Hi ladies
When trying to check my debit card balance today I found out it had been frauded and it attempted to purchases things off several websites and publix. Thankfully only about $10 was in the account at the time so the purchases were denied. The lady on the phone was very nice and canceled my card and will send me a new one. She said my bank account was fine and I didn't need to do anything else. What should I do now? This has never happened to me before and i don't want to just let it go. I had been on vacation for the past few weeks and hadn't used my card at all and the only other time I used it was at target where swiped it myself and papa johns where it was swiped for me. Its horrible timing too because we are in the process of moving and I really need a card to set up utilities and such.
Feeling stressed and needing advice! Thanks.
You will probably never know how the number was stolen. The card is canceled, just move on. This happens more than you would imagine.
My card was recently used by someone too :( I saw a charge on my account I didn't recognize. Thankfully it was just $2.99! I called the bank & they canceled my card & issued a new one, as your bank is doing for you. They told me it would take 7 to 10 business days to get it, but it was actually only 3 or 4 business days!
Do you have checks? You should be able to use that for utilities. If you don't have your new card in time, just ask the utility company(ies) what you can do. (Cash, check, money order??)
You reported it stolen, so that's a good step.
I'd review the tips here: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/
Can you set up auto pay with the utilities?
I feel your pain just last week I got 2 emails thanking me for buying 49.99 Microsoft points cards from Walmart.com. I saw red after i checked my debit card to make sure it wasn't spam sure enough I was down 100 :(. I gotta wait 7-10 days to get my $ back sighs at least i'll get ity back but I agree tooo many people doing that lately
This happened to my son. They got his debit card number. We were told to call the police and file a police report, which we did. BofA sent him a new card and replaced money taken out of his account. Thank goodness it was only $100.
I would file a police report.
You really do not need to do anything else. You are getting a new card.
Once they blocked your card, the connection between the card and your account is dead. The new card they are issuing you will have different numbers, etc. so you're good there.
Do you use your debit card to pay your utilities? You could use Online BillPay for that - if your financial institution charges for it consider switching to one that doesn't.
The majority of fraud at this time is where retailers have gotten hacked - like the TJ Maxx breach several years ago.
Cards are still more secure than checks because once the card is blocked, its done and over.
Good luck with your move
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It is possible that a company that processes for either Target or Papa John's was hacked. There have been a lot of those lately. When a card is compromised, the bank will shut it down and issue a new one. If you have to use your debit card for paying utilities, make sure whomever you give the info to is authorized and make sure you are not in a public place when you provide the info.
Unfortunately, with the advance of technology, there is an advance of fraud. The only thing you can really do is be diligent with your accounts, be careful using your information and take action ASAP if needed.
Also, one thing that you could do, if you are really nervous about it, setup an account that is not tied to the card but is tied to the checking account. Then when you need to access your money, you can move the amount you need to the checking account and just keep a smaller amount in the card account. I did this for a while so I could not access my money easily. I needed to spend $100 at Target on Sat, I moved $100 on Friday.
