Card declined at the supermarket and Bank Of America fraud detection.

[ZackyDog]

Greetings.

I had an embarrassing moment the other day at the supermarket.

The cashier takes my newish debit card and gets a card declined message?(!) She runs it again and gets the same message. Incidentally, I got a replacement debit card because the old one was worn and caused me the same trouble at my favorite hot dog place a month or so before.

I'm thinking, did some hacker clear out my bank account?

In the meantime, Bank Of America sends a message to my phone---which is at home---asking me a supermarket transaction is valid. Yes, I have fraud detection on my debit card. I should probably make a habit of bringing my phone with me from now on.

As you were. I hope the people in the hurricane zone(s) are OK.

 

[sax4blues]

I stopped using debit card many years ago. From what I understand: Credit Card the bank and merchant are on the hook, Debit Card the money is out of your account and good luck.

 

[nojazzhere]

Greetings.

I had an embarrassing moment the other day at the supermarket.

The cashier takes my newish debit card and gets a card declined message?(!) She runs it again and gets the same message. Incidentally, I got a replacement debit card because the old one was worn and caused me the same trouble at my favorite hot dog place a month or so before.

I'm thinking, did some hacker clear out my bank account?

View attachment 1034379

In the meantime, Bank Of America sends a message to my phone---which is at home---asking me a supermarket transaction is valid. Yes, I have fraud detection on my debit card. I should probably make a habit of bringing my phone with me from now on.

As you were. I hope the people in the hurricane zone(s) are OK.

My mother banked with BOA. When I was caring for her (before she died) I used her debit card for any purchases made on her behalf. I FREQUENTLY had transactions rejected, and had to pay on my own card.....then call and get it straightened out. Number 67 on my list of reasons I dislike BOA.......

 

[Mjark]

Greetings.

I had an embarrassing moment the other day at the supermarket.

The cashier takes my newish debit card and gets a card declined message?(!) She runs it again and gets the same message. Incidentally, I got a replacement debit card because the old one was worn and caused me the same trouble at my favorite hot dog place a month or so before.

I'm thinking, did some hacker clear out my bank account?

View attachment 1034379

In the meantime, Bank Of America sends a message to my phone---which is at home---asking me a supermarket transaction is valid. Yes, I have fraud detection on my debit card. I should probably make a habit of bringing my phone with me from now on.

As you were. I hope the people in the hurricane zone(s) are OK.

I was going through the self check out last week and when I was about to pay I realized I didn’t have my wallet.

I did have my phone though so I asked the person assisting if I could use it to pay. She said do you have Apple or Google pay. I said think so. She held the phone above the keypad, the Lock Screen appeared, I put my phone PIN in then the total appeared and one more click completed the transaction.

 

[Mjark]

My mother banked with BOA. When I was caring for her (before she died) I used her debit card for any purchases made on her behalf. I FREQUENTLY had transactions rejected, and had to pay on my own card.....then call and get it straightened out. Number 67 on my list of reasons I dislike BOA.......

I like BoA consumer banking services.

 

[Mr. St. Paul]

I stopped using debit card many years ago. From what I understand: Credit Card the bank and merchant are on the hook, Debit Card the money is out of your account and good luck.

Depends on who you bank with. We use a credit union, my wife has been a member for over 30 years, going back to before we met.

A transaction for $106.38 showed up on our online banking statement last month. The vendor just said "DAVE'S". Now, because I am a guitar player with a low level of self-control, my wife assumed I had bought something from Dave's Guitar! She asked what I spent the money on, and I said I didn't. We took a closer look and saw there were four transactions for the same amount in the space of a week. We called the credit union and cancelled the card.

The money was refunded to our account this week. There was a lag because the debit card is through Visa, and it had to go through their reconciliation process first. Honestly, the biggest pain was going to all the sites I used my debit card for auto pay (streaming services, mobile provider, etc.) and updating the information.

 

[Knows3Chords]

Sometimes that "fraud" protection can be a pain. Especially if your out of town.

 

[Chiogtr4x]

Sometimes that "fraud" protection can be a pain. Especially if your out of town.

