Somebody's been shopping at Target

[Belle0101]

And it wasn't us!

We got a call from our credit union this morning asking about out debit card use over the weekend at a Target in San Francisco. We don't live anywhere near California and we weren't vacationing in San Francisco.

Whoever it was, and however they got our banking information, made 5 purchases totaling just shy of $400.00. Our bank account is now frozen as a security precaution.

The theory is, and our credit union can't / won't say for sure, that the breach was made last week when we used out Target Debit RedCard locally.

I appreciate that our credit union is on top of it but geesh, what a pain.

 

[luvmy3]

And it wasn't us!

We got a call from our credit union this morning asking about out debit card use over the weekend at a Target in San Francisco. We don't live anywhere near California and we weren't vacationing in San Francisco.

Whoever it was, and however they got our banking information, made 5 purchases totaling just shy of $400.00. Our bank account is now frozen as a security precaution.

The theory is, and our credit union can't / won't say for sure, that the breach was made last week when we used out Target Debit RedCard locally.

I appreciate that our credit union is on top of it but geesh, what a pain.

Sorry that happened, but its nice to know that your CU is on top of that. My MC was recently compromised and I think it was a purchase I made on Apple.com and my CC company called.

Was it your bank or Target debit that was compromised?

 

[DizBelle]

I'm in the same boat. Found about $1800 in charges on our amex that weren't ours. All internet purchases from Apple, Clinique, Barney's New York, shopatvalve.com.

 

[MIGrandma]

Sorry that happened to you.

It happened with DH's credit card a few years ago. We were at home and the phone rang, it was his credit card company asking about charges made in Detroit.

We hadn't been to Detroit.

There was a small charge at a McDonalds, probably to see if it would work. Then they bought a flat screen TV at Wal-Mart. Just over $800 was charged on his card.

They cancelled the card and issued him a new one, but it was annoying that it happened in the first place.

It's no wonder credit card companies charge such high interest rates. They have to pay for all that merchandise that people charge (steal) on other people's cards.

I really think stores should ask for I.D. more often, and compare the signatures on the card to the receipt.

 

[usnuzuloose]

I have gotten to the point that I take out cash for what I am purchasing. I know things can still happen, but during this time of year I just don't like using my card so much. Sorry this happened and hope they take care of it quickly for you.

 

[rwdavis2]

This happened to us and out bank flat out said to stop using the debit cards for anything except ATM withdrawals. They are not as secure not do they offer as much protection from fraud.

So instead we use the Disney VISA for EVERYTHING. We're racking up points pretty quickly for the next trip.

 

[ORMom2Four]

What a hassle, and right before Christmas too!

We were victims twice this year too. Someone got a hold of our credit card number in that Best Buy incident earlier this year and ordered themselves a $50 video game card on our credit card number. Then, 2 weeks ago, someone hacked into our Verizon account and ordered themselves an Iphone 5s and had it sent to their home in Texas.

 

[scrapquitler]

This happened to us and out bank flat out said to stop using the debit cards for anything except ATM withdrawals. They are not as secure not do they offer as much protection from fraud.
/QUOTE]


This is why we don't use a debit card. Why have my bank account frozen and possibly mess up my bill payments and my ability to access MY money while they figure out what happened and straighten out the mess??? When our Credit Card was used fraudulently, the CC company caught it right away and it never showed up on our bill and it didn't inconvenience us at all or jeopardize our liquidity.

 

[dazeddaisy]

I have gotten to the point that I take out cash for what I am purchasing. I know things can still happen, but during this time of year I just don't like using my card so much. Sorry this happened and hope they take care of it quickly for you.

I would be careful of having a lot of cash on you. Credit Card fraud rarely will have a monetary impact on yourself. But losing cash, there is nothing the banks can do.

Also - just yesterday, I had my purse taken from my handbag with $1,000 cash in it. No one knew the cash was there other than my manager (extra bonus from him). Just paid for coffee using my card, put my purse in my bag and 5mins later ran into someone in the mall, and 2 mins later realised my purse was gone. Police said the person ran into me purposely and him or someone else opened my bag and took my purse.

