Debit Card Fraud (Possible Identity Theft)

tikkus · 09-04-2007, 11:16 PM

So here's the deal:

My girlfriend (age 19) noticed today on her bank statement that two very large unauthorized charges were made to her debit card. One for $499.95 (from what the bank says was an art gallery) and another for about $130. The odd thing about this, is that she didn't lose the card -- its still in her possession. This situation brings up three possible scenarios:

1.) Someone got the card out of her purse, wrote down the information as well as her address/phone number. I'm assuming that these were online transactions for a couple of reasons. For one, the price of the art gallery purchase was simply $499.95, which leads me to believe that no tax was charged on it. For another, like I said, she's in possession of the said debit card. Also, the guy (or girl) attempted to create a Paypal account with the card as well.

2.) Someone "hacked" into her computer. I don't know the logistics of doing this. She scanned her computer for viruses and found none, so a trojan is out of the question. The only online purchases she has made has been to ecampus.com to get her college books.

3.) Identity Theft. I don't know if theres a strong possibility for this. I was under the impression that people attempting identity theft created new credit cards/loans and tried to stay under the radar as much as possible.

I'm unsure how best to handle the situation with her. I've told her to get a credit report, but her mother doesn't seem to like that idea. She's already canceled her other credit cards and notified the bank. The bank gave her money back, but she will only get to keep it pending a fraud investigation.

Does anyone have prior experience with this subject? Whats the likelihood that she'll get her money back? Does it sound like identity theft or just some jackass scamming hard working Americans out of cash? Would she have a lawsuit against the criminal/financial institutions?

Also, if the shipping address is revealed, what would you do in this situation as the boyfriend? Of course, my first instinct is to go find the guy and beat him into oblivion, but logic tells me that jail-time isn't worth the boost to my pride. To me, the logical choice would be a brick through his windshield.

I also considered spray-painting FoH:SS on his car, but I'm pretty sure someone on this board would dime me out.

Any input is appreciated.

Usha Starchild · 09-04-2007, 11:37 PM

Credit card or debit card?

Debit cards usually have a password, so unless she had that written down in her purse also..

Jabberwhacky · 09-04-2007, 11:43 PM

Maybe she bought you some sweet-ass birthday present and is trying to hide it from you!

GuardianX · 09-05-2007, 12:03 AM

As the boyfriend what should you do, you ask? IF the address is revealed, have the police pick the guy up and put him in jail for a while, I believe anything over 500 dollars is a fellony if I'm not mistaken and if its fraud I think there are additional charges to be had. Then at the trial when the pick is found guilty, have a panel of you and a few friends that mockingly sit there and plead on his defense from the audience (Whatever its called), that or when his sentence is delivered and he / she is found guilty, start cheering / playing music or other stupid crap that will likely piss off the persona nd possibly add to their sentence. Whatever you do, just be sure to make it known that you won, perhaps a banner or even a well written theme song for the win.

Celebrindal · 09-05-2007, 12:09 AM

Debit cards can be used as credit cards. I think she most likely got it copied down by a register clerk from a retail store/gas station etc. It's gonna be pretty hard to track whatever the reason is.

She'll get her money back. Just make sure you watch who you give your card to.

Taranatar · 09-05-2007, 12:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Celebrindal

Debit cards can be used as credit cards. I think she most likely got it copied down by a register clerk from a retail store/gas station etc. It's gonna be pretty hard to track whatever the reason is.

She'll get her money back. Just make sure you watch who you give your card to.

Best thing to do is ALWAYS swipe your own card. Don't be foolish like most of the customers I have and just hand it over. Keep your card as concealed as possible, as it only takes a camera or camera phone to steal your card number and info.

In addition, try to type your PIN fast and make sure no one is watching, if so, cover with your other hand. I know this doesn't help against credit purchases, but from what I understand credit on debit is much easier to track or receive fraud insurance for than straight debit.

Finally, under no circumstances allow an imprint. I know this last part is difficult in some places, but if it comes down to it, you can save your ass. Either carry 20$ cash around with you for emergencies, or pay by check if it's a larger purchase.

tikkus · 09-05-2007, 12:53 AM

Honestly, my theory of how it got stolen is that someone from her summer job opened her purse, wrote down/took a picture of the debit card, and got her information from either her drivers license or a payroll check.