That 'fraud protection' in the short term is frustrating, because you don't get replacement card for a week, and you can't get $$, use card if you have NO card!

( I've had 4-5 card fraud incidents with BOA debit cards over the last few years)

Thankfully, my wife and I have our own cards for the same BOA Account, so I've been able to use hers, while waiting for my new one.
But anyway the whole thing
( just trying to call local branch and talk to someone, push menu # buttons) is a real PITA!

( why can't folks just be honest?
I'm 63, and still just so naive about humans & dishonesty)

 

[kuch]

I only use our debit card at vendors we trust. Even with the chip protections, I won't use it at fast food, restaurants, or small vendors. I'll use my credit card if I'm not quite sure about security.
I would never link any bank accts to my phone. I basically use my phone for calls and texts only.
I might be overly cautious, but I've never had any unauthorized charges. knock on wood

 

[Milspec]

About a year ago I had that happen at a farming supply store. It really surprised me as I just used the card to fuel up on the way to the store. I first figured there was something wrong with the store's reader or something and went over to my bank's branch to use the ATM (after hours), but it ate the card and advised me to contact the bank.

When I called they told me that somebody had attempted to withdraw funds from an ATM more than 50 miles away in another city. The fraud dept told me that they didn't input the correct PIN so they cancelled the transaction and shut down my card. It really made no sense since I had my card, so they never did have it...just some skimmer device or something.

What sucked was that it was on a Saturday evening so no banking hours until Monday. I had zero access to my account until then and had to wait 10 days to receive a replacement card. Sure glad that I fueled up first or I would have been walking home.

From that day onward, I make certain that I always carry at least $50 in cash on me so I am never stranded. The bank believed that the thief actually obtained the card number at the gas station (likely parked right next to me) and then tried to clean out my account a couple of towns over.

I hate a thief more than anything in the world. I film the cars next to me at gas pumps now while I fill up. I would love nothing more than to catch a thief like this in the act.

 

[Milspec]

Sometimes that "fraud" protection can be a pain. Especially if your out of town.

Man is that ever true.

About 20 years ago, the military was issuing American Express Black cards instead of using traditional travel claims process. I had to fly to New Orleans for a 2 week Conference after 9/11 to discuss what areas were vulnerable to terrorists. I landed and raced to the rental to pick up car before they closed. My AMEX was never activated, so I had to resort to my own personal credit card.....it was declined due to fraud report.

The rental place processed the rental anyway after reviewing my orders, but the hotel wasn't so nice. I spent 3 hours on the phone trying to convince my card's bank that it was really me and not some thief trying to use the card. The fraud department told me that it was my responsibility to notify the bank whenever I would be out of town otherwise the fraud protection would immediately shut off the card.

I finally convinced them, but they would only send me a new card instead of lifting the block. The only way that I could get checked in was to find an ATM to withdraw cash, but they all had a $500 day limit and my 2 week stay was more than twice that amount.....I was nearly throw out of the place.

It was a nightmare the whole time I was there because of the card's fraud protection service. I never enrolled in such a thing again.

 

[archetype]

opped using debit card many years ago. From what I understand: Credit Card the bank and merchant are on the hook, Debit Card the money is out of your account and good luck.

This. Do not use debit cards for any purchase.

 

[dented]

My credit union protects my CC and my debit card. It has been jacked before by someone and I got all my funds back and a new card. Just depends on the rules of the institution you keep your money with. I use mine equally as much as the CC.

 

[VintageSG]

My card details were 'written down' by a local authority worker when I paid a bill over the 'phone.
They used my card to send money to a prisoner, via a legit service. when that came to light, I had the recipients name and the transaction dates. Local police weren't interested. The UK prison and prisoner liaison service weren't interested. I had the recipients name and dates of the transfers, yet it wasn't deemed sufficient evidence.
The bank cancelled my card and issued a new one immediately, so no worries there. They wouldn't/couldn't release any further information to me, only to the police should an investigation be instigated.
The local police gave me a 'crime number', AKA a 'bed bug letter'
I did some digging.
I won't detail the digging done, but I did get the IP address and a surname of the sender. The recipient was easy enough to trace thanks to court records. A nasty, wife-beating, violent, gun-toting, drug-dealing pond life.
I contacted my local authority billing service and asked for a receipt, and if they could put on it the name of the person who dealt with me. Cue social engineering. 'I think his name was Doo Schnozzle, or it may have been Robert Cranium...' 'Ah yes, Richard Cranium took the payment'

Ducks in a row

From the IP address, I could get the service provider. Big deal. You can get a regional location, down to the actual exchange level, with a little effort.
192.com, the name, the exchange location, the transaction time, plus RC was the only telephone contact that'd been given card details.

