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Fraud Sucks

littlekiwi

littlekiwi

I charge by the hour for anything before noon
Joined
Jan 21, 2012
Messages
10,794
Last Thursday I woke up to a text message from my bank saying I'd had a potential fraud attempt but they'd blocked my card. Not quite believing them cause you hear all of the horror stories of people trying to claim they are from your bank so I rang them and sure enough it was true. They said there was nothing I could have done, I don't keep card numbers anywhere and I still had the card in question so it wasn't a case of stolen card or stolen identity. Ended up getting a new card sent out but it made me realise how many things I use my visa debit card for even though I don't typically use it outside of online payments. I'd say 75% of the payments I make just happen to come out in the same seven business day period it takes to get my new card issued to me.So far this week, my prepaid cell phone payment bounced and I've lost all use of all of my minutes/data/texts etc that are rolled over until I pay, I've had a streaming service payment bounce - they've claimed they'll keep trying but could close my account due to non payment. I have spoken to them and they've said the complete opposite that they won't close my account so who knows and then finally Backblaze is due to bounce tonight or tomorrow.
 
Oh hun, I'm so sorry!! We've had that happen a few times - the worst being someone putting an apple watch on our card! Thank God our bank was on point and took care of it right away!! I just had my card used for a WalMart membership just this weekend! I'm waiting on my card to come in the mail as well. Hang in there, soul sister!
 
@Pachimac yes, I was grateful my bank was on to it too. Not that the fraudsters would have got much out of me anyway, its more the inconvenience of it for me thats annoying and the lack of understanding from other agencies that have had their payment bounce (its not like im not going to pay, I just need an extra week!)
 
I'm so sorry! It totally sucks. My first card number was stolen in Las Vegas. And I've had so many stolen since then. One weekend, my husband and I both had our cards stolen. That was when we gave up on our debit cards and switched to credit. We still use them like debit cards, but now when the number is stolen, it's a little less painful.

Maybe try chatting Backblaze and explain? They may be able to change the date the payment comes out for you?
 
bestcee said:
Maybe try chatting Backblaze and explain? They may be able to change the date the payment comes out for you?
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I am waiting to hear back from them at the moment, the one that's really annoyed me is the streaming service - the email said one thing (ie: we will keep trying this week but if payment doesn't go through we will cancel your account) then chat said something totally different. My cellphone is just a matter of getting a manual recharge from the local convenience store and I'll be back in business with them.
 
Fraud is the worst! We had issue after issue with debit cards so we don’t use them any more. It’s not as easy to withdraw money but at least we don’t have to worry as much about fraudulent charges. Our most recent incident was someone trying to buy seafood (crab or lobster) online with our card.
 
Sorry this happened to you. I hope you can fix it all up soon.

I'm thinking the streaming service email is just an automatic response to the card bouncing, not a human who understands your situation like when you chated. I hope it gets settle soon. Good luck!
 
Such a pain. We've had our card numbers stolen and had to get new ones three times in the last 3 decades. We never knew how they got the numbers. I watch the charges very carefully and one time noticed small charges showing up at gas stations in the area, so we reported that one. Another time someone ordered a bunch of big ticket items (one was a snowboard), so that triggered the card company to stop it down. The other time was similar in that the card company noticed suspicious activity. Each time it didn't end up costing us anything, but it was annoying and time-consuming to get our bills switched over to the new number. I hope you are able to get your accounts sorted out quickly and without too much more hassle!
 
That sucks!!! I had my card skimmed once, they figure it was a delivery driver but never did follow up if they were caught.
 
I don't use debit cards. I've had credit card numbers stolen twice (not the physical card, just the numbers). Was glad it was a credit card rather than a debit card. The credit card companies are super quick to remedy the situation and not hold you, the victim, accountable for the unauthorized purchases. It is good to set up alerts such as online/card not present alerts and spending alerts. A lot of shopping is done online, but it is good see each time there is an online purchase (including automatic payments). If one pays off their credit card every month, there is no additional interest charges. I find credit credit cards to be a win-win situation when they come with a nice rewards system.
 
ninigoesdigi said:
I'm thinking the streaming service email is just an automatic response to the card bouncing, not a human who understands your situation like when you chated. I hope it gets settle soon. Good luck!
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I'm hoping thats the case too but of all of the bounced payments thats the one I'd be least upset if I wasnt able to restart it - I literally only watch one show on it!
 