I would hate to think a guy would do this.

prescient63 · 09-05-2007, 02:30 AM

My bet on what happened. She went out to eat, gave her server the credit card, he swiped on a magnetic stripe reader like this and on his merry way he went. That is the way most credit card data gets stolen. What follows is the data stored on your credit card. Hell of a lot easier and stealthier than taking pictures. Pretty sure this is up to date. As for the address all you have to do is look in the phone book and guess.

The information on track one is contained in two formats -- A, which is reserved for proprietary use of the card issuer, and B, which includes the following:

* Start sentinel -- 1 character
* Format code="B" -- 1 character (alpha only)
* Primary account number -- up to 19 characters
* Separator -- 1 character
* Country code -- 3 characters
* Name -- 2-26 characters
* Separator -- 1 character
* Expiration date or separator -- 4 characters or 1 character
* Discretionary data -- enough characters to fill out maximum record length (79 characters total)
* End sentinel -- 1 character
* Longitudinal Redundancy Check (LRC), a form of computed check character -- 1 character

spronk · 09-05-2007, 05:49 AM

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.

Not to mention the fact that you are basically borrowing money for free for 1-45 days, plus learning responsibility because you pay off your monthly balance every month (and if you can't, learn to do without any plastic playment).

Credit card companies are easier to deal with fraudwise as well, most reverse charges immediately. You can also create preloaded credit cards and use them at shady places or whatever, typically when I travel I'll make a few $200 precharge cards and use them at restaurants and bars and such, if someone is retarded enough to steal one fuck you, don't got shit on me.

Debit cards are such a huge scam, you are basically handing over your bank account every time you use one plus the money gets taken away immediately.

Find a good set of online articles regarding credit vs debit card (older women love Susie Orman so you may wanna find some by her) and convince her mom.

Yes, your girlfriend is probably the victim of some sort of identity theft. If someone else knows her SSN, address, phone, age, etc it can be a big problem. Open up a credit watch account on equifax, transfax, or whatever. Call each of the agencies and tell them that she was just a victim of identity theft and to not authorize any credit pulls or new accounts without her authorization (theres a exact way to do this, not sure what it is).

Opening up a paypal account is serious and not easy, you need the victims exact address, DoB, bank account, etc. The same info could be used to buy a car and so on. You need to lock down her credit data asap.

tikkus · 09-05-2007, 06:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spronk

Opening up a paypal account is serious and not easy, you need the victims exact address, DoB, bank account, etc. The same info could be used to buy a car and so on. You need to lock down her credit data asap.

I'm under the impression currently that they tried to open an account, but failed to do so.

Thanks for your suggestions though, I'll definitely pass them along.

Rhaze · 09-05-2007, 09:24 AM

I had this happen to me at a hotel. The shady clerk made copy of my visa card and dropped about 800$ in one day on my card. Visa refunded the money the next day and gave me a new card.

anyone can make a copy or jot down your information.

Ravvenn · 09-05-2007, 09:53 AM

I don't know who she banks with (maybe I missed that, I was skimming it all) but my bank (Bank of America) fully protects me from fraudulent charges on my Visa check card. I had something similar happen and all she has to do is call her bank (assuming they offer the protection) and report the charges. She can say the information was stolen (use the word stolen, not lost). They will probably mail her an affidavit (sp?) to fill out for each charge.

My bank had the money back into my account in less than 24 hours and handled the rest. All I had to do was fill out the paperwork and mail it to them.

A good thing to keep in mind is when you order food by phone and use your check or credit card, you're giving them all of the information they need to make an online purchase. Not many places online require you to put in the security code (3 or 4 digit number on the card).

You can contact the places where the charges were made and they have to give you the shipping address that was used for the purchase.

I personally didn't have to press charges. In most cases, the bank will repay you and then they handle the legal crap with the companies who approved the charges (accepted a card without an ID, took online payment without billing address and/or phone number verification) and/or the person(s) who used the card to make the charges.

Edit: PS: She can't do anything until the charges go through (they have to go pass the pending status and clear).

Rythonn · 09-05-2007, 10:51 AM

I with Ravvenn, I have BofA and you just have to call the bank and they handle the rest including prosecution to get the money back. They reimburse you the customer the money with-in 1-2 days. It is as safe as a credit card. I would imagine most big banks will do the same. I would suggest having the gf call her bank and tell them she didnt make those charges and see what the policy is. No need to be all paranoid like Spronk suggest =)

Each state varies but in AZ anything over $250 is a felony.

tikkus · 09-05-2007, 05:04 PM

Its $300 bucks in KY, but she got all the money back. Everything is cool on her end, now.

All of the charges were pending and they stopped them before they went through. She failed to notify me of that information, rofl.

