit card had been used in Texas and whatever city I was in at the time on the same day and put some sort of hold on the account. Well, next day I ended up traveling to a new location, where I went to the hotel and tried to pay with my debit card. Clerk ran it three times, each which was rejected (thank god for company cards!). I was rather irate, called BofA, and they explained what had happened. I was pretty impressed, and relieved after the fact that they took such measures to protect their clients. Only took 5 minutes talking to customer service to have my card "reactivated" and I was back in business.

CHeers

edit : Quoted the wrong person, oops.

[Cybsled]

I've had my debit card compromised before. One time someone spent $19 on a bottle of wine from some German website (wtf?). Another time there was a charge for a website called hottwinks.com for $50. I laughed at the name until I found out the -other- usage of the word twink ;( Both times I got my cash back. They had to reissue my card, though, which was a pain in the ass.

It could still be her PC. Don't just scan for viruses. Use LOTS of different programs. Spybot, etc. She could easily have a keylogger or something along those lines. Ive done virus scans before, then used some anti-malware programs and found shit the virus scan missed. Also make sure she gets the latest MS security updates for her PC. Switching to Firefox helps a bit too

As for using checkcards, some people like using them because they force you to keep a check on your expenditures...you don't want to overspend over what you actually have. Plus you can have limit caps placed on them, so in the event it does get compromised they can't go buy a $2100 TV or something right off the bat.