Debit card thieves

How do these morons get the numbers, and how are they allowed to buy with only the number. I got a call from my bank Monday, about some fraudulent charges that they thought were not from me. My bank will not pay the vendor that sold the items, which were gift cards at a Walmart in Maryland. I suppose I will just go back to carrying cash, but I work in some of the worst areas in St Louis. So, I don't like to carry a bunch of money.
This is the third time it has happened to us, but at least our bank holds the vendor liable. The problem is that it tied up money for a few days. There has to be a way to catch these thieves, then hang em high!

Skimmers at gas stations and such is one way.

The banks have a certain sequence of numbers that are constant. So basically what they need to do is get a few digits that aren't and put in an expiration date and walla. they have a CC with you as the lein holder.

I once had my numbers stolen. They tried to buy a high priced "escort" using it. My CC company caught it pretty quick. The conversation with the CC girl was pretty interesting.
"Ummm sir have you been in Houston lately?"

"Uhhhh No why?"

" Well ummm someone tried to use your card to purchase ummmm well sir they tried to purchase an escort. We blocked the charge."

"Wait You're telling me that someone tried to buy a hooker with my card and you guys blocked it?"

"Yes sir"

"That's fantastic.... I wonder how many people can say their CC company CB'ed a scammer?"

Rule number one: Don't use debit cards. If you want to use plastic, use credit cards, they're much easier to dispute. Many times it can be difficult or impossible to recoup money that has been stolen out of a checking (debit) account.

Thats awesome. I am just glad that I get my money back.

Afraid it will get worse before it gets better! Hopefully we will get a handle on these scammers and GOVERNMENT hackers before it is to late.

Now days it almost seems like you have to pay a service , so you can keep what is yours. I am going to retire in 3-4 years, and I don't want to get wiped out. Credit and debit cards are handy while traveling, so I'll keep both for now. That could change in the future!

I've been hit with identity theft twice in the past year or so. Once for around a couple grand and once for around six hundred. I got my money back but it was a real pain.

The bank told me there was no way of knowing who hit me or how and it costs them more money to pursue it than it does to take the hit and write it off. I wanted a name and an address so I could go punch someone in the face but it didn't go my way.

This last time, they got me for $670.00, and it was all on gift cards. I wish the culprits name and address could be posted, for the pleasure of others. Lol

Really puts into perspective how much banks make to write off these losses.


I work with this on a regular basis and their default has always been to reissue. But in my cases it's someone that has cashed a check but says they've never received it.

Identify theft like this has gotten out of hand. Why rob a bank? You almost certainly WILL be caught, when you can simply do what they did to you (and me too) and probably get away with it a few times, then, when the gig is up, trash the card, get another one. Honestly, it doesn't seem like they're held accountable very often. My grandmother is almost 90. Last year, two pieces of dung grabbed her purse. They went on a "tank up everyone you know's car and Taco Bell binge" until they were caught a week later (the card was deactivated quickly). They barely got a slap on the wrist. No prison time, nothing. Ridiculous.



Need to start putting these pieces of dung where they belong, alive or not. Until then, it's going to continue happening every single day.

my solution would be to tell vendors who take the cards at in person store they can recoup up to 100 dollars of their loss with information leading to an arrest.
cash money for good surveillance video and you will see everyplace that can putting in a good camera at point of sale.



how they get your info , so many ways had skimmers at a local gas station here , they had a camera that watched you enter your pin also , go out to eat the waitress can take a quick picture of your card front and back and they have everything they need for online purchases.

postal police would be great since if they have ti shipped I think it would count as mail fraud the regular driver pulls up asks you to sign for the package and the USPS cop makes the arrest that would be great.


but right now I don't think enough places put a priority on it

my aunt was a VP for a small bank in my home town my aunt and uncle stopped getting mail for a few days , thought it was odd went to the post office to find out their mail had been forwarded , some people had taken out several credit cards in their name and run up about 10K in purchases.they thought ahead to have the mail forwarded to keep them from finding out the cards were taken out.

online order with store pick up is going to make this worse , you show up with just an order confirmation number in some cases to pick up the stuff.

Our society treats thieves like endangered species. Then need to be dealt with as an invasive species.
My bank said that the caught it, and they do not pay the vendor, which this time is a walmart in Md.

Had my debit card charged around 4-500 on iTunes. I don't use iTunes and I was overseas visiting family at the time of the charges. Apple was good about it they flagged the charges immediately and refunded the money to my account.

Have a buddy that just got a call today. The foreigner said that they were the IRS and he owed 4300.00 and that he needed to pay up now because there was a warrant for his arrest and he is looking at 5 years in prison. He is 76 years old and it scared him to death. Thankfully he didn't give them any information.