 

[Kerrio929]

I would be careful of having a lot of cash on you. Credit Card fraud rarely will have a monetary impact on yourself. But losing cash, there is nothing the banks can do. Also - just yesterday, I had my purse taken from my handbag with $1,000 cash in it. No one knew the cash was there other than my manager (extra bonus from him). Just paid for coffee using my card, put my purse in my bag and 5mins later ran into someone in the mall, and 2 mins later realised my purse was gone. Police said the person ran into me purposely and him or someone else opened my bag and took my purse.

Oh no. That's awful. People are just so awful sometimes. I'm so sorry that happened to you.

 

[SLP958]

I am sorry. That makes you feel so violated.

A few years ago someone bought a casket with my card number in Arizona!

The company called us because it was out of our purchasing pattern and we were able to straighten it out easily.

I did make me very mad.

 

[Tozzie]

This happened to us and out bank flat out said to stop using the debit cards for anything except ATM withdrawals. They are not as secure not do they offer as much protection from fraud.

So instead we use the Disney VISA for EVERYTHING. We're racking up points pretty quickly for the next trip.

I never shop with my debit card, I only use it to withdraw money from the bank and only use my bank. One Sunday I was sitting at my computer and my phone rings, it is the fraud department asking me if I took $5000 out of the bank ATM. Well of course I didn't, the card was skimmed at an ATM machine at my own bank. It was a PIA and took almost 2 weeks to get my money back. ATM's are not secure, and if you do a google image search for skimming devices you will see the thieves are so good the machine looks like part of the real ATM

 

[KaLyn]

Our eBay acct was hacked and someone spent $800. My husband just happened to check the visa account 15 minutes after the charges posted, so we caught it very quickly. While those charges were easily negated at the bank and the money was refunded, eBay banned us for a little while.

 

[Viva Las Disney]

About a year ago my brother had someone clean out his bank and savings account by going to the bank with a death certificate and paperwork showing they were his beneficiaries. My brother didn't even know until he went to purchase something and his debit card and credit card were all closed because he was "dead". I'm not sure if he's got his money back yet, he said it was a huge pain just to get his accounts re-opened and prove he wasn't dead.

I've got my accounts set up to text me anytime more than $100 is spent or withdrawn and my ATM limit is $300, you can't be to careful these days.

 

[Belle0101]

OP here, sorry for what everyone's gone through. You think you're being smart and safe but sometimes the crooks are just a little bit sneakier.

When the fraud dept. called yesterday the gentleman told my DH that the acct. would be immediately frozen. He would just need to get to the credit union to sign the paperwork. I noticed later in the day that the charges went through.

DH called our local branch and they told him the account was NOT frozen and until he signed the paperwork they couldn't do anything. (As an aside, I couldn't do any of this because we never got around to adding me to this particular account. We keep saying, "Someday we'll get around to that.)

He was out of town yesterday but was able to go in today. He signed the paperwork and was told that first the credit union investigates the claim. If they find it's a legitimate claim they "try to work it out with Target". If that fails, the credit union will reimburse the fraudulent charges. It's a 2 week process. A new card should arrive in 7 - 10 days.

He asked if they could say how our account was accessed and was told that the person, or persons, swiped the card machine at Target and signed DH name. We had thought it was the Target Debit card that was compromised because that's what the fraud department said yesterday. But looking at the account, and DH talking to another person today, we think the fraud dept. employee may have been mistaken about that.

I don't know how somebody got the card numbers, DH had the card in his wallet all this time. Maybe from the one place I shopped at online (crocs.com) or one of the places DH swiped it in a machine at a store. Either way, it just makes us leary of using debit cards anymore.

 

[RNMOM]

I learned very early on that debit cards aren't as safe as credit cards. We have a credit card that isn't connected with our bank or accounts. We also have a 'ATM' only card. It isn't a debit card. We had to fight our bank a bit to get them but they renew them without fuss. That card doesn't do anything but open the atm for our accounts. I feel safer like this.

Unfortunately crooks can get our numbers in may different ways. I don't know what to do but I do check my credit card bills carefully each month. I shop a lot online and try to be careful where I buy.

 

[Pamlur]

Just reading this thread reminded me to go check on my card accounts. One of them had an "extra" charge of $987 plus change. This card was just "grabbed" in September, and another one in November. Bah. I'm going to try a gadget that creates another number, or something like that; I have to research.