Does anyone need to know how much gas is running in New York these days? No? Well, good because I couldn't have really told you. Although looking at my bank statement you wouldn't believe me, because apparently I used my debit card at TWO gas stations on October 21st in New York!
Wow! I didn't even know I was IN NYC Tuesday! I wonder if I had fun? I wonder if I saw any shows while I was there? I bet I had some great pizza and went shopping!
All kidding aside, when I got home this afternoon there were two messages on my machine. The first one was from Farmer's Bank saying they needed me to call them to verify a transaction made on my card. That made me a little nervous because I haven't used my debit card in a few days. The next message was from Richard saying I needed to check my cell phone because there was an important message on it from him (why didn't he just leave the message again, I'm sure you're asking, as I did...but whatever)! So, I listen to my cell message which informs me our friend at the bank, Diane, had called Richard and told him someone had stolen money out of our account and the bank was canceling my card. This means I have to go to the bank, apply for a new one, wait for it to come in and in the meantime have to use either cash or check. So annoying.
Oh, and in case you're wondering, I'm thinking the thief drives an SUV because two trips to the gas station cost him/her 160 bucks!
I am trying to look at the positive side of this and be very thankful that we have a great bank who actually watches for and was able to catch this! I'm also thankful they will be willing to reimburse us for every penny stolen. And, on some level, I'm thankful for the fact that I truly believe what goes around comes around and that the person who took our money will get his or her comeuppance someday.
Also, wanna know how this was accomplished? I am VERY careful every time I buy off the Internet. I only use secure sites and pretty much every time I do, I use PayPal. So, I was glad to know this wasn't the breech in our security. Apparently thieves are setting up "readers" in swiping machines that make a copy of all of your card information. Then, they transfer it to another card and use it when and where they wish. Argh.
I"m just glad it's Friday and we will be spending the weekend riding horses, painting (fingers crossed), and relaxing.
Happy weekend!
10 years ago
That picture makes me laugh! Sorry to hear about the trouble with your account though. I have had it happen and know several people who have gone through it too. That is sad it is so common!
ReplyDeleteWe had a credit card number stolen a year or so ago. The company called us and asked if we'd signed up for a bunch of online gaming and adult sites. I told them, "nope." They quickly closed the card and gave us all our money back. They were very good to us.
ReplyDeleteFYI: I do TONS of internet shopping and I'm a big "paypal" guy too.
I'm so sorry. I worry about it all the time. Glad someone was paying attention and helped you out. Ryan tried to pull an April Fools' joke on me that someone had done the same thing. Needless to say, I wasn't happy about it!
ReplyDeleteNo way!! I'm glad your bank is on it!
ReplyDeleteAND Thanks so much for helping me with my lame blog. I picked out a background
Here is the link:
http://www.thecutestblogontheblock.com/background.php?id=159
You said maybe a picture...I was thinking something black and white?? Like NYC buildings?? (I thought of that before reading about your credit card incident).
My title as you probably know is Wits and Grins
And I like this verse: You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. Isaiah 26:3
What do you think? Am I on to something?
I had my debit card scammed too. Not sure where they got it, but they had my name too. I saw a debit on my bank account from a 'chicago reader'. Seems I placed an ad for a car for sale, in another country! The charge was only $10, and I got my money back, but this person had already set up three accounts on ebay with my debit card, and ebay had notified me in 'my messages' to verify that I had actually done it. We notified them, and they closed those three accounts immediately.
ReplyDeleteSince then, I have learned, that whether you use your debit card, or credit card, when they ask you to verify debit, or credit, ALWAYS choose debit. That way, no pin number is required, and the store will not have your pin number on their records. Also, if you use your debit card (and pin number)a lot in one day, you might find that your card will not be accepted. If you run it through again, and choose CREDIT, it will usually go.
This is definatly a scary world we live in. We discovered our problem ourselves. I'm glad you found out about it quickly.