Wifes debit information was used at a Dollar General someplace in Missouri for over $800 dollars. I would think that $800 of purchases at a dollar general at one time would raise a red flag with the cashier. None of it was gift cards as they require cash for gift cards.

mainstream ways they get your card info; skimmers, hacking, and I think it's called a rfdi reader (the person with it just needs to be close to you and it automatically reads and saves all of your cards info from the magnetic strip.

I had some lady use my ssn for work. IRS showed up saying in owe $2500 in back taxes. That was a fun process top clear up.

Waggler is correct. Avoid debit cards if you can.

My bank will not accept any out of state charges unless I call them and let them know where Ill be. And when I will return.

I know that because I have forgotten to contact them and had my purchase not accepted with that card. They lock down my card until they hear from me.

As mentioned, CC are good at working with you in the event of stealing.

At least mine are.

It must be difficult at those large gas stations with a lot of people , while traveling.

What a pain.

I have only used debit cards for the last 5 years or so, and I just never really wanted one. I guess I will go back to cash, and keep a credit card for traveling. I have a wallet that is supposed to be scanner proof, but it won't help when the card is out! I could not even prove that the wallet works.
On another note, where we are working is not in the best area! We have people all day long asking for handouts, and we send em packin. I won't willingly hand my money to a twenty something, healthy, turd, lazy bum. We watch at least 20 dope deals a day, right in plain sight. So, none of us carry much cash with us. We do carry hot lead injectors though!

Just curious what you might need cash for on a daily basis ?? I'll bet I haven't used cash 5 times in the last year.. Everything is credit card for me. Much safer !

CC for all online, non local purchases. If it gets hacked (has happened twice to me) the CC company deletes charges , cancels card, and issues new card. No big deal. If a debit card they take your money and if you do actually get it back it takes a long time.

I don't like using credit cards, but it is safer than cash. When we use one of our cards, we pay it off before any charges apply.

Yep I do the same thing. I would rather have a CC stolen than cash or a debit card.

Just seen this, ironic as I have been considering a debit card with my credit union. I have never ever had either, always cash, a pay as you go type. The Mrs. and I only borrow for our transportation needs, a car and truck, only debt we have. But I would like to buy online every now and then, currently I ask my son to get what I want online and just give him cash. I was thinking something like a debit card I could deposit say $400-$500 I can count that high month to month, And that is all its good for what I deposit. Never used for gas at the pump. Just would be easier it seems. Would I be able to limit a CC the same way? What would be better for my simple needs? Traveling does seem safer or more convenient for emergencies with something like that. Credit Card or Debit Card?? Seems credit cards are credit and debit cards just tap money that I deposit, is that correct?

Yes, a credit card is just that, credit!
A debit card is using a checking account. There may be other types, but I don't know. From what I'm getting out of this thread is, credit cards are safer. Pay it off every month. A friend had a Cabela's credit card, used it for everything on the job, and was reimbursed every month. He kept the card payed off every month. By doing this, he used someone else's money, to pile up Cabela's freebie points.

I'm not clear on why a credit card is safer than a debit card?

I use one of my two debit cards (business acct and personal acct.) almost daily. Both are Mastercards issued by my bank. I use them as credit cards so I don't have to enter a PIN.

I've been ripped off once when some scam company sent me $50.00 worth of vitamins I didn't order and informed me that they would arrive monthly. The charge used the numbers on the debit card attached to my personal checking account. My bank canceled the card, put the money back in my account withing a few days and issued me a new card.

I had my debit card numbers stolen couple years ago....the thieves went on a shopping spree in Tennessee at some mall, and after all that hard shopping with my money they rented a hotel room also to rest their tired feet.....just wrong....

Did you get your money back?

AS I retired LEO who handled many identity theft cases, I use a credit card for everything. I pay it off every month. I pay it twice a month to make sure I pay no interest. Debit cards are not good. Once your money is gone its gone you have to beg for it back, even if you just have to wait a few days to get your money back its your money. I use a bass pro credit card. ME and my wife pay everything with it. I mean everything that I can. I can look at any charges on my account in an instant using their app on my phone. You can get alerts sent to your phone for purchases.

I gain between $700 to $1000 a year in bass pro points. Its free money. I can dispute any charge before I pay it unlike a debit card where if they dont catch it your money is gone. I can also track every purchase and see what I am spending money on. I have never had an issue with it. If someone like target gets hacked they issue me a new card just to protect me. I dont even ask them to do it they do it on their own. I hardly every carry cash.

This works for me. It also helps your credit score which a debit card does not. I support my hunting/trapping habits with the points. I also buy xmas gifts for the wife and kids with them. FREE MONEY!!!!

I also understand that some people are tempted to spend more than they have with a credit card. You have to stick to paying it off every month. Pretend its a debit card.

