The checking writing thing in the express lane at the food store drives me crazy. Like you can't complete the check except for the amount ahead of time? I don't get it.
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Debit card fraud?
- Thread starter JBGoode
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If your life and time is so much more important than that annoyingly inconsiderate grandma’s, then step up and pay for her items.
Rant solved.
I've found out the hard way that debit cards really do NOT have your back when it comes to disputes of authorized charges.
In the past year, I've filed a chargeback on a credit card(my first) for an item not received and attempted to file one on my debit card(again, a first for me) for a purchase that was misrepresented.
The first-the dispute process online was seamless. I uploaded my receipt for the purchase and also a copy of the police report I'd filed on it. They had credited my account within 2 days for the full amount of the purchase, and closed the dispute(in my favor) within 30 days.
The debit card purchase-they absolutely would not with me on it or even attempt a chargeback because I had authorized the charge. I DID get a refund, but not until I'd filed a complaint with my state's attorney general and informed the company I was attempting to get a refund from of that.
BTW, I've only had one card that had an annual fee. It was back when I was in college and had no credit to speak of, and my parents suggested I get a low-limit card(to keep from getting in trouble) to build credit history. It worked, and I closed that one, and its $35 fee, out within a year for one through my Credit Union that has no fee. I don't make a habit of using cards, but I do have a couple stuck in the drawer that get used for specific purposes(like my last MBP that I bought on 12-month no-interest through Best Buy).
In the past year, I've filed a chargeback on a credit card(my first) for an item not received and attempted to file one on my debit card(again, a first for me) for a purchase that was misrepresented.
The first-the dispute process online was seamless. I uploaded my receipt for the purchase and also a copy of the police report I'd filed on it. They had credited my account within 2 days for the full amount of the purchase, and closed the dispute(in my favor) within 30 days.
The debit card purchase-they absolutely would not with me on it or even attempt a chargeback because I had authorized the charge. I DID get a refund, but not until I'd filed a complaint with my state's attorney general and informed the company I was attempting to get a refund from of that.
BTW, I've only had one card that had an annual fee. It was back when I was in college and had no credit to speak of, and my parents suggested I get a low-limit card(to keep from getting in trouble) to build credit history. It worked, and I closed that one, and its $35 fee, out within a year for one through my Credit Union that has no fee. I don't make a habit of using cards, but I do have a couple stuck in the drawer that get used for specific purposes(like my last MBP that I bought on 12-month no-interest through Best Buy).
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Wait? You mean, you don’t love it when grandma has 23 items in the express checkout line, (when they only allow 15 per the sign), and she’s writing her check that takes 20 minutes? 😁 Which is one of the only reasons I use self check outs. I don’t have time for that.
But you make a valid point, you should have it pre-filled out, and just write the amount in, and you’re done.
If only when we all reach that age(hopefully-it beats the alternative) others would show us the grace that many now deny them and instead choose to rant about "old people" being "slow"...
Yes - I always request an ATM-only card that has all debit card functionality removed for this reason. If you have a problem, you're out of pocket during the bank investigation and they might not refund it all if they don't agree that the card was handled safely.
I set up alerts for all CC transactions and have some dedicated to only certain types of transactions.
Semi-related, I keep all of my credit report accounts frozen* (it's free) so if someone does happen to get info and tries to open a new credit line, they'll fail. This is different from the new "lock report" products they also sell.
Seeing some of the stuff in the thread about ppl having fast food workers quite boldly steal info during the drive-through is shocking! I'll keep that in mind.
As someone who definitely slots into the age group of someone (not always pleasantly or in a positive way) referred to as "grandma" (no children, no grandchildren here, though) I can assure you that I am always prepared ahead of time, have my Store Loyalty card out for the cashier to quickly scan and my credit or debit Card ready to use at the Point-of-Sale device at the register. I can't even remember the last time I wrote a check, and it sure wasn't at the grocery store!
As for going through a drive-in to obtain food, that's something I just don't do as I don't frequent fast-food places. When traveling, I will occasionally stop in at one to use the restroom but I don't care to partake of their food offerings. If with a friend and we do go to a fast-food place to grab a quick meal, I always use cash, anyway.
My mother was a pioneer in computers back in her day - her work is featured in the British Museum of Computing.
She still uses cheques because she’s in her mid 80s and cannot handle a smartphone.
