Someone keeps stealing my CC's.. advice?

[LUBaseball2]

So a little back story about 3 weeks ago someone stole my debit card information and used that to try to make a swiped purchase at a grocery store for $95 in Miami, Florida and the bank caught it and canceled my card and sent me a new one. Today Discover sent me an e-mail and someone tried making about 9 transactions on my card in New York all swiped purchases at Target Home Depot and some other place. I'm assuming somehow they can make some kinda counterfeit cards? Is there anything I should do to help prevent this or anything. Just looking for advice I'm tired of this crap.

 

[98$vt]

This happened to my girlfriends father. He checked into identity theft stuff if I could remember correctly.

 

[01bluesnake]

I've had weird stuff happen as well recently. I had my Citi card canceled about a month back due to weird transactions, and now my bank card about two weeks ago with same issues.

 

[DaleM]

People laugh at me for shredding my trash mail. Never hand my CC info stolen.

 

[VRYALT3R3D]

People laugh at me for shredding my trash mail. Never hand my CC info stolen.

I do this as well. I never had any of my CC info stolen.

 

[five.slow]

People laugh at me for shredding my trash mail. Never hand my CC info stolen.

took me losing my wallet 1 time to start BURNING my sensitive information. my walled flew out of my pocket while running inside when it was raining and the next day someone took a good little trip from south carolina to north carolina. i didnt know my card was missing until noon the next day. since then iv been like a damn hawk on my credit scores/hits and my bank. its a shame people cannot just put forth that much effort into getting a real job instead of stealing shit.

 

[PaladinMan187]

I use my card in the worst places and have no issue with reading it to vendors over the phone *tons of car parts purchases around town here* and using it ALL OVER the place online. Never had an issue *knock on wood*. I'm praying it doesn't happen to me tho.

 

[Kevins89notch]

So a little back story about 3 weeks ago someone stole my debit card information and used that to try to make a swiped purchase at a grocery store for $95 in Miami, Florida and the bank caught it and canceled my card and sent me a new one. Today Discover sent me an e-mail and someone tried making about 9 transactions on my card in New York all swiped purchases at Target Home Depot and some other place. I'm assuming somehow they can make some kinda counterfeit cards? Is there anything I should do to help prevent this or anything. Just looking for advice I'm tired of this crap.

First step is to not use a debit card. Using credit puts one more layer between the plastic and your real money. Second, there isn't ANYTHING you can really do.

The prepay slot at the gas station could have a skimmer on it, your server at Apple Bees could write down your info, or the magazine subscription you have, their database could be hacked.

This goes back to the first thing I said, don't use debit. I've had my credit card "compromised" now 2-3 times. It's no big deal. I get a call saying it happened, and asking if the charges are legit. First time was a $800 TV at best buy in GA, and the second time was $8 at a post office in CA. NO! Both times the charges were dropped without me doing anything what so ever, and a new car was shipped overnight. The second time happened at like 4pm my time on a friday, and I had my new card by 11am Saturday.

The only real hassle is logging into paypal/amazon and changing my billing info.

 

[mysterio]

So a little back story about 3 weeks ago someone stole my debit card information and used that to try to make a swiped purchase at a grocery store for $95 in Miami, Florida and the bank caught it and canceled my card and sent me a new one. Today Discover sent me an e-mail and someone tried making about 9 transactions on my card in New York all swiped purchases at Target Home Depot and some other place. I'm assuming somehow they can make some kinda counterfeit cards? Is there anything I should do to help prevent this or anything. Just looking for advice I'm tired of this crap.

This similar thing happened to a friend of mine and to my wife in the same week. We're not sure if there are 'skimmers' out there that can read a card's chip, but my friend that was a victim of this told me about these guys:

Rogue Industries · Makers of the Original Rogue Wallet. Accessories Inspired by New England Craftsmanship.

Ordered one, and I like it a lot. A wallet that lies flat and fits in your front pocket, and supposedly prevents skimming. Gotta love that it's made in the USA, too.

It's not a total defense, but it's a decent place to start.

 

[ssssnake]

Nothing goes in the trash with my name or address on it. I shred it all. I use my debit card as a credit card, and if I pay online, I use "checks." I check all of my accounts online every day for any unauthorized charges and notify the bank immediately if it's something that looks unfamiliar.

