Be really careful, and call your bank about this, there have been reports of people receiving phone calls from a place that calls itself U.S. Bank Fraud Dept, but the phone numbers they called from did not check out. Scammers may be trying to get your card information. Did they already have you card number, or did they ask you for it? I would never give out this information to someone who called me, call the number on the back of your card as soon as possible to be safe.

I was in Maui Dec 4-18. Dec 6, my credit card number was stolen and about $5000 of charges were processed. I'd just come home and put a big payment on my credit card (I know I spent some serious $$ in Maui :-)) and then went online to see what my cc balance was. That was when I discovered the fraudulent charges. I called my cc company and they cancelled my card. So there I was a week before Christmas with very little cash and NO credit card. Oh well . . .

I still haven't received my new CC due to it being the holidays, and I finally will get a paycheque next week. I think I'm down to about $80 in my bank account and $20 in my purse, but I've managed.

Too bad they can't somehow track down these thieves and make them scrub toilets or worse to pay for the money they have stolen.

All-

I have worked in the Credit and Debit card industry for 30 years (yes including the one that starts with V). It is a constant struggle to keep ahead of the thieves, they get number just about anywhere and everywhere.

Most important things to remember is are;

Keep your card in your possession at all times, I do not use mine at restaurants since the server is usually required to take the card away - that is where they "skim" the card and get your mag stripe information. Google "Taco Bell Skimming" to see more information.

Check your bill every month or more often if you can online. Call your back immediately if there is a charge or charges that you do not recognize.

Shredded everything your throw out that has your name, address and any vital information.

If your bank call you for a Fraud Alert answer the phone (you would be surprised how many don't). With that said, make sure it is actually your bank calling, ask for their name and call them back.

Do NOT use your credit and or debit cards on a WiFi network that is public and not protected with security (meaning you need to have a password and SSID to sign on).

I hope this information helps and please feel comfortable in knowing the credit card industry feels your pain and we are working on it (but it is one step forward and one back sometimes).

My boss just had to cancel his wife's debit card. Seems someone was trying to buy things in Boston with her card. Crazy that people think it's ok to abuse things and steal from others.

I'm pretty sure that my number got lifted when I used it in a restaurant. That's good advice.

It also would be a good idea to check your computer for viruses. I have been in the computer business over 10 years, and doing it as a hobby for over 20. Once upon a time a computer virus was just to "see what they can do". Not any more. The primary purpose of viruses / spyware is to steal your credit card / debit card / checking / email / etc accounts, or to take over your computer to use it as part of a Distributed Denial of Service. DDOS attacks are what have taken down many large services recently spurred by the wikileaks situation. Anyway, I have seen many many people get compromised & have charges made to their accounts, especially in the last 5-6 years. At the very least, change your email account passwords, scan for viruses & spyware, and keep an eye on all of your accounts. There is no one program that removes everything, but I recommend getting the free version of malwarebytes and do a scan, let it remove anything it finds. Also run a scan with your antivirus. Be sure to update it first. If you do not have a decent antivirus, a couple of good free ones are Avast, or Panda's cloud antivirus. Both have commercial versions available, just be careful to pick the free one unless you need something stronger.

Gosh! I thought I was being wise! Thankyou for telling me that!:thumbup:

Good advice! I actually use Avast. I recently had an issue that Avast missed and, at my son's suggestion, I downloaded malwarebytes and it fixed it. Took two days....it was a nasty one and I had to scan the entire system. :)

I don't buy things online as I don't like giving out me debit card details to anyone I don't know.

I much prefer the old-fashioned system of personal cheques - although some organisations in the Uk no longer accept personal cheques as a means of payment - or CASH.

This is interesting, how does that work? Do you wrap it and keep the foil on it when you give it to the vendor to make a purchase? I have never heard of this one. Anything is worth a try and it is a shame we have to go to so much extreme to protect ourselves.

My Visa account offers a service that gives me peace of mind. They can issue a temporary number that works just the same as my actual card number. As an example, if I want to make a purchase of $50.72, I go to my card account online and with just a few clicks they give me an alternate card number that ties back to my account. It is good for only $50.72. If someone later tries to use that card number for purchases, it is not valid. Even reputable web sites can get hacked, or employees can steel customer's card numbers, so having this option is a good way to have an extra layer of protection.

There sure is a lot of this going around. A couple weeks ago, the bank called my hubby bc someone had been using an EXPIRED card of his to charge stuff (about 1k worth). It sure begs the question, how can they use it so easily if it's expired??? I mean, I do most of my shopping online...and I always have to enter the correct expiration date or it doesn't go thru.

This same thing happened to me twice within 6 months. Both times, I had to cancel my debit card and get a new one. My card never leaves my possession, so we assume it happened online - although I only use secure trusted sites to make purchases, but anything can happen!

I unwrap the card before I give it to the vendor. They always ask why I have it wrapped up so I have to explain each time. I guess not too many people are doing this.

Be very careful when using your cards at the gas pump or at an ATM machine. A local gas station found a skimmer attached to the card machine at a gas pump.

Here is info on those skimming devices and how to spot one.

How to Spot ATM Skimming and PIN Capturing Devices | Lauren Bernat - The Wii Fit Girl