Debit card compromised

[beyerjf]

I was "skimmed" at a gas pump north of Houston TX. Someone installed a reader at one of the pumps not in line of sight to the cashier. Or it might have been done with their knowledge. They charged 3 $99 tanks of gas with the number before fraud detection at Charles Schwab Bank picked it up, all within hours of the fraudulent activity. No charge to me, the operator of the gasoline station who sold the petrol is on the hook. Didn't require a verifying zip code, so tough luck. 

Look for a seal that is installed over the lock accessing the reader, or the door. No seal, go in and pay. There are only about 5 key/lock cylinders that open almost all the pumps in the country. 

I travel constantly, so everything Dp26 mentioned is good procedure. And Docj is right about the protection for debit cards, although I keep a relatively low balance in the account in the event things go haywire. 

[Pete Kildow]

Everytime our CC was hacked. Was outside Diesel pumps, at WalMart. The end pumps there most times. Will for sure get your card number. Figure the Sorry bums think, most RV's are traveling. And they can get more time before its found.

Last time our CC# was stolen. $900.oo worth of drinks at a 5 STAR Resort in Fl. But the guy that used the #. Got his that evening. He ran into a ICC Bumper staggering drunk. Report was his car had hundreds of CC numbers in it.

[remoandiris]

16 hours ago, docj said:

With all due respect this is incorrect. 

Good to know.  However, I stand by my statement of credit card USERS being the cause of their financial ruin, not the tool (card) itself.

[Big5er]

On 4/14/2018 at 9:46 AM, remoandiris said:

Good to know.  However, I stand by my statement of credit card USERS being the cause of their financial ruin, not the tool (card) itself.

Oh absolutely. It must be the owners lack of due diligence.  Surely we wouldn't want to blame the crook. 

I have stopped being amazed by the silly shi..stuff I read here. 

 

[Pat & Pete]

24 minutes ago, Big5er said:

Oh absolutely. It must be the owners lack of due diligence.  Surely we wouldn't want to blame the crook. 

I have stopped being amazed by the silly shi..stuff I read here. 

 

Short of the always present crook , the fault is apathy .

It would be nice , otherwise , but then maybe you wouldn't have a job and folks could do giving a shi.. about anything a real run . LOL

 I'm amazed on a regular basis of some of the things on this and many other sites .

[remoandiris]

On 4/15/2018 at 1:31 PM, Big5er said:

Oh absolutely. It must be the owners lack of due diligence.  Surely we wouldn't want to blame the crook. 

I have stopped being amazed by the silly shi..stuff I read here. 

 

Maybe you should go back and read the post that I initially quoted.  The OP blamed credit cards for the financial ruin of people he had seen over the years.  It had NOTHING to do with the scumbag who stole his info.  

[GlennWest]

2 hours ago, remoandiris said:

Maybe you should go back and read the post that I initially quoted.  The OP blamed credit cards for the financial ruin of people he had seen over the years.  It had NOTHING to do with the scumbag who stole his info.  

No, people were recommending using a CC.  May be a better way but I have seen so many ruined by CC. I just don't feel good about them. I'm sure we could actually make money with one. 

[SWharton]

The cc is not the cause of financial ruin, it is the user who is the cause.

I don't see any real difference in the use of a credit card vs a debit card. As soon as we charge something we put it in Quicken. We pay all cc in full every month.

It is the people who charge everything and don't pay it back completely each month that are the problem. They are just in self-destruct mode with the rolling ball of debt.

The crooks are an annoyance in today's society.

I just read that there are around 30 restaurants now that will not take cash. I know that is where we are heading longer term.

[GlennWest]

The real difference is when fraud happens. We have 900ish tied up until it resolved. CU says 7-10 days. 

 

 

 

[justRich]

 

I use credit card only - almost never debt.  Never lost a dime.  
Using the Costco credit card strictly for fuel - and get 5% back on the first $7,000. spent.
My regular everyday CC was rattling the banks nerves at times when traveling across state lines.  They were never quite sure where I was making purchases.  So they asked if they could use my cell phone for tracking me - and since I do banking on line with them I thought it quite appropriate.  (They don't actually "track" me.  But they can verify where my cellphone is verses were the purchase is being made.)   Debit card technology seems a bit old school.

