Beware Of This Debit Card Scam - Has This Happened To You?
This debit card withdrawal theft occurred two weeks ago. After grocery shopping with my granddaughter, I went to a self checkout register to pay. It wasn't until later that evening when I checked my bank account, I realized that $760 was withdrawn from it use the debit card I had used at the store. How could that be?
I checked my wallet and that debit card was missing. Panic ensued!
Immediately I called the bank and filed a report about this incident. They confirmed that the card was used with the PIN number. I was asked several related questions like did I have the PIN number written down somewhere, which I didn't. But I remembered an incident that occurred at the register that probably was part of this theft and reported it to the bank.
The Incident At The Self Checkout Register
Just after I had concluded the transaction and before I pulled the card out, a kindly looking older lady with an Eastern European accent tapped me on my shoulder on the other side of the register. When I turned to see who it was, she thrust a $20 bill in front of me and said I must have dropped it. Since I never carry cash I said it wasn't mine. She insisted I check my wallet just in case. So I did and confirmed it wasn't mine.
She then chatted to her friend in an Eastern European language that sounded Russian and they wandered away. I turned and pulled out my receipt, loaded the cart and walked to the car to drive home.
Later I surmised that the second lady must have watched me enter the PIN number, noted it and later pulled out my card. All of this could have occurred while her friend had distracted me.
I thought I had removed my card but didn't think anything of it. When I visited the store the next time I realized that the receipt only gets scrolled out AFTER the card is removed. So, when I picked up my receipt, the card was already stolen.
The Withdrawals
The bank ATM where the withdrawal was made was in the same parking lot as that store. These scammers first tried to withdraw $900 and that was rejected according to the bank representative who I spoke to.
Immediately after that failure, $500 was successfully withdrawn followed by $260. They must have checked the balance after that failed attempt and by then saw how much was left. So they took it all, while I was loading the car and before I drove off the lot.
The Investigation
The bank closed the card and said a replacement would be sent. I was told it would take 7 - 10 business days to complete their investigation. Meanwhile, they provisionally credited my account for the stolen amount.
I returned to the store the next day to speak to their security officers to report this theft. They said I couldn't do that. This was the job for the police. I was advised to file a police report and they would send a detective to investigate this incident. I am still awaiting an answer.
Yesterday I received a letter from the bank that said they concluded that I withdraw the money and that the case was closed.
WHAT!
I found several things wrong with that. First, when the thief tried to withdraw more than was in the account, they should have put a temporary hold on the card until they checked to see if that was me. Second, wouldn't their ATM Camera recorded who the individual was that used that machine? Third, the time stamp, if cross-referenced with the store cameras should have shown that the theft occur ed while I was still around that facility.
It is my belief that their investigation has fallen short.
LegalShield To The Rescue
I am a member of LegalShield. They have come through for me countless times to get me my money back, or stop others from taking money away from me. As well as represent me in court to make sure I wasn't taken advantage of.
Soon after I received that rejection letter from the bank instead of calling them back, I called LegalShield. I will let my attorneys take care of this.
An attorney will be calling be back later today for me to provide all the details together with supporting documentation. They will communicate with the bank, the store and whoever else they need to, so that I will get my money back.
The documents I have are the store receipt, the bank statements, the communication with the bank and the police report.
When this is resolved I will get provide an update.
Have You Had A Similar Experience
The police told me that the type of theft I went through was very common. I will be following up with them to see how their investigation is proceeding, Assuming their detective had the time to get to my case. I am not holding my breath.
Post Script
I had planned on using this money to invest in the new PPC Program that Kyle is conducting. Sadly I will have to wait before I can start ad campaigns. In the meantime I will attend the classes, learn the process and apply them after I get my money back.
And if I don't? I'll save up and get with this program when I do have the funds.
Cheers.
Edwin
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Recent Comments
57
Since you reported it immediately, the bank has no case. The bank also knows that there are federal regulations regarding a theft like this and the customer is rarely responsible. Your bank is trying to pull a fast one. Good thing you have a lawyer. I don't know what bank you have but they are not a good bank. I have Capital One and they are on top of security 24/7, . You should get your money back. You should probably switch to a better bank.
Hi Wendy,
So glad to hear you chime in. The bank is one that has gotten into trouble a lot with the government in the past, Wells Fargo. I didn't mention them earlier but it makes sense to tell you since you are familiar with these kinds of occurrences.
Thanks for commenting.
Edwin
Yikes! Wells Fargo is not a reputable bank. No wonder they don't seem to care. I'm sure your lawyer will get them in line.
I don't love any of the big banks, but I've done pretty well with Capital One. They are very security oriented and they just got around to offering more than a pittance of interest with their new Performance 360 savings account. I had Bank of America for many years and hated them.
I hope you get your money back quickly. Wells Fargo is wrong so definitely keep at them to return your money. The fact that everything is video recorded leaves them with no excuse.
One other thing, I know it's a pain, but in the future, it pays to file a police report. Even if the police do nothing, I suspect the banks are more likely to find in favor of the customer if there is a police report.
Good luck.
Hello Wendy,
I had filed a police report. Strangely, the bank didn't ask for it. I sent that to my lawyers along with the rest of the documents.
Thanks for commenting.
Cheers.
Edwin
Hi, Edwin
Sorry to learn about what happened to you. It might be time to consider switching banks.
I use my phone's digital wallet (Apple Pay) whenever possible. Of course, my iPhone could get stolen, but they would have to get past my alphanumeric password or facial recognition. I could track the phone by GPS, lock it, or even erase the device remotely if I had to.
Luckily, more and more places are beginning to accept payments from digital devices, so you don't need to surrender cards to servers or sales associates.
My wife carries about a dozen credit cards in her wallet. She says she needs to use them to get some store sales and rebates.
I have my business American Express card and two personal VISA cards. In addition, we have LifeLock Ultimate Plus (or whatever it is), which allows us to lock our accounts with the push of a button, and they notify us immediately of any potentially suspicious behavior.
It's a bit sad how many security precautions are required these days, but they are better than the alternative.
I hope you get your situation straightened out with minimal hassle!
Frank
Hi Frank,
Thanks so much for your thoughtful response. It so happens that the store I got victimized in was Walmart. We've used this store for over 20 years with no problems. It seems that these crooks have become so confident that they ignore being videoed by cameras everywhere.
What puzzles me is the bank ATM should have got a video of the perpetrators and checked to see that they were not my wife or me. I think they took the easy way out since the sum of money was significant.
The lawyer is reviewing the documents I sent and I have a phone call appointment this Friday. I will know more about the prognosis then.
I am always optimistic things will work out OK.
Cheers.
Edwin
I'm sorry to hear that this happened to you, but very grateful that you have shared the experience with us so that we can be aware if something like this happens to us. I can see this easily could have been me. Thank you so much for sharing and bringing this kind of thing to our attention!
Hi Kevin.
I sure appreciate your comments. Hopefully, the lawyer who is working on this will be able to take action to get my money back.
Cheers.
Edwin
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That stinks! I'm so sorry you were their victim. My Mom had two women team up to steal her wallet once. If I could have found them, I would have beaten them to a pulp out of shear adrenaline. Hang in there, my friend, and may that money bring them nothing but suffering.
Hello Jeannine,
Thanks for your thoughtfulness. I feel certain that the bank will refund the money totally. They did a shabby job researching the incident.
the perpetrators will eventually get caught and reap their just rewards,
Cheers.
Edwin