You'd think action would have been taken at that point. The police wouldn't deal with me because they required the bank to lodge a request. the bank wouldn't lodge the request because it was below a certain amount per transaction, despite there being multiple transactions. The prison service wouldn't deal with me because I'm a civilian, not an police officer.

I escalated a call through the hierarchy of the local authority to express my concerns. One loaded email later...
I received a telephone call from the local authority, accounts dept. This matter was now under investigation. Roll forward three months and a news piece about a 'County Lines' operation being busted.
Roll forward another three months and guess who has been sentenced for fraud, money laundering and offences relating to drug dealing. Yes, if you guessed RC, you guessed correctly.

I doubt I sparked the whole thing off, but I like to think I played a role in providing evidence that nailed his cojones to a door.

My bank did once decline a transaction of mine. A legitimate one.

I bought fuel at a supermarket, then rode to a race meeting weekend ~100 miles away with a similarly rapid-riding friend. I needed fuel when we got there. My card was declined. My friend stumped for the bill, and I contacted card services.
It's impossible to travel between the two locations in that time period, the software determined. 'No, I did ride from A to B in that time' I explained to the ( very nice ) card services staff member.
'My card block was lifted instantly, along with the comment of 'Bloody hell, you must have been shifting'
Shifting. Yes.

 

[Lonn]

A couple of years ago I noticed a $100 ATM withdrawal from my wife's card belonging to our joint account. Knowing my wife never uses and ATM I started looking, and found TEN MORE over a 2 week period as well as overseas charges for each one. Fortunately it only took a few days to get straightened out and the money back.

 

[Nick Fanis]

I should probably make a habit of bringing my phone with me from now on.

You should.
That's why they invented them in the first place

 

[imwjl]

I'm near blood boiling over the REI card transition from US Bank to CapitalOne. A long time in I still have problems with it asking for PIN that does not exist and Apple Pay. Now after the replacement cards.

The frustration part is I manage IT in a grocery chain. I actually know a lot on how this all works. Each attempt with CapitalOne is a repeat succession of a first line staff member daft to the matters followed by a smug supervisor who ends it if I can do card swipes at PIN pads. Well, that's not an option at gas stations outside, kiosks and other places. Their thinking I don't know how to set up or use a phone is nonsense considering we manage around 200 Apple Mobile and Android on top of having 16 - 24 card terminals per location. Argh!

I have plenty of sympathy for a first line CSR having minimal knowledge but not when you face smug supervisors not understanding the problem, and/or firms who do a crappy job of acquisitions. Their nonsense on it being the phone can't be true when I just got a new phone and set it up fresh.

This makes the Apple Card appealing if only for they know how to do customer service.

 

[teletail]

Sometimes that "fraud" protection can be a pain. Especially if your out of town.

When I go on a trip I notify my Credit Union so they don’t think my Canadian has purchase is fraudulent.

 

[bgmacaw]

Depends on who you bank with. We use a credit union, my wife has been a member for over 30 years, going back to before we met.

That's correct. Some financial institutions, like mine and yours, have the same or similar fraud protections on debit cards as they do credit cards. If a bank doesn't offer this, maybe consider switching to one that does.

My worst fraud situation was pre-Internet/pre-debit card when someone stole a book of check from my mailbox and wrote bogus checks using them all over suburban Atlanta. My bank did take care of it quickly and refunded the money stolen from my account. But I had to deal with businesses, mainly a grocery store chain and a couple of check cashing operations, trying to have me arrested for writing bad checks for several months, even after they had affidavits from the bank detailing the incident.

 

[archtop_fjk]

I always have some cash in my wallet, just in case...