 

[Teethy]

I have two accounts with seperate debit cards. When I want to make an online purchase I use the online banking to dump the exact dollar of what I'm purchasing onto the other account and use that card. I also had to set that account up so that there is no overdraft protection and it simply gets declined if there isn't enough funds to cover whatever is being purchased.

At the end of the day I've had that card 'hacked' 3 times and it never cost me a dime. If they did manage to actually get any funds it wouldn't exceed the $50 I keep in there for emergencies.

 

[DMassey]

I've had it happen to me one time a few years ago. Somehow someone got my debit card # and made a counterfeit card of some type. My bank (BB&T) contacted me to make sure it was indeed myself who was swiping my debit card at a 5-star resort in Brazil lol. They did an investigation, and did not charge my account throughout the process. Several months later, I received a letter stating that they had found and prosecuted the perps. I give BB&T alot of credit for how well they treated me during that ordeal.

I don't know how they got me, probably a skimmer at a gas pump or tagged my wallet while walking behind me? Like five.slow, I burn anything that has sensitive information in it.

 

[sunburned]

I had a friend post up on FB a week or so ago that his company card got hacked somehow. Then 5-6 other local people responded saying their info or someone they knew's info had been stolen as well. Sounds like they all may have been hit by the same person in the same area.

OP, this could include you since Richmond isn't too far away and the reports I saw were from B-more to southern MD.

 

[N93XCHP]

Last year someone somehow got my info(I think it was when I used my card at a gas station) and was purchasing iTunes money like crazy! For like 3-4 days they would purchase like $100+ dollars in iTunes. Unlucky for these scammers I caught it on my online bank account and reported it and well as you all know it ain't hard to track people on iTunes so they got caught.

 

[CobraBob]

First step is to not use a debit card. Using credit puts one more layer between the plastic and your real money. Second, there isn't ANYTHING you can really do.

The prepay slot at the gas station could have a skimmer on it, your server at Apple Bees could write down your info, or the magazine subscription you have, their database could be hacked.

This goes back to the first thing I said, don't use debit. I've had my credit card "compromised" now 2-3 times. It's no big deal. I get a call saying it happened, and asking if the charges are legit. First time was a $800 TV at best buy in GA, and the second time was $8 at a post office in CA. NO! Both times the charges were dropped without me doing anything what so ever, and a new car was shipped overnight. The second time happened at like 4pm my time on a friday, and I had my new card by 11am Saturday.

The only real hassle is logging into paypal/amazon and changing my billing info.

This is why I never use a debit card tied to a checking or savings account. I only use "gift" debit cards. I also shred all personal mail (mine and my wife's). These steps alone will help a lot. However, there are relatively easy ways for credit card info to be stolen. One way (ask me how I know) is when a waitress/waiter takes your credit card out of sight to ring up a restaurant bill. He/she can easily skim your card or just write down the card info.

Some day we'll find a way of encrypting the info on the credit/debit card (on an embedded chip) with no card info on the card itself. Encrypting would hopefully make card skimmers useless to a thief. And stealing a card wouldn't benefit the thief, either, if the info is encrypted and just about impossible to crack. By the time that technology like this is in wide use, our phones/computers will have built in scanners when you're making an online purchase.

 

[thomas91169]

nowadays they are just trying bunk numbers and pins and whatnot to see what hits and what doesnt.

i had my bank card dinged twice now. It just happens. Call your bank, get the funds put back into your account, get a new card, and go on with life.

 

[LUBaseball2]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I will try to use some of it and at least I won't be out any money and Discover is taking care of it!

 

[VirtualSVT]

yeah it's more of an annoyance than anything else.

The merchant gateways could get hacked like what happened to Authorize.net last year. Skimmers are everywhere too.

Cash is king.

 

[DaleM]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I will try to use some of it and at least I won't be out any money and Discover is taking care of it!

My CCs also piss me off sometimes but I don't get mad at them. When I go on a trip they will stop use of my card after 2 transactions outside of a 100 mile radius from the house unless I call them.

Sometimes I forget while on vacation and end up standing in line looking like a doofus when my card gets declined, I just transition to the debit card.

 

[Relaxed Chaos]

Many cards now have the ability to lock and unlock its use online or over the phone. When you are not using it it is locked and can't be used until you unlock it online. It's a bit of a hassle if you don't have a smart phone.