I am a Victim of Debit and Credit Card Skimming
I was at the grocery store yesterday and while making a purchase with my debit card, I was surprised to see the transaction decline. The pinpad read: “Account Not Setup.”
That’s odd, I thought.
I then tried using my debit card again, three hours later, while paying for food. Same error.
It appears that I missed my bank’s call last night, because I phoned this evening to find out that they had contacted me last night to let me know that I have been a victim of debit card skimming.
The associate on the phone said my records indicated that a large withdrawal had occurred at another ATM machine, one I have never used. In addition, a fake deposit was later added to another ATM machine so that another withdrawal could be made.
Unbelievable.
I have my suspicions, too. Several of my colleagues had their debit cards skimmed, and all had eaten at the same shop where one had claimed to see the employee swipe a card under a desk.
So off to the bank I go tomorrow morning to clear this mess up.
One thing advocated on PrivacySense’s debit and credit card skimming article is covering your pinpad even when no one is around. Failing to do this means I could have not only had my card swiped, but my PIN recorded by an overhead camera.
And who could forget the massive breach by retailer TJX, one that the Privacy Commissioner of Canada’s Jennifer Stoddart has reported as being preventable — they “collected too much information, kept the data for too long and relied on weak WEP encryption technology.”
I, too, received a letter from my credit card company months ago stating that my credit card number had been one involved in the breach.
Lesson learned? Be extra vigilant.
To clear my own conscience, I’ll be paying with cash when buying food and items from small mom & pop type stores in my area. This doesn’t mean that larger, established businesses are any safer, but it’s at least one small thing I can do to reduce my debit card usage.
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