<p>Three weeks ago, on a Friday son called to say that 3 charges were put on his ATM that were not his. Total almost $100. He called bank & BofA blocked card and went over charges with him. Son verified valid purchases. He was told that if charges were posted then he would have to call and get them reversed. They never posted. But 2 small charges showed up on the following Wed. I am on acct. I stopped at bank to inquire about the $6 charges. Bank lady said someone probably got his new ATM before he received it. I freaked out and she cancelled the new card. She couldn’t help with new $6 charges but let me use bank phone to call BofA. 45 minutes later the $6 were credited and they ordered a new ATM card. 2 days later-sat 1st replacement card arrived. (was blocked by bank lady). Following Tues new Atm card arrived. Son has made a couple fast food, Denny’s, university meal card payment & ATM cash withdrawals. Today a new charge, same place & amt as before with new ATM. S was working so I called to block the card. This time person said he could do nothing to stop pending charge. Each person seems to say something different at bank :(. Meeting son tomorrow will close checking acct and open new one with new ATM. The charges are made at hotel business centers. The charge is the charge for a fax. I spoke with the company to see how they verify acct numbers. They told me if the card swipes and it has money in acct it goes through. So I guess that somewhere son’s ATM card number is copied & then used to make a card? Denny’s, mcdonalds,another fast food & univetsoty are only common places with new & old card. Only two of the places use paper credit card receipts, so I wonder if that is common link if any. H insists that it wouldn’t happen if son used only cash. Perhaps but it isn’t practical. Any suggestions other than getting a new acct. It is such a pain to get live person at BofA and each
Person says something a bit different.</p>
<p>the liability laws are more favorable toward disputed credit card purchases. ours is through our credit union and I can pay by online transfer at any time and as often as I like. If son has the discipline to not carry a balance, he can build a credit rating at the same time.
So far only one of our three can avoid the self indulgence temptation.</p>
<p>I agree about the credit card husband doesn’t. However son is “adult” and can decide for himself. He has Amex (his but linked to mine) for emergencies which he never uses, so maybe he could get a BofA visa & tranfer funds each week or payday to the visa.</p>
<p>How can a new ATM card be compromised so quickly?!! </p>
<p>I read once where someone hacked into the info flow from ATMs located at gas stations. I never use my ATM card at those cash machines in gas stations. </p>
<p>I use my debit card mostly at major grocery stores, Costco, Walmart, the post office, and the bank, of course. I guess maybe I’ve been lucky so far.</p>
<p>I have had 2 credit cards closed for fraud issues…</p>
<p>Ellenope,
That’s my question. Son hasn’t use gas station, and only ATM was bank ATM. </p>
<p>A few years ago someone made checks with my acct number but used differnt name to match their I’D. BofA caught it because check numbers were way off. I had to use cash or credit for weeks because telecredit and the grocery stores would not accept my checks. The store check cards were connected to the old acct. Vons was a huge pain, they wouldn’t give me a new check card, insisted I didn’t need It. When my check was rejected, manager agreed to give me a new one after I had him talk with telecredit. </p>
<p>y</p>
<p>“How can a new ATM card be compromised so quickly?!!”</p>
<p>Well I have no insider information, and thus can’t say for sure. But the nature of the problem suggests that two people have the same bank account information on their Debit Cards. In other words, your son’s bank information was inadvertently coded onto someone else’s Debit Card. Fortunately, that individual is using his/her card sparingly. Try closing your S’s BofA account and opening a new account (at another branch).</p>
<p>I have no experience with the debit card fraud, but will say that out of the numerous businesss operating accounts I oversee, the ones at BoA are my LEAST favorite. Their customer service (local and national) is awful.</p>
<p>It may be a pain, but the best way to end it all and start fresh is to close the account and transfer all funds to a new account. I had to do this a few years ago when I lost my checkbook (that’s what I get for letting my toddler play in my purse in a restaurant!) </p>
<p>Better safe than sorry…</p>