 

[GlennWest]

Well I am definitely old school. Also never even seen a Costco

 

[Randyretired]

I received an alert from cc about charges in Nevada and Arizona then 30 minutes later a gas charge in Iowa.  The Iowa charge was not ours.  They made a copy of our card and charged $200 of gas with a card reader.  We use cc for most everything and have to get a reissued card every year or 2 due to fraud.  The rewards do add up over time.

[bigbillsd]

Its been 10 years since I carried a Debit Card.   After $5k was pilfered from my checking account after it being skimmed at a gas station pump.    The most telling part of the whole ordeal was the Fraud Analyst told me none of his coworkers carried debit cards due to the money being taken directly from your checking account.   The light-bulb went on!    I had to wait 45 days for the bank to reimburse me the $5k.   Luckily I didn't live paycheck to paycheck by that time in my life like lots of folks do.  I cannot imagine what that would have been like.

Bottom line, I only accept ATM cards from my bank,  no visa or M/C logo.  I only use them at my banks ATM and cover my pin input with other my other hand or body if there is clear line of site. 

And I only carry credit cards now!    When they are hacked, the money is out of THEIR account, not mine.  

For online purchase I have been using Virtual Account Numbers for all purchases.  Citi Bank calls them VAN's,  BofA called them Shopsafe and i think there are others.    They are awesome,  I mostly use them as a single use number for a specific amount.  That way they can only be  charged by one merchant code, and up to the max I set.   I also setup some reoccurring numbers with a max total charge over a year period for things like Phone bills,  utilities,   any reoccurring payment.  I also generate a number for any phone purchases.   All these vendors type your card number into a computer and it will get hacked, its only a matter of time. 

So far the best card I have found is the Citi Double card.  2% cash back, no limit, no yearly fee and they include the VAN service.   

Good Luck.   Just remember, if you use a debit card, you better have a bank account that isn't linked to it so you can transfer money back in after the hack is found.  No matter what you do, eventually you will be hacked, so plan for it. 

-Bill

[docj]

Although I'm reluctant to introduce another tangent for this discussion to go down, the use of Google Pay (Android pay)  and, probably, Apple Pay, is another way of avoiding having your card information misused.  Google makes a big deal about the fact that a "one time number" is used rather than your actual account number.  Since my phone is fingerprint protected, fraudulently accessing it is less likely.  The Pay app won't work unless the phone is unlocked and on the Home screen.  I have both a debit card and a credit card linked to my Google Pay account (not all card issuers are compatible with it).

Additionally, if you hate to carry an ATM card, Wells Fargo makes it possible to withdraw from an ATM using only your phone.  Although I haven't tried it, all one needs to do is access the Wells app and obtain a one-time code which is entered in the ATM. 

Maybe wallets (and purses) will become obsolete!

[GlennWest]

All that foreign language to me

[rickeieio]

1 hour ago, docj said:

Maybe wallets (and purses) will become obsolete!

Have you ever thought of what would happen if the internet crashes?  

I always have enough cash on hand to carry me through some rough spots.  I used to keep $1/mile for the distance we wondered from home.  Now, with inflation and the complexity of our rigs, I question that.  I don't mind putting cash back in the bank when we get home.

[GlennWest]

update, just this morning, 4/20/18 got our money replaced. 

[Sehc]

Glenn, glad you posted the result. My Ally Debit was hacked, it took two days for the money to be returned, but 7 days to get the new card. I could have kept the same card but didn't trust that.

[GlennWest]

The Houston branch of our CU makes the cards. We are only 30ish miles from there. Just drove up there. no waiting on mail.

[justRich]

On 4/18/2018 at 10:56 AM, GlennWest said:

All that foreign language to me

I hear you.
For a long time I resented that my "phone" was being used for other purposes - "apps" and whatnot.
But I  determined to not be that town who (sometime in the 2005) was the last town to have land-line phone service installed.
Even in the 50's there were people that didn't have phones.  

And while I'm set in my ways, I'm not oblivious or adverse to myself learning new technology.  Up until recently, I simply did not know how quickly and how far technology has advanced.
I was aware of a few smartphone technologies but it wasn't until I found and used "Uber" to make a trip to the airport, and then used it again in Panama City and Mexico City to get around town (much cheaper than taxi's).   

I've come to realize that my "phone" is really a miniaturized computer with the ability to do many things.  The term "cell phone" is almost misleading, since the "phone" ability is a small part of what the little handheld machine can do.

I hope that I don't sound condescending, smart-alec, or similar.  It just that I think that see myself echoed in your post and hope that this may help, much the same way as if I could demonstrate any other new tool.