Brother checking account "0" balance

[speedshooter]

My brother told me yesterday that Thursday someone cleaned his checking account out.
Said it took only about 1 1/2 -2 hrs and went into his overdraft protection by about $800 before the the bank caught it and shut it down.Guess the bank is going to "refund" the cash and it is going to take about 7-10 days to do so.The fact is that this kind of garbage can happen to anyone! My bank caught this happening to me and shut it down before serious damage was done.Just makes you wonder what kind of folks there are out there.

 

[jaykellogg]

Bummer! Pretty much the same happened to my Son. He was a victum of pfishing. That is where you get an email that looks like it came from the bank and they ask you to click on a link to straighten out some personal data. He did and the crooks cleaned out his account.

I get any emails like that (and I do) I go to the website myself through my "favorites" saved on the computer. I don't recall getting any from the bank, but I occasionally get them from PayPal (fake PayPal). When i go into PayPal the "problem" is never there.

 

[310Pilot]

Remember, no U.S. financial institution will EVER send you an email asking you to log in via a link provided in the email (or an "alternate" address). If your bank ever actually does send you an email, they will, at most, ask that you log in normally, NEVER through a link provided in the email. If you do click on one of those phony "notifications," you've provided all your account, log-in and personal identity information, and not only will your bank account be wiped out in a matter of minutes, you are probably in for an identity theft ride that will last for many years. Don't do it!

 

[speedshooter]

I actually had a Phising email from someone claiming to be "survey company" from Verizon. I have had them send text messages saying i.m eligable for a new FREE phone.or my password needs to be changed..those just go away.Your right 310..no financial institution will ever ask for info through a link. My brother thinks it was "compromised" at one of the stores when she was shopping.Wonder how many more they got!

 

[Ogandydancer]

Bummer! Pretty much the same happened to my Son. He was a victum of pfishing. That is where you get an email that looks like it came from the bank and they ask you to click on a link to straighten out some personal data. He did and the crooks cleaned out his account.

I get any emails like that (and I do) I go to the website myself through my "favorites" saved on the computer. I don't recall getting any from the bank, but I occasionally get them from PayPal (fake PayPal). When i go into PayPal the "problem" is never there.

when I get e-mails like this I always just forward them to "Phishing@ whateverbank". Never click on a link!!!

 

[JJEH]

Same happened to us. Our first (!) night in SW Oklahoma we went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner. Paid with card and went home. Next day we go to Walmart and card didn't work, so we checked balance and almost $2,500.00 gone.

We called the manager of TRH and she was weired. She said none of the waiters can read the card. The fact that the waiters take the card to go somewhere to slide 'em - she didn't thought about that.

Therefore we think that someone wrote down the number and sold it.

Our little adventure brought us to the manager of TRH, local PD as well as FBI. Luckily our bank did refund all that money.

Since this incident we rather pay with cash than card.

 

[vandyatc]

It has happened to my wife a couple of times. I generally use PayPal now for everything. Paypal refunds immediately. I know they aren't gun friendly, but I don't care. Their convenience trumps that concern.

I could never carry enough cash to get through a week. I don't like to use cash anyway unless I have to. Heck, I went nearly two years at one point without going to an ATM. it is a fact of life these days that cash isn't always king anymore.

 

[JJEH]

I could never carry enough cash to get through a week. I don't like to use cash anyway unless I have to. Heck, I went nearly two years at one point without going to an ATM. it is a fact of life these days that cash isn't always king anymore.

Yeah, you are right. I meant rather cash than card in a restaurant in which they walk away to slide the card.

If I can use the card right there, we use the card of course.

Sorry for any confusion... still not familiar with this language

 

[hannstv]

I see people using a debt card for everything, never could understand that. I guess only us unsophisticated folks still carry a little cash.

 

[rick6336]

2 yrs ago, someone hit my wife's debit card for $2500 within less than a 48 hr time frame (Fri. night to Sun. morning) before we noticed. They went from the TX state line to the MS line along I-10. Most of the stores were gas station ,Walmart , Academy and went to a Chinese Rest. in Hammond, LA twice. What really gets me is that apparentaly no one asked for a ID when using the card. The police said that the account # was from a computer hack a couple of yrs before.

Forget to say that the bank credired everthing back in 2 days.

 

[hsguy]

One thing to consider is that debit cards do not operate under the same rules that credit cards do in respect to fraud. Depending upon when you report the loss or fraudulent use of a debit card you could lose the entire amount stolen and the bank would have no obligation to restore the missing funds. You should also consider that the entire amount of money in your accounts linked to your debit card are at risk, for example some debit cards are linked to a checking account but may allow transfers from other accounts into the primary account. If you have a large savings account linked to your debit card that money is at risk also.

Credit cards operate under stricter rules and your liability is limited in the case of fraud. Most financial and fraud experts agree that credit cards are the safest form of payment in terms of consumer protection. Cash may be king but credit cards do also offer some protection to the buyer in a post-sale dispute with a merchant about an item purchased.

Here is a bit of info but a search will find much more detailed information. http://www.usa.gov/topics/money/banking/atm-debit.shtml

 

[Fishslayer]

it is a fact of life these days that cash isn't always king anymore.

True. I actually had a gun store emplyee tell me "Same price, cash or credit!" ie... the bundle of Benjamins in my wallet wasn't gonna get me a deal...


But yes. Credit card over debit. If the card's gonna leave my sight it isn't gonna be a debit card.

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

Be careful out there.

Just got this e-mail a couple days ago. Looks pretty good.
Not sure where the links would take you but the real phone number for Wells Fargo is 800-956-4442. On the e-mall it shows to call 800-965-2444. Tricky thieves.



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[Steve in Vermont]

We use one credit card and they send us an E-mail daily with the balance. We bank on-line and they (also) send us daily reports of all payments. The only problem we ever had was several years ago when our cc was hacked. Visa called and asked if we were trying to open an Internet account in Madrid, Spain. Of course not. They immediately closed the account and within days we had a new card. Everyone needs to be paranoid when it comes to banking and credit cards. Automatic notifications from your credit card company and bank are a good way to do that.

 

[RightArm]

Yes, always use credit card, not debit, for transactions. Funny story. My credit card got frozen at an airport bar in Las Vegas. They didn't want to believe it was me throwing my own money away. When I finally convinced them to reactivate, I thanked them very much for being so vigilant and "catching" me so quickly.

 

[mkk41]

I check my balances online every day , sometimes 2-3 times. I use only one card for all my on-line transactions. I do use my check/debit card for insurance payments.

Say what ya will about Bank of America , but they are very good about fraudulant transactions and will replace your money very fast.

 

[DeadAye]

Be careful out there.

Just got this e-mail a couple days ago. Looks pretty good.
Not sure where the links would take you but the real phone number for Wells Fargo is 800-956-4442. On the e-mall it shows to call 800-965-2444. Tricky thieves.



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I got that very same email.
Never had an account with Wells Fargo though.......

 

[MaximumLawman]

Seems like there's been a huge increase in this sort of thing. Also: Someone else filing your taxes at getting your refund. That's a big one too...

 

[storeyteller]

My debit card was compromised a couple of months ago and my bank (BOA) refunded every dime.

 

[sqhead]

i only use my debit card for grocerys,publix and winn dixie,nothing else,hope that keeps the ,oh-oh i'm screwed factor down.