Marck · 09-05-2007, 05:13 PM

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.

09-04-2007, 11:16 PM	#1 (permalink)
tikkus Banned Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 1,219 -3 Internets	Debit Card Fraud (Possible Identity Theft) So here's the deal: My girlfriend (age 19) noticed today on her bank statement that two very large unauthorized charges were made to her debit card. One for $499.95 (from what the bank says was an art gallery) and another for about $130. The odd thing about this, is that she didn't lose the card -- its still in her possession. This situation brings up three possible scenarios: 1.) Someone got the card out of her purse, wrote down the information as well as her address/phone number. I'm assuming that these were online transactions for a couple of reasons. For one, the price of the art gallery purchase was simply $499.95, which leads me to believe that no tax was charged on it. For another, like I said, she's in possession of the said debit card. Also, the guy (or girl) attempted to create a Paypal account with the card as well. 2.) Someone "hacked" into her computer. I don't know the logistics of doing this. She scanned her computer for viruses and found none, so a trojan is out of the question. The only online purchases she has made has been to ecampus.com to get her college books. 3.) Identity Theft. I don't know if theres a strong possibility for this. I was under the impression that people attempting identity theft created new credit cards/loans and tried to stay under the radar as much as possible. I'm unsure how best to handle the situation with her. I've told her to get a credit report, but her mother doesn't seem to like that idea. She's already canceled her other credit cards and notified the bank. The bank gave her money back, but she will only get to keep it pending a fraud investigation. Does anyone have prior experience with this subject? Whats the likelihood that she'll get her money back? Does it sound like identity theft or just some jackass scamming hard working Americans out of cash? Would she have a lawsuit against the criminal/financial institutions? Also, if the shipping address is revealed, what would you do in this situation as the boyfriend? Of course, my first instinct is to go find the guy and beat him into oblivion, but logic tells me that jail-time isn't worth the boost to my pride. To me, the logical choice would be a brick through his windshield. I also considered spray-painting FoH:SS on his car, but I'm pretty sure someone on this board would dime me out. Any input is appreciated.

09-05-2007, 12:09 AM	#5 (permalink)
Celebrindal The Hunter Join Date: May 2003 Location: NYC Posts: 1,246 +18 Internets	Debit cards can be used as credit cards. I think she most likely got it copied down by a register clerk from a retail store/gas station etc. It's gonna be pretty hard to track whatever the reason is. She'll get her money back. Just make sure you watch who you give your card to. __________________ Join the FoH Rosetta@Home team & check out the Science Video Thread.

09-05-2007, 05:49 AM	#9 (permalink)
spronk nerd Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 1,377	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. Not to mention the fact that you are basically borrowing money for free for 1-45 days, plus learning responsibility because you pay off your monthly balance every month (and if you can't, learn to do without any plastic playment). Credit card companies are easier to deal with fraudwise as well, most reverse charges immediately. You can also create preloaded credit cards and use them at shady places or whatever, typically when I travel I'll make a few $200 precharge cards and use them at restaurants and bars and such, if someone is retarded enough to steal one fuck you, don't got shit on me. Debit cards are such a huge scam, you are basically handing over your bank account every time you use one plus the money gets taken away immediately. Find a good set of online articles regarding credit vs debit card (older women love Susie Orman so you may wanna find some by her) and convince her mom. Yes, your girlfriend is probably the victim of some sort of identity theft. If someone else knows her SSN, address, phone, age, etc it can be a big problem. Open up a credit watch account on equifax, transfax, or whatever. Call each of the agencies and tell them that she was just a victim of identity theft and to not authorize any credit pulls or new accounts without her authorization (theres a exact way to do this, not sure what it is). Opening up a paypal account is serious and not easy, you need the victims exact address, DoB, bank account, etc. The same info could be used to buy a car and so on. You need to lock down her credit data asap. Last edited by spronk : 09-05-2007 at 05:53 AM.