ArmyGrl said:
I don't use debit cards. I've had credit card numbers stolen twice (not the physical card, just the numbers). Was glad it was a credit card rather than a debit card. The credit card companies are super quick to remedy the situation and not hold you, the victim, accountable for the unauthorized purchases. It is good to set up alerts such as online/card not present alerts and spending alerts. A lot of shopping is done online, but it is good see each time there is an online purchase (including automatic payments). If one pays off their credit card every month, there is no additional interest charges. I find credit credit cards to be a win-win situation when they come with a nice rewards system.
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I am just like you, Lisa. :)

Also never ever keep a credit card number on file at a store etc. Re any on line purchase if I use it with my credit card, I scan computer first then add the card I use ONLY for internet purchases, and then after purchase I delete my card number from account and then re scan computer :) I have a Credit Card I use specifically for on line.. the only place that has my card number is Adobe for my monthly service.

So sorry Jennifer.
 
@cfile I don't keep my card numbers anywhere online either except for a few automatic payment kind of things (Adobe, Backblaze, MS Office etc), anything like TLP or the like I manually enter the numbers just for my own peace of mind. I didn't think to do a virus scan before/after though but thats a good idea.
 
Yeah, it is such a huge pain when you have to get a new card and then figure out all the online places you need to update the new number.
 
Fraud does suck! I’m sorry you have to deal with this but at least the banks are good about identifying fraud and taking those charges off.
 
I ended up setting up a small bank account many years ago to use with Paypal at a different bank than my main account. I keep the balance small so that if Paypal/that account would get hacked they aren't getting a whole lot. With Paypal now being accepted as a payment source for lots of places, I have added my one credit card to it so large purchases can be bought with it. That way those companies don't have my card number. The debit card for that bank account has never been used anywhere, it is just to connect to paypal!

I had my debit card compromised once after using it for a small purchase online. I happened to notice a couple of withdrawals within 3 days. I called the bank, told them what was going on and they got on it right away. They refunded the money saying it would take several days (it was a Friday), closed that card and reissued another one. I had the money back in 4 hours! The card came a week later. I only use that card at one place in person and it is not saved for any online vendor. I have the one credit card that is used for that. I check it every couple of days. I also have identity theft insurance.

Now a story about Martha (Dad's SO). Back in 2003 she had small amount taken out of her bank account. 5 cents to 5 dollar amounts over a period of a month. If I remember right it ended up being about $50 total. Martha did not do online banking at that time so had to wait for the paper statement to see that it was happening. Martha also did no online shopping and paid with check or cash for all her bills. She brought it to the attention of her bank and they started investigating (refunded the money as well). The local police were notified as well. In the end after an investigation that ended up in federal hands, it turns out it was a theft ring being run out of Michigan and Pennsylvania (which is why feds got involved). The bank information was obtained from checks being processed for payments of bills. With the routing numbers and account numbers, they could set up the withdrawals easily. The small amounts were tests and they never got to the point of getting the large amounts from her account. The only bill she had that it could have been was her cable provider... Comcast. All her other bills were local companies. Whether anyone was ever charged and/or convicted I don't know. Her bank had told her what they knew about 6 to 9 months after it happened and at that time it was out of their hands since it was a scam over state lines.
 
Last spring I had a $1,500-ish charge to my credit card for a hotel in the Ukraine. Thankfully my cc company caught it. Funny thing was a friend of mine also got a fraudulent charge for the same hotel that very same day. Then we found out that an online friend had the same thing happen a few weeks earlier.

I only use my debit card to take money out of the ATM or via the teller at my bank, otherwise I use a cc or PayPal and PayPal is only linked to my cc, not a bank account.

I hop you get everything straighten out quickly.
 
@littlekiwi I am so sorry. Like most everyone else who has posted in this thread, we've had issues with stolen card numbers. Heck, I even had someone steal my identity to obtain employment. That was a mess with the IRS. I hope you get everything resolved quickly!
 
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