Community Chat

[SeaMaiden]

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@sidsmom wrote:

@SeaMaiden

So the only time the card is used is at the Bank for cash, yes?

Is through an outside ATM...or inside?

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@sidsmom   My husband may  occasionally take a withdrawal from the outside ATM  at our bank of America by our home.   He has not been doing that  now that he is retired and does not need money for gas anymore to get to work. 

I know that any ATM can be fooled with and skimmers attached. Even on a Banks ATM.  

[sidsmom]

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@corita wrote:

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@Trinity11 wrote:

 As far as a debit card ...my financial advisor told me many years ago to only use it to take out cash from the bank. I have never bought anything with it because it would give thieves access to my other accounts.

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I was told the same thing by a banking person!!!

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....and it’s going to be repeated by me!

(retired 30-yr Exec Customer Service associate)

[ScrapHappy]

Sorry this happened to you.  It's happened to my sister at least twice, maybe even three times.  I just don't know why she continues with it.  Neither my husband or myself uses a debit card.

[151949]

Our bank frequently asks if I want a debit card because my account is a electronic access only account and I always say NO. Debit cards scare me  so no amount of convenience can make up for that.I keep an eye on how much cash I have and go to the bank when I need more. I'd rather someone steal $100 from my purse than have access to all the money in my checking , savings etc. Also since it seems that most often CC info is stolen by those readers at gas stations so we only buy gas with a gift card we get at the grocery store. We never,ever buy gas with a CC.

[Ibby114]

I never thought of going into the actual store when this sort of thing happens- I just call the credit card and report it to them. In fact, I have so many security alerts on my cards the banking institution usually catches it before I do!!

I'm very careful, but still have a skimming situation happen [probably] once a year- it's the world we live in unfortunately. The last time was with my Discover card in the wee hours of the morning and they sent me a text.  And when i called to confirm they weren't my transactions, a live person  - in the US!! - answered the phone! Discover Card has amazing customer service.

[Ibby114]

Debit cards have the same security on them as credit cards- the banks will refund unauthorized charges jsut the same. There was a time when it wasn't like that- I was hacked in the 1980's and had to sue my bank to get my money back! I rarely use my debit card these days-  I love the  credit card rewards. But there are times I need to get cash- that's when the debit card comes out. 

Good to know about credit unions though! I have an account at work, but it's not my main banking. 

[chrystaltree]

Well, that's a mystery.  How could someone buy something IN the store without having your debit card?  That's not how skimming works.  That's not how hacking works and something like that would not in any way involve the chip on your card.  Even if I had someones cc or debit card number, I can't walk up to the store and buy something by reciting the number.  I can't take out money that way. Skimming is when they capture your card numbers and buy stuff online, they don't have to have the actual card.  

[SeaMaiden]

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@chrystaltree wrote:

Well, that's a mystery.  How could someone buy something IN the store without having your debit card?  That's not how skimming works.  That's not how hacking works and something like that would not in any way involve the chip on your card.  Even if I had someones cc or debit card number, I can't walk up to the store and buy something by reciting the number.  I can't take out money that way. Skimming is when they capture your card numbers and buy stuff online, they don't have to have the actual card.  

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@chrystaltree

many merchants incorrectly store PIN information they should be destroying after customers enter the secret code on PIN pads in stores around the country. While the information is often encrypted into something called a PIN block, the keys necessary to decrypt the information are often stored on the same network, she said. That makes stealing the PINs as easy as breaking into an office computer using a password a careless employee has taped to the screen.

"Once the thieves have a cardholder's PIN, they have enough data to create and use counterfeit cards to withdraw cash at ATM machines," Litan said. In her report, she says careless PIN storage by retailers is to blame for the recent spate of ATM fraud, including Citibank's troubles.

[shoesnbags]

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@SeaMaiden wrote:

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@Lipstickdiva wrote:

I'm confused how someone went into an actual grocery store and used your card numbers without actually having your card?  I can understand the numbers being skimmed and on-line purchases being made, but I've never been able to just type in numbers from a card at the grocery store.  I have to have the card on me to use it. 

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They are able somehow to transfer the info onto another card... or a dummy card. Probably why they used self checkout.  

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I had this happen years ago.  They are able to steal the information and make a new magnetic strip which is then attached to the thief's own credit card.  So he/she now has a card with their own name on it, but when used it puts the charges on YOUR account.  Authorities say that it often happens when you have to hand over the card, as at a restaurant.  They run it through a skimmer machine that has the ability to read your account information.  (But mine was stolen by a dishonest clerk in a store at the mall in the days when you handed over your card to charge something.)

ETA This was a credit card, not a debit card - only use my debit card to get cash at the bank.