Your post here in grossly insulting to the elderly.
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TiggrToo brings up a really good point here: a lot of us older folks who are being so casually dismissed and disparaged are actually the ones who were the pioneers when it comes to the entire era of computing, data processing, etc., etc. You young whippersnappers have US -- yep, the folks with ages in our sixties, seventies, eighties and nineties to thank -- for being able to type insults on an Internet discussion forum today! <G>
That's not the case for many cards. I have several that don't have an annual fee.
That’s great! Checks still have their places through various retailers, businesses, heck…not even all utility companies will still accept online payments yet, and here we are almost into 2022.
Regarding fraud, they’re (Checks) are too easy to manipulate, and I don’t even agree that banks ship checks in the mail like they do, [which actually our bank will hold for pick up].
When I worked as a LP3 Investigator for a corporate facility back in 2010-ish, I swear to you, all I did all day long was investigate check fraud through extensive back-tracing and mutual aid through other agencies, and even though it was rewarding to see these people prosecuted after months (Sometimes even years), it was very exhausting. My Supervisor at the time, said that once checks are eliminated from our form of payment in today’s society, fraud would be completely cut in half. (Of course only to be supplemented with new various forms of fraud.)
You know how checks have the carbon copy paper? (Rhetorical) The great thing about checks that have made an advancements, is once you write a check, now they are almost photocopied direct through your bank, so you can see when the check was written, if it’s your actual handwriting, dates, and it’s stamped with where it was cashed. Pretty nifty, especially given if you write a lot of checks, it’s not easy to keep track of when and where, when you can now digitally see them through your bank online. (At least most financial institutions have this feature.)
My last gripe with checks, is it too easy to steal somebody’s checks, go to XYZ retailer and purchase $100 worth of electronics, and walk out with those products, when the retailer can do nothing to verify if the funds are actually available. Of course, when you have limitations of when you write a check for so much money, they do need to see your photo ID, but even then, that’s not good enough to stop check fraud. So that’s just another reason of why I feel checks need to be eliminated with various retailers, and/or only allow said goods to have limitations on spending limits.
When I order fast food, I always check to see if they have a mobile app to order ahead and if they have a loyalty program as well. 98% of the fast food places I eat at take Apple Pay as a payment method and I always use it. If they don’t take Apple Pay, I go in in person and use my card. Now I’m going to use my Amex prepaid card online and out, and for those places that don’t take Amex, I have a Cash App Visa card I can use, so now I won’t be using my debit card for any transactions except to withdraw or deposit cash at the atm.
What a load of twaddle. I assume you’re in the USA so I’ll base my response on that.
Between the wife and I we’ve at least 10+ credit cards and we don’t pay a fee on any one of them.
Invariably the fee based cards have the better rewards, but if you’re prepared to forgo higher rewards then it’s easy to get no-fee credit cards.
Next, many mainstream banks will issue free debit\ATM cards automatically with zero charge. We’ve had to constantly stop seveal of our banks from doing that because we don’t need either a Debit, or an ATM card (we use Discover at the Supermarket whenever we need some cashback - totally charge free).
Next, it’s easy to get yourself off the mass mailings if you put a small amount of effort. We’ve not had ANY soliticiations for credit cards in for as long as I can remember.
The only thing your advisor was correct on is increasing available credit can be a benefit. However opening a slew of cards at once will cause major problems as each will incur a “hard inquiry” hit on the credit report - and those hits if they go beyond 1 or 2 a year will really put a dent in the score until they drop off (usually after ~12 months).
If my tax advisor told me what he apparently told you then I’d be looking for a new tax advisor, because it’s very clear he’s utterly clueless. More and more credit card issuers are starting to automatically shut down dormant accounts of ‘fee free’ cards.
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I definitely don’t agree with what he suggested, nor do I think anyone should take that advice in terms of what improve/help a credit score, unless of course, they find it necessary. I’m not disagreeing with the fact what he said is accurate or not (Quite frankly, I don’t care and my credit is excellent) but more or less, that wouldn’t be my preferred method, which I did indicate already.
Credit card solicitation in my experience, is a very common trend with credit card companies. Yes, I realize that with solicitation, there is an ‘opt out’ 1-800 number or you can -write in- if you so choose, but the fact stands, it is something they all typically do, until the cardholder takes action.
