Watch your bank alerts!!

[Muskrat]

Thieves in California got (who knows how) my credit card info and went on a spree yesterday. Without a decline from my bank alerting me of activity the thieves could of had quite a ride. As it was they managed to pass three transactions before they did something suspicious enough to trigger a decline…which the bank notified me of. I have disputed the charges and the bank killed the account. Unnerving.

 

[Kaila]

What type of thing did the bank find suspicious and alert you?

 

[Muskrat]

It was an attempted purchase to Dicks sporting goods. I only have one card…it is in my possession. Only person on the account is me. So purchases were delivery or door dash…prepaid without physical card. The sporting goods store purchase triggered the decline…I do know why that declined…but the others did not…

 

[Jules]

It was probably out of character and out of state.

 

[Muskrat]

It was certainly both…but it is conceivable that I would order groceries online…

 

[HoneyNut]

Without a decline from my bank alerting me of activity the thieves could of had quite a ride.

Do you have notifications set up on your credit card? I set mine up to get a text notification whenever my card purchases a $10 (or more) transaction. I get a lot of notifications but it makes me feel safer.

 

[Georgiagranny]

If you don't have an RFID sleeve for your card, get one! Anybody with the know-how can scan your card right smack through your billfold, pocket, wherever. The RFID protectors can be had from Amazon, Walmart...and they are usually only about $5-$6.

 

[OneEyedDiva]

I'm sure it is very unnerving Muskrat. Sorry that happened to you, but good thing it was a credit card, not debit card. If the fraud department caught it, you shouldn't even have to dispute the charge. It's their responsibility to take care of that for you. A couple of years ago, my primary bank notified me of fraudulent activity. They are really on the ball. The charge wasn't even for that much.

Over a decade ago, I had a Bank of America credit card. Somehow my number was used, first for a $10 charge at a gas station in Pennsylvania, then to try to buy airline tickets with a Caribbean airline, after which BOA caught it and notified me. Of course the card was canceled. I never had to start a dispute in either of those cases.
My son is "co" on my credit cards. Every now and then the bank will reject a charge he's trying to make. He'll call me and at the same time I get a text from the bank. I just click that I recognize the charge and it goes through his second try.

 

[RambleTamble]

You need to watch these credit card companies. I didn't pay off the full amount last month, so they hit me with an interest charge, which is to be expected, but I made a payment three days ago and it still hasn't gone through, which means I'm paying interest on the full balance, even though I paid it.

The system is all automated. Somebody added some code to delay processing just so they could scam users. Apparently, it's all perfectly legal.

 

[LoveTulips]

On my BMO bank debit card, I have asked for alerts to be put in place for any transaction over $100. On my MasterCard Capital One credit card, I only receive alerts if it is an international transaction.

 

[WheatenLover]

You need to watch these credit card companies. I didn't pay off the full amount last month, so they hit me with an interest charge, which is to be expected, but I made a payment three days ago and it still hasn't gone through, which means I'm paying interest on the full balance, even though I paid it.

The system is all automated. Somebody added some code to delay processing just so they could scam users. Apparently, it's all perfectly legal.

Call them and ask to have any extra interest charges taken off. You'd be surprised how much doing that works.

 

[Happy Heart]

Fidelity has a feature where you can lock down any or all transfers from your accounts. I had it so well locked down it took me an hour to figure out to take my RMD, but it is all good.

 

[MarciKS]

Thieves in California got (who knows how) my credit card info and went on a spree yesterday. Without a decline from my bank alerting me of activity the thieves could of had quite a ride. As it was they managed to pass three transactions before they did something suspicious enough to trigger a decline…which the bank notified me of. I have disputed the charges and the bank killed the account. Unnerving.

People have card readers so if you use a debit card without RFID protection you only have to be within 3 ft of the reader.

I had mine burgled like that as well as my phone number got stolen once as well.

 

[OneEyedDiva]

You need to watch these credit card companies. I didn't pay off the full amount last month, so they hit me with an interest charge, which is to be expected, but I made a payment three days ago and it still hasn't gone through, which means I'm paying interest on the full balance, even though I paid it.

The system is all automated. Somebody added some code to delay processing just so they could scam users. Apparently, it's all perfectly legal.

If you paid the charge on time, even if it isn't showing up, there should be a record of the pay date. If you get charged interest, call the bank and ask them to remove the charge. I'd be surprised if they decline to do so.