Debit Theft

Did I just write something about Greg not using credit cards? It appears the theives don't go for the charge cards either.

No, Greg did not lose his debit card. Just like me, thankfully, Greg checks his online banking account daily to verify transactions. He came upon two he didn't make. After research, come to find out that one of the transactions was in Oregon at an ATM machine!

Not only was it frustrating to go through this with the bank, but how on earth did someone get his PIN number? We went over and over how this could have happened, where did he recently shop, who could have stolen this number from him? My response was, "when using the PIN pad, cover it, because you don't know who is looking."

Greg not only had a new card issued and cancelled the other debit card, he also filed a complaint with the Oregon Police Department, because there should be cameras at the ATM machine.

In searching for an answer, I did a quick search on Google.

Just as we thought: "criminals have stolen PIN codes from a retailer.... careless PIN storage by retailers is to blame for the recent spate of ATM fraud.." and this “... Consumers might be surprised to learn that their PIN numbers are stored by merchants they shop at, and can be stolen from merchants by hackers.... There's a shift going on in fraud... Criminals are moving to where the cash is, and moving away from credit..."

(Ok, can't help it, I have to write it - maybe the criminals know that the credit crunch is coming too?)

It was advised in my readings that consumers "push away the PIN pad and sign a receipt instead. Doing so will limit the number of computer systems where a PIN may end up in storage."

Greg's non-use of credit cards still made him a victim of theft. I don't use debit cards, because I was always afraid that I would use the debit card and then forget about a check that still was waiting to clear my account. I like a paper trail for me to follow and the debit card never gave me that sense of security.

I shared Greg’s experience with some friends and family and this is what they advised:

Watch clerks carefully to see if they are double swiping your card. First they will swipe your card through a scanner to get your PIN and then they might tell you that the card didn't go through so, they have to swipe it again. Ask for the receipt for this or ask to see the console.

You also have to check the bank machines when you use them - the thieves can put a fake plastic insert into the card slot that is designed to retrieve your pin number.

Always cover one hand when entering your pin number. You never know who is in back of you or watching - heck we don't even trust the security cameras in stores!

Do not use your birth-date or some other easy number as your pin.

One lady who went through something similar wrote:

Some Guy was standing in line to use the ATM when He noticed the CCTV Camera was pointing at the ATM. He grew suspect about it and called the Police. Turned out that the Guys working at the Petrol Station were using the Camera to get the PIN Numbers and someone was on the outside picking the pockets of the public as they were turning away from the Machine.