So why did I bring up the solicitation point? A lot of times, it’s usually garbage mail that tries to have you sign up for other offers, new card perks or even increasing lines of credit, which I don’t like that type of mail floating around, because it usually has private information including, but not limited too, your account number, name and your overall status of your card details, therefore I think it’s counterproductive that a credit card company doesn’t want your information hijacked for security purposes, but yet they send garbage, which could easily be intercepted by people who are malicious with nefarious intent. For that very reason, is my problem with credit card solicitation.
With the experience I have over the years in various industrie(s), it’s all about being on the defense. Maybe cautionary would be the best word to describe here, and it’s paid off for me.
So opt-out then. Took very little work for us and we’ve been free of solicitations for ages.
The best defense is invariably a good offense. Take the initiative and plan accordingly. As a security proffesional you should know that.
Your solution isn’t defensive as you’ll still potentially get solicitatons for new cards, even if you don’t sign up for any.
I would like to safely assume with all I’ve posted, you should naturally assume that we ‘opted out.’ Seems a bit obvious that I clearly understand what my options (Rights) are as a consumer, I clearly articulated that in my above post.
Man, we sure do think alike.😁
Sure it is. Just because you’re judging (Arguing) based off a small snippet of what I told you online, doesn’t determine it’s ‘not defensive’, especially when you have no idea what protocols I have in place or not.
Sorry - but you spoke of how problematical solicitations were and at no point did you offer that opting out is easy. I also can only respond on what you say. If you mean more, say more. I can’t read minds.
Oh, no need to apologize. They are indeed problematical, but I’d like to think consumers just don’t take the necessary action, because A.) They’re ignorant, B.) They don’t care and/or C.) All the above.
It’s really important consumers understand the proper chain of command to control their finances to prevent fraud. Credit cards is a privilege, not a right. And they can be easily manipulated with not taking the appropriate measures. Fraud is all too common, but is totally preventable in most cases. Solicitation seems harmless, but it’s not.
My bank says: "All xxxx debit cards have Zero Liability Protection. You're not responsible for unauthorized transactions that you promptly report to us if you have taken ordinary care of your card and PIN."
Never use it for on-line transactions. Just on a few trusted sites where I need to transfer fund to/from my bank.
Another reason might be that people think it will never happen to them. I was talking to a non-tech savvy person the other day who thought ordering something from Target.com to pick up at the local store using her debit was safe because it was a local transaction. After I smacked my forehead I explained ... yup nope.
I was never told to not use my debit cards online. I now know and checked all of the shopping apps I use and made sure my debit cards were not saved. I don’t have a credit card right now, so I’m using a prepaid card that I can immediately transfer money to for my transactions. I’ll be going this route until I apply for a credit card with my job’s credit union.
If the consumer has the option for contactless payment, that’s the Way to go. Even if somebody’s information were to be abducted, let’s say from Target for example, it’s more or less likely for somebody that’s going to make online purchases versus using in-store. Fortunately, Target is a very credible retailer and I imagine they have specific departments that work with fraud services. Of course, like any retailer, there are data breaches, but I feel that is becoming less of an opportunity for criminals, specifically because companies are always strengthening their security code, i.e.-SMS alerts, two-step confirmation, ect.
My post isn’t targeting you specifically, however; Sometimes I think the Internet over thinks and overreacts, especially in smaller discussion groups, where people tend to be over-concerned with mass hysteria, and I totally understand that some people were victims of crime, therefore they tend to be more vigilant.
However, I don’t necessarily believe where ‘nobody should be using their debit card online’. Millions of people make transactions every single day without issue. We live in a digital world where more than ever, purchases/goods are being purchased online, finances are managed online, invoices are paid online, etc.
There is cautionary avenues that can ultimately protect the consumer if they’re smart about it, like making payment/purchases are made from secure-trusted sites, Never from a ‘Guest-WiFi’, make sure the website offers some type of two factor authentication/Account usage notifications through SMS, ect.
Anybody can be a victim of fraud, however there’s plenty of ways to mitigate where you minimize that risk by being proactive.
Do what Use especially at sketchy web sites is see these pay as go credit card cards for sale in Dollar Stores and other place! I usually put with $500 to $2000 depending on what I want to buy! the only draw back is has to planned out but Like I can use different cards easily over the years when surfing on the net at sketchy web sites!
My apologies to you but I never thought you were targeting me. You’re fine and I’m taking note of what you and others have been saying.