<p>When we opened an account near campus, the banking person gave D lots and lots of advice, even down to the “never drink something you haven’t opened yourself.” Anyway, she also said that some bank ATM machines aren’t legitimate; they’re there mainly to lift the bank info and password. They’re in off the wall places. Maybe your son has used one like that with his different cards. It may say BofA, but, it’s like phishing…</p>
<p>I had a similar situation with the BofA debit card. Our account was opened jsut to transfer money to our kids since they have campus accounts with BofA. I have never used that debit card since the day it was activated (two years ago), and suddenly charges appeared. They were from the DMV of NJ for fines. We called the bank, they destroy our cards and sent news ones; they cover the chargers and made the refunds. I contacted the NJDMV and no answer back; there were three certified letters (one directly to Trenton), and still no answer. One lady told us that they are leading with ATM/debit cards fraud since their system for paying fines is online, and they can’t track every single case. The bank was the one has lost, the delinquent paid his/her fines with other people money, DVMNJ got his payment and doesn’t care if it was illegal, and we are safe for now (if somebody can make duplicates of a card never has left home, we are not safe at all).</p>
<p>I’ll add support for what mominva and lamom said about credit cards. I teach personal finance and I’m well aware of the potential for credit card abuse by college students. However, if a student can exercise self discipline and see that the balance is paid off each month, a credit card is a much better alternative for plastic payment. You don’t risk having your checking account frozen when troubles like this arise and the resolution process is much quicker.</p>
<p>And have two credit cards…one to use when the other is closed because of fraud reasons. It took about a week for the new credit card to arrive.</p>
<p>Also if you plan to take road trips, have two credit cards. I bought gas going south out of Connecticut on Saturday morning at the crack of dawn …used the card in a rest stop at noon on Saturday and then needed gas in New Jersey going north yesterday afternoon. It triggered a fraud alert and my card was declined.</p>
<p>DH and I each have our own personal credit card, he carries & uses his, I carry & use mine. They are both joint accounts, but if one of us loses a wallet, triggers a fraud alert, etc. the other card is still good.</p>
<p>One other thing – when you get an ATM card you can insist that it is not a debit card but is an ATM card. A debit card works just like at credit card at the terminal; swipe it and the charge goes thru. My ATM card is usable only with a PIN. It works just fine at every ATM, and can be used in stores too (I’d just have to enter the PIN). But I never wanted to give someone who might find/steal my wallet carte-blanche to empty my checking account by just swiping it; the money is gone instantly and then you have to fight with your bank to get it back. At least with a credit card the money isn’t gone and when I see my statement I can dispute fraudulent charges.</p>
<p>Banks make it a little hard to do this (often you have to call and request it, they don’t even list it as an option), but its very possible. And they give you an intentionally ugly ATM-only card instead of a fancy-looking debit card, but I’m not impressed by how my plastic cards look ;)</p>
<p>Thanks everyone,
Mikemac, will check into The atm card only. The card was “swiped” at the fax machine in the hotel center. Same company, same charge as the first card. The cards never left the son, and the center is a few hours away. I suppose a card was made using son’s ATM number? It must be happening to others in the city, but we cannot seem to find any other “links”. My best guess is still Denny’s, and meal plan place because they use credit card type receipts. The ATM is a B of A on campus, so while it is possible to be “phishing”, I don’t know how it is only happening to son. The University is small.I f it was happening to others, son or friends might have heard.
I gave up years ago switching banks from B of A. Seems like every bank we used was bought by BofA. While I use other banks and credit unions, the BofA really works best for the son. He gave me access when he took his cross country road trip a few years back. Fortunately, I didn’t need to use my access then. The local BofA branch is full of people that know me and have always corrected any banking errors in the past. Unfortunately, only fraud dept handles fraud.
Will hope for the best with this new card and will check activity frequently.<br>
LA</p>