<p>Got a call from the credit card company, some one charged $138 to my card today and I did not buy anything or even walked out of my house. They had attempted to charge $100 yesterday but was declined. So the credit card company canceled that card and transaction and is sending me a replacement card.</p>
<p>Anyone had similar experiences? I did not used it in Target, I was using it only in a hardware store, a dollar store and the post office, how could they steal my number and ccv?</p>
<p>Many times–glad you answered your phone.
Once we even knew who had done it and the credit card company told us it was not worth their time and money to pursue the culprit.</p>
<p>We haven’t had this happen, but someone got a hold of my fianc</p>
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<p>The hardware store, dollar store, post office, or their banks, or the bank issuing the credit card could have been cracked.</p>
<p>Identity theft is no fun. Get your free credit freeze from the 3 credit bureaus. It’s a bit of an inconvenience but nothing compared to the hassle of identity theft.</p>
<p>Someone got ahold of my debit card this past summer and bought prepaid cell phones in a city in Delaware. Luckily , I caught it before any major damage was done. It made me feel very paranoid about where my information was even stolen.</p>
<p>This has happened to me once in the past. The likely explanation is a terminal that swipes your card and takes the information from the magnetic strip on the back. This is done at the same time your card is swiped for the sale, the fraudulent terminal is lined up right behind the authentic terminal, you probably would not notice the extra lenghthy swipe. Doubt it happened at the post office. Mine occurred at a gas station I usually don’t use, and never used again. There is then a computer program that is used to print a new card. These machines and the programs and printers are sold online amazingly enough.</p>
<p>This happened to us a couple of times several years ago. The store doesn’t have to be ‘cracked’. What often occurs is that someone at the business where you have shopped has installed a skimmer that captures your credit card info. Or the crooks have installed a skimmer which they will then be able to use to obtain data from every c/c used there via the internet. </p>
<p>All of our cards now have chip technology with a PIN that must be entered with every transaction. Get one of those with the added security.</p>
<p>I watch my credit and debit accounts very closely, literally line by line, asking DH about anything I don’t recognize. I’ve always done the same with the kids online until they were old enough to get the hang of it themselves in high school. I’ve had false charges three times. It’s terribly unnerving but luckily it wasn’t as messy as I’ve seen friends go through. I rarely use my debit because it doesn’t have the same protection that most credit accounts have. I’m always impressed when I make large purchases, or travel and don’t alert my credit company, I do get calls asking if the charges are mine. Even with the blips from unauthorized charges they have been caught and contained so that our credit has not been affected.</p>
<p>My husband, my older son, and myself all have frozen our accounts so no one can open any accounts or check credit without unfreezing them. They key is to remember your passwords because you can’t buy a car on a Saturday if you don’t remember your password! That takes care of anyone opening up new accounts but you do still have to monitor your existing credit/debit cards which is pretty easy now that everything is online.</p>
<p>DH received a call while we were on vacation. Someone was purchasing TVs, electronics, and other stuff in a city a couple of hours from our house. One purchase was made and another declined. Since we tend to use only one of our credit cards we were happy to have a different one with us since we were out of town and the card was cancelled. </p>
<p>My understanding is that it’s common for criminals to install reader devices at gas stations since they tend to be out in the open and not closely watched–at least in the midwest. </p>
<p>Our credit union recently reissued a large number of debit cards as some security breach occurred. DS was without his debit card for a week or so until the new one arrived.</p>
<p>My H’s cc # was ripped off by a Circuit City cashier with a reader.</p>
<p>This thread seems to be attracting a fairly well-informed and cautious group of readers, so I thought I would ask why anyone keeps a debit card? Am looking for education here as I ‘decided’, without actually researching the subject, that debit cards would not offer protection the way charge cards would. I had to go into my bank to have them remove the debit card feature from my ATM several years ago when they decided everyone needed a debit card.</p>
<p>We froze our credit years ago, so I am not concerned about identity theft, but with a child heading off to college, I am wondering how much he will be handicapped by having an ATM and a charge card, but not a debit card.</p>
<p>JYM–Connecticut charges $12/person/credit agency to freeze one’s credit, but $72 well spent. I believe we would have to pay the same $12 to unfreeze the credit and then refreeze it again, but we haven’t tried. The service is free in NY state, so clearly it varies by state.</p>
<p>I carry a debit card as an id to the issuer. When I go to the cashier, I swipe the debit card and enter the password so I can make transactions. Why should I pay 50c at the pump to have the privilege to withdraw money from my account. I pay off credit cards every month anyway.</p>
<p>I use a debit card all the time but I keep very little money in that account and have no line of credit attached to it. I also never use it with a pin # - I always hit credit. At most I keep a few hundred dollars in that account. I hate carrying cash and I don’t like using credit cards for small purchases. </p>
<p>My card is through my credit union and they follow the same $50 liability rule for their debit cards as they do for their credit cards.</p>
<p>After my handbag was stolen and the thieves racked up $4000 in charges in 30 mins, I switched to an ATM card and credit cards. No more “fake visa/ mastercard” as [Clark</a> Howard: Save More, Spend Less and Avoid Rip-offs | <a href=“http://www.clarkhoward.com%5B/url%5D”>www.clarkhoward.com](<a href=“Clark.com - Advice You Can Trust From Clark Howard and Team Clark”>http://www.clarkhoward.com/)</a> terms them.</p>
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alwaysamom, I note from your location that you’re in Canada. Unfortunately, chip & PIN is not popular in the US, and most merchants just have the magnetic swipe technology, so the chip & PIN technology doesn’t add security here. Credit card companies and merchants have fought against chip & PIN for years due to added costs.</p>
<p>With any luck, the Target and other breaches will move the US to the chip & PIN.</p>
<p>Yes, chedva, I know that the U.S. is very behind other countries with this technology. What a shame.</p>
<p>I use my debit card all the time but I only run it as credit. I could probably have the debit option removed and keep it only as an ATM card, but up until recently my only credit card only had a credit limit of 1,500 so I had no choice but to use the debit card occasionally for big ticket purchases or if we had a particularly spendy month. For example, when I bought my new TV and dresser on the same day I was just about at my credit limit and had to switch to my debit/credit card to buy the groceries unless I went home in between to pay the credit card and the payment processed immediately, which it doesn’t.</p>
<p>I got a new card now that has a 7k limit so that likely wouldn’t be an issue, but I am reluctant to use this card for much. I only got it because my honeymoon was too large to book on my old credit card, so I used this and paid it off in full and haven’t touched it since. I am perfectly responsible with my credit but it still makes me anxious.</p>
<p>My debit card has the exact same protections as a credit card. There is zero possibility that anyone could wipe out my account by stealing my debit card number. Why would anyone use a debit card that was unprotected?</p>