Yes I did get my money back...took a couple days...problem at that time I only had my bank card with me and it got declined at the gas pump because the bank closed the card, that's fine but I had no cash on me to get gas, I now always make sure I have a small stash of cash just in case this happens again....

Monday the bank called me, my wife went to the bank, and I had a new card the same day.

^^^^^^^^ THIS^^^^^^^^^^^

This is what I do also. I cash my points in for gift cards in November each year and give them out as Christmas gifts. It makes Christmas shopping a lot easier and cheaper. Like he said it's free money.

Thanks guys. A better credit score is not what I am looking for, I was paying cash for my new 2016 truck last year but another $5000 rebate could be had if financed through GM for at least 6 months, at that time score was 836ish. I use cash a lot for tips and small stuff, I just have been a pay as you go person all my life. If I wanted something I knew how much cash was in my pocket, if I had enough I bought, if not I did not. I manage a maintenance crew at a couple golf courses, I pass out fives and tens a lot to the young crew for good hard work, and they do work hard for me. It is a motivator for those young folks. That said Was looking to make a safe small purchase now and then from a place like Midway, F&T and others places most likely never over a couple hundred dollars. These would be maybe a couple times a month or less. Wifes Durango is financed at zero% or would have paid cash. I financed just enough to maintain a credit score, as I do buy and sell a house or land or whatever I can turn a buck on, hillbilly hustling. Never have borrowed what I could not pay off right away if need be. Just trying to decide if I kept say $500 bucks in a checking acct with a debit card and was scammed that is all that can be had correct? Northern Mi cash works well for small daily needs. But I have heard noise that the employer may require direct deposit instead of a real live check. Now I get a check, cash it take my allowance and give my wife the rest, she is the bookkeeper, and a good one for 40 years.

That would be correct UNLESS that checking account has overdraft protection. Then you have a problem

Paul, if I walked up to your booth at Evart Mi do you take plastic? Dang I feel ignorant about this stuff, still using a flip phone too, what a texting cluster that is. Just a old dog trying to learn a new trick. Just worried the thieves nowadays think up scams faster than I can keep up. The girl at my credit union seem to like a debit card, I do have a unused checking account with $5 in it. But I like the sound of free money that your talking about with a credit card. Just never trusted anything that was just "free"

They must teach this stuff in school today, I hope.

I would bet they don't unfortunately

Yes, I accept credit cards. I process them right there on site with a secure access to my merchant account.

I have been doing the "free money" thing for years. I use my PNC points Visa card. Its important to pay it off every month to avoid finance charges.

Capital One offered me their Visa Spark card last year. They offered to pay me $500. if I charged a minimum of $4,500. total in the first three billing cycles. I took them up on it. I fulfilled that requirement in the first month, paid it off, got my $500. and haven't used it since.

Dang I guess I should check those credit card offers more often! I might have thrown away a deal or two like that! I rarely get a cc offer though I pay off my bill every month so I am not making the cc company any money. My wife on the other hand gets a offer a day since she doesnt pay off her cc bills. But she does make the monthly payment on time if I remind her, she is a cc companies dream card holder.

No red flag when the clerk gets a percentage.

I've had much more bother with credit cards being misused and messed with then my debit cards, hardly ever use the credit cards any more,,guess it's where and how one uses either one !

Now that is a good deal!!

I wondered how Biblical prophesy would come about dealing with the mark of the beast and 666. We've basically become the cashless society the Bible predicted and we did it voluntarily.

I got my money back both times but on one occasion it was tied up for the better part of a month while the bank did their investigation.

Cash back credit cards are great! We have been using one for years. Cash back applies to most all purchases made with the card. We buy everything (gas, groceries, meals out, essentials, Dr bills, utility bills, etc) with the card and as soon as the monthly statement comes in, we pay it off from our checking account electronically from home and don't pay a cent in interest. Very easy and safe. You get cash back on all purchases made with the card. Why not do that and get the cash back instead of letting the bank keep it? It adds up quick.

You get hit with interest when/if you don't pay it off by the monthly statement due date. If you want to learn more about it, do a Google search for "Cash Back Cards" and read the offers, qualifying purchases, and info from the various credit card companies. Your bank customer service rep can also explain the benefits.

Dave

The CC banks don't just make money on charging the holders interest on their purchases. They also make 1-2% off of the merchants on every purchase. My business selling produce at the Farmer's market now accepts Square reader, but I pay 2.75% of the purchase to Square.

The cheapest supermarket in our area for everything is Winco, and they don't accept CC purchases for that very reason. But they do accept debit cards because they don't get charged a fee from the banks.

Incidentally, my debit card got skimmed last summer and a $35 purchase in Walmart in Alanta, Georgia was made. My bank told me that almost always that small purchases like that were the norm because the crooks think that they won't be detected. What really was shocking to me is that the crook also had my pin #! But I got my money back in about a 9-10 days and a new card immediately.