Today is not a good day. I have officially become a victim of debit card fraud. Ugh. I never thought it could happen to me and I absolutely HATE the way this feels.
As I was surfing the web earlier today I got a little bored and decided to glance over at my bank account. I haven't been out on the town since Sunday evening so I was a bit surprised to see a purchase made today on my account. After my initial confusion, I researched more closely and found that there are a number of other charges all stemming from the Maryland area that I know nothing about beginning on November 30 through to today.
What is going on here??? After I race to call my bank, it's determined that someone has gained access to a duplicate debit card and was out there making holiday purchases with my hard earned money! While I am all about spreading holiday cheer, I don't think it's meant to be at my own expense.
Looking back at my own habits, I can already pick out a few things that I can start doing differently to make sure this does not happen again.
Here are some tips below:
1. Check your account balance daily. Be sure to check that you are not being overcharged on valid transactions and that there are no unauthorized debits taken from your account.
2. Pay with cash more often. The less you have to pull out your card and swipe those numbers in public, the better off you will be.
3. Sign up for a PayPal account. It's fast, secure, and accepted at more and more online vendors.
4. Be weary of stand alone ATM machines. It's always safer to use a franchise bank ATM, preferably your own (to avoid extra fees) than it is to use one in a corner convenience store or gas station.
5. Sign up for your bank's fraud alert program. It's always better to be safe than sorry.
Although thieves can always find a way to violate a victim, it will be less likely for you to become a target if you practice a little safety. The process has only just begun in recuperating my stolen funds, but I'm confident that I will eventually get back all that was lost. In the mean time I'm going to start applying these tips to my own daily routine in the hopes that I will never have to experience this violation again! I hope you will too.
Have you ever been the victim of identity theft or fraud? Do you have additional helpful tips to prevent this from happening? Tell us about it in the comments section.
-Alecia D.
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2 comments:
You definitley have to monitor your account, there are cyberthieves everywhere. I usually check my account once every 2 days.
Hopefully everything works out for you.
Thanks for the well wishes, Shaleia. I'm still waiting to get my debit card in the mail (Citibank is the worst), and the process of getting my money back will take weeks, but at least I caught it in the early stages.
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