Watch you bank/debit cards!!

Theft in Canada? Say it aint so, Tom!

Sorry to hear. Hope you get it sorted out.

 

Do you have any idea where the theft occured? Do you think a store commited this fraud, or maybe an employee? And, do you just cover up the keypad on the card reader when you input your pin?

This really bugs me because I use my debit card for everything. I never write checks (except paying bills by mail), and I carry very little cash. Usually less than $20.00.

 

I've NEVER use my debit card for anything but withdrawing cash at an ATM. And even at that, I always go to an ATM from MY bank. Unfortunately, this type of fraud is all too common.

My only advise is that you keep a minimal/necessay amount of cash in your account that's accessible by your debit card. Or better yet, ask your bank to limit (say 500$) the maximum daily amount that can be withdrawn from you account via your debit card.

 

I used to as well. Then too many of these things started happening. Now I use my CC every where. End of month pay off CC.

CC companies are much forgiving/helpful than your bank.

try it.

 

I've heard that some scammers put those magnetic strips you slide your CC through on random hidden ATM's to confuse people on which card reader to slide it through. When they slide it through the fake one it collects their information off the CC. I've even heard that some scammers put fake ATM's that always end up giving you the "Out of money" when you make an attempt to withdraw money and make out with your CC's information. Imagine how many peoples CC's it could get in less than 2 hours?

 

What's the big deal? The same thing happened to me, the bank called me, and I got my account credited the same day. No need to turn into a technophobe over something like this.

 

It is when the bank turns around and say its your fault, and then you get Bank Raped up the A55....
Have to pay the debt back.

Shoot em all i say...

 

I thought aussies like canadians are peaceful people?

 

Aw...come on Mike! Does this mean we won't be troll hunting together anymore?

But seriously, if you don't catch the fraud quickly, it will indeed become bank rape. One reason for this is that some unscrupulous customers will try to pass legitimate transactions as fraudulent, in order to make some fast cash. And unfortunately, this has led many financial institutions to take the "guilty till proven innocent" approach in these matters.

 

I have a debit card that works like a VISA card. I had some choad in Spain somehow get my number and charge $5k in jewelry at some store, then he charged $2k in clothes somewhere else.

He did not have the card - so WHAT KIND of Jewelery and clothes stores allow $5k transactions without seeing the card OR having the "security code" and shipping to a different address than the bill-to address?

I got the money back, but it took 18 days. THey said it can take up to 30 days. If those bastards had cleaned out my account, then all me checks and charges would have dipped into my overdraft and cost me $25 a pop and over 30 days, that probably would have been a couple of grand!

So I now have a seperate account for the debit card, one for payroll, one for petty cash for employees who have cards, and one for our main savings account and nothing is tied to my savings acct!

 

My bank sent me a new debit card in the mail a couple months ago. I called them back and said there must be some problem because my old card had not expired and the new one has a different account number. The bank said that a particular online merchant's database might have been compromised and as a measure of caution my bank was issuing all of us who had done business with that merchant new cards. Made me feel like someone really does look after me.

 

thanks for heaeds up

 

I have an account with the Royal Bank of Canada, and I got a call from their security department as well. I had to come in for a new card, and change my PIN. The only place and time I ever use my card is when I am in Montreal, and I use it at the same machine every time. They said the reason for all this is because they believe that someone was accessing accounts from that machine somehow. Luckily, no money was removed from my account.

Was yours a Royal Bank account as well?

 

I don't now if it is actually any safer, but when I'm shopping, I always push the credit button instead of entering my pin....it makes me feel safer anyway.

 

I work for a bank and am in contact with customers all day long. Make sure who it is that is calling you about your account information because we have had numerous customers that have received calls from people claiming to be from our bank and saying that there has been "fraudulent activity" on their account and then must give their card number and acct numbers to verify that they still have the card and yada yada yada. Youd be surprised ( and saddened) at how many people will actually give their sensitive information out and even go so far as to "verify their pin #'s" with these crooks!!!!
Not trying to discredit any financial institution's security departments, but this new wave of "phishing" for information is real and happening now.

 

Thank you for the reminder, my fellow Tom. Beware, ne'er-do-wells! Sometimes, we Toms of the Northern Hemisphere are loaded in more ways than one! *hic* -$ *hic* Boom! *hic* Boom-boom!

If I use a Debit card at a retail location, I do not use the ATM option, rather, I treat it as a Credit Card. Zero interest in more ways than one.

 

You should also never let your card out of your sight if possible. I read where an employee at a local gas station had a portable card reader and would read the magnetic strips and then reproduce your card. also heard this has happened at restaurants. Many restaurants now can come right to your table and scan your card to avoid this. You should always press credit as the fee is usually higher on debt purchases. The best protection I have found is use one card which I check online everyday, Plus I can use this as a tracking device on my wife

 

I read that some waiters were arrested in NYC a while back. They had readers in their aprons and would swipe the card when they took it to charge the tab.

When I use my debit card places I always run it as a credit card so I don't have to enter my pin in public. Mostly I use a credit card and then just pay that with my debit card.

 

I am a corporate investigator for one of the world's largest retailers and I started an investigation about 9 weeks ago regarding fraudulant credit card activity in our stores. I have stopped $118k in the last 9 weeks so that is almost a $13k a week avg.

Credit/Debit card fraud is increasing at a HUGE rate and the consumer public is VERY ignorant to how much a problem credit card theft really is. I only use 1 account myself and I am always watching the balance on it. I have become much more suspect of when I use my card now.

 

"Sorry but **** you!"