09-05-2007, 09:53 AM	#12 (permalink)
Ravvenn Administrator Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 1,845 +16 Internets	I don't know who she banks with (maybe I missed that, I was skimming it all) but my bank (Bank of America) fully protects me from fraudulent charges on my Visa check card. I had something similar happen and all she has to do is call her bank (assuming they offer the protection) and report the charges. She can say the information was stolen (use the word stolen, not lost). They will probably mail her an affidavit (sp?) to fill out for each charge. My bank had the money back into my account in less than 24 hours and handled the rest. All I had to do was fill out the paperwork and mail it to them. A good thing to keep in mind is when you order food by phone and use your check or credit card, you're giving them all of the information they need to make an online purchase. Not many places online require you to put in the security code (3 or 4 digit number on the card). You can contact the places where the charges were made and they have to give you the shipping address that was used for the purchase. I personally didn't have to press charges. In most cases, the bank will repay you and then they handle the legal crap with the companies who approved the charges (accepted a card without an ID, took online payment without billing address and/or phone number verification) and/or the person(s) who used the card to make the charges. Edit: PS: She can't do anything until the charges go through (they have to go pass the pending status and clear). __________________ Melia

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search
Display Modes	Rate This Thread
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode	Rate This Thread:

09-04-2007, 11:37 PM	#2 (permalink)
Usha Starchild Whatever I touch turns to Rickshaw. Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 949 -3 Internets	Credit card or debit card? Debit cards usually have a password, so unless she had that written down in her purse also..

09-04-2007, 11:43 PM	#3 (permalink)
Jabberwhacky Walker told me I have AIDS Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: In da FACE!! (two times) Posts: 2,607	Maybe she bought you some sweet-ass birthday present and is trying to hide it from you!

09-05-2007, 12:03 AM	#4 (permalink)
GuardianX Lawl, I founds teh intarweb Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 347 -31 Internets	As the boyfriend what should you do, you ask? IF the address is revealed, have the police pick the guy up and put him in jail for a while, I believe anything over 500 dollars is a fellony if I'm not mistaken and if its fraud I think there are additional charges to be had. Then at the trial when the pick is found guilty, have a panel of you and a few friends that mockingly sit there and plead on his defense from the audience (Whatever its called), that or when his sentence is delivered and he / she is found guilty, start cheering / playing music or other stupid crap that will likely piss off the persona nd possibly add to their sentence. Whatever you do, just be sure to make it known that you won, perhaps a banner or even a well written theme song for the win.

09-05-2007, 12:53 AM	#7 (permalink)
tikkus Banned Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 1,219 -3 Internets	Honestly, my theory of how it got stolen is that someone from her summer job opened her purse, wrote down/took a picture of the debit card, and got her information from either her drivers license or a payroll check. I would hate to think a guy would do this.

09-05-2007, 02:30 AM	#8 (permalink)
prescient63 You can't blame women for what they do wrong in the same way that you can't blame a dog for what it does wrong. Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 1,260 -6 Internets	My bet on what happened. She went out to eat, gave her server the credit card, he swiped on a magnetic stripe reader like this and on his merry way he went. That is the way most credit card data gets stolen. What follows is the data stored on your credit card. Hell of a lot easier and stealthier than taking pictures. Pretty sure this is up to date. As for the address all you have to do is look in the phone book and guess. The information on track one is contained in two formats -- A, which is reserved for proprietary use of the card issuer, and B, which includes the following: * Start sentinel -- 1 character * Format code="B" -- 1 character (alpha only) * Primary account number -- up to 19 characters * Separator -- 1 character * Country code -- 3 characters * Name -- 2-26 characters * Separator -- 1 character * Expiration date or separator -- 4 characters or 1 character * Discretionary data -- enough characters to fill out maximum record length (79 characters total) * End sentinel -- 1 character * Longitudinal Redundancy Check (LRC), a form of computed check character -- 1 character

09-05-2007, 09:24 AM	#11 (permalink)
Rhaze Registered User Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 896 -5 Internets	I had this happen to me at a hotel. The shady clerk made copy of my visa card and dropped about 800$ in one day on my card. Visa refunded the money the next day and gave me a new card. anyone can make a copy or jot down your information.

09-05-2007, 10:51 AM	#13 (permalink)
Rythonn Registered User Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 1,587	I with Ravvenn, I have BofA and you just have to call the bank and they handle the rest including prosecution to get the money back. They reimburse you the customer the money with-in 1-2 days. It is as safe as a credit card. I would imagine most big banks will do the same. I would suggest having the gf call her bank and tell them she didnt make those charges and see what the policy is. No need to be all paranoid like Spronk suggest =) Each state varies but in AZ anything over $250 is a felony.

09-05-2007, 05:04 PM	#14 (permalink)
tikkus Banned Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 1,219 -3 Internets	Its $300 bucks in KY, but she got all the money back. Everything is cool on her end, now. All of the charges were pending and they stopped them before they went through. She failed to notify me of that information, rofl.

09-05-2007, 05:13 PM	#15 (permalink)
Marck Registered User Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 89 -1 Internets	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.