Debit Card Fraud Victim

I was a victim of debit card fraud last week.

This is the first time it's ever happened to me. On May 9th, I had received a call that had something to do with a card, but I ignored it because I thought it was the occasional solicitation from my old credit card. Less learned: always listen to messages in their entirety, even if they are automated!

Over the next two days, my debit card was denied at two stores and then at the ATM when I tried to get cash. That's weird... I immediately called the customer service line for my debit card. I went through a whole bunch of automated checks and through a list of recent transactions which I verified. They were all ones I had made, nothing out of the ordinary, so then my card worked again.

There had been zero fradulent transactions on my card. I would have caught it immediately because I check my bank account every single day! My card was working again and I still diligently checked my account daily. Then this Monday, there was definitely a fradulent charge when I checked my account in the morning...

Not only do I not eat at McDonald's, but I would never go to one in some suburb of Istanbul, Turkey and spend $30 there! Everything clicked right away and I called my bank. They had been correct from the beginning - someone had somehow got ahold of my debit card number and pin. In talking to the customer service agent, they told me that the person had tried to buy $400 (!) worth of groceries in Istanbul. That was the day they closed my card. They also tried to go to two gas stations but all of those charges were caught and denied before they could hit my account. The McDonald's one happened to slip through after I unknowingly thought everything was okay. (Granted, up until this point I had never actually spoken with a real human about what was happening. That clarification would have helped immensely.) The CSA immediately closed my debit card and had a new one issued. I then talked to someone in the Customer Claims Department and have since filled out a form in order to get the $28.36 refunded.

The scariest part of all this? I have absolutely no idea how someone got my information! Was it skimmed from my bank-specific ATM inside the pharmacy near my apartment? Or was it from the RFID/wireless identity theft that I've been hearing about? I have never used my debit card for online purchases, so I could immediately rule that out. I still have my card, it wasn't lost or stolen, and I've never shared my PIN with anyone. I also never use the "PayPass" function on my debit card, where I can wave my card over a scanner for a small purchase and pay that way, because someone once told me that's an easy way for identity theft to happen. From now on I'll only draw cash at the bank or maybe even go inside to the teller. It's baffling, actually. I know this happens and it sucks. Technology is advancing all the time. And this is what we get!

(Yes, I now have two of those RFID sleeves as seen above. They seem to be widely available online. My Mom sent me her extras! Not sure if they work, but hey, peace of mind. Also? My bank rocks. They immediately knew what was going on!)

[image via]

Mileage Reimbursement

I received a mileage reimbursement from work. That $71.96 is being rounded to an even $75 and being sent to my Gift Fund, giving me a total of $250. Now it's time to start looking into Christmas gifts!

On another note... my savings rate for ING Direct dropped from 3.00% to 2.75% with the interest rate cute, and my WaMu/Chase Online Savings rate dropped from 4.00% to 3.00%. Makes me want to move all my savings into my WaMu account, but I do love my ING sub-accounts!

Different Perspectives

I know that everyone has a different opinion when it comes to things, and especially when it comes to personal finance. Tonight I went out to dinner with some friends to catch up, as we have now all been gainfully employed for a month! One of my girlfriends showed up first and somehow the conversation moved towards bank accounts. (I think it was due to the fact we get excited whenever there is a payday, like today!) I was mentioning to her that I was looking to open a new checking account and getting rid of my out-of-state account, plus my debit card still has not arrived.

She started complaining about WaMu after I named it as one of my options. She stated that she's had horrible customer service, she had issues opening the account, etc. When I briefly flitted over my other idea of an online-only checking account, my friend just about flipped her lid. Basically, she told me that she would never, ever want to open any sort of account where she could not go in and speak to someone, especially for a checking account. She said she thinks it is unsafe.

What I really wanted to ask her was if she had done her research on the topic, especially since I certainly have. I just let her have her rant, but found it funny that she had so many complaints about her current brick & mortar as well as online checking accounts! I have no problem if she would rather use a b&m than an online account, as to each their own. Part of me also wanted to offer a bit of pf advice - especially since I love learning about and now I even blog about it! - but I kept my mouth shut and told her that she had some good points. I just hope that she at least has a savings account with WaMu! :)

Do you have friends that you wish you could help out, but sometimes realize it's not your place to say anything? How do you deal with it?

On Brick & Mortars

My new debit card never arrived. I am currently still banking with my local bank in my Seattle area hometown - though now I am *thisclose* to switching to a bank in California, but am waiting until I move to a new apartment in August. When I went to the local branch today, I found out that my new debit card was sent to a temporary address my parents had for a while in NYC. However, my parents informed me that they NEVER changed their billing address at all, and had an argument with our bank about the subject over 3 weeks ago. How did our local bank figure out that my parents had a temporary address? All they were doing was having their mail forwarded from their Seattle address to their NYC address for a few months. Their Seattle address was still their billing address, they had no desire or intention to change it! As such, both my younger brother and I have had occasional issues regarding our debit cards not working recently - mine with paying rent and iTunes, his with Ticketmaster.

My debit card expires on Monday, 6/30. Today I pulled out $100 in cash (more than I should need for the week) as a precaution - my new debit card is scheduled to arrive at my California address no later than the end of the week. I still have checks which I can use, but it's frustrating nonetheless!

Do you have any suggestions on B&M banks? I am considering using WaMu's Free Checking Account first, with BofA/Wachovia second and either an ING or HSBC online checking account last - though I am not comfortable enough with doing all my banking online just yet. One month to do all my research!