***Warning to all on Pokerforum.ca***
I know this isnt poker related but I figured more people would see it here so I guess the Mod can move it if they like.
Maybe most of you know about this but it was something I had no clue about so here is the story...
I wake up to a phone call from my bank a few days ago. I am told that I can no longer use my bank card as it has been "comprimised". I ask the guy on the phone what happened and he says "It may or may not have been copied".
I arrive at my bank with my two pieces of I.D. to pick up a new card and am told very little but here it is.
They need me to go over my statement for the last few months (it could be as many as six) and find out if all the transactions are made by me. A store (the teller wont give the name) has had someone busted for copying peoples interac cards. My card was used at this location so it is possible that it has been copied too. It is not a sure thing that it has been copied as it could have just been one employee that was acting on his/her own and my transaction might have been handled by someone not copying them. My bank (and i assume all others that were told) had shut down all the cards used at this location just in case.
I asked a couple of questions and im gonna post the answers so everyone knows.
Q. How do they do this?
A. Most of the time that this happens there is another machine hiden under the counter where the Interac (debit) card machine is and they will swipe you card on it also. This second machine copys all of your cards info.
Q. That wont do that much good without seeing my pin will it?
A. If your not carefull about hiding your pin # it can be seen by the cashier or even a camera set up in the store. Some of these scammers are also getting so good that the machine used to swipe your card the second time CAN COPY YOUR PIN # TOO.
Q. Is this common?
A. We are supposed to assure you that this is not a big problem and give you all of the steps to prevent it but I would be very carefull as I seem to be seeing and hearing more and more of this happening every day.
Q. What should I do to avoid this?
A.
1.) Never let your Interac (debit) card out of site. They will need to swipe it twice so keep an eye on it.
2.) Do not use Interac if you can not see they machine. If the machine is under the counter and just the pad is up top then it is impossible to see what the cashier is doing when your card is out of site.
3.) Check your balance often and always know when and how much you have used your interac card.
4.) Although it may be easy you should try and use cash for your small purchases. I am not supposed to tell you that but it just makes sense to me. BTW you seem to use your debit card a lot and you have raacked up a large amount in service charges. After we are finished here im going to set up your account different so that you will pay about $5 more a month in regular service charge but will save a bunch in charges for using your debit card. Did you know that the way your account is set up you can only use it 5 times at non *insert banks name* locations and after that you get charged an outrageous fee per transaction?
Q. If this does happen to me or if I look back and find a transaction that was not mine am I insured?
A. Yes. Every dime stolen from you would be covered by the bank. Even though you are covered the problem is that you might not notice every transaction that wasnt yours. Most of the people doing this are not stupid enough to just empty you account in one shot. They are smart enough to do it in multiple transaction that may not be noticed.
The teller was very upfront and honest with me about this stuff. Can't customer service be like this everywhere?
Anyway I just figured I would let you guys know about this since it took me off guard and I never even thought about this when going into any store. I would follow all the steps she said as this seems to be a problem that is just getting worse.
To finish this of on a light note.... Does anyone find it interesting that this problem seems to have happened after the whole JJ and ZeeJustin stuff? They cant have multiple poker accounts anymore so maybe they no are trying to get multiple bank acounts?
Maybe most of you know about this but it was something I had no clue about so here is the story...
I wake up to a phone call from my bank a few days ago. I am told that I can no longer use my bank card as it has been "comprimised". I ask the guy on the phone what happened and he says "It may or may not have been copied".
I arrive at my bank with my two pieces of I.D. to pick up a new card and am told very little but here it is.
They need me to go over my statement for the last few months (it could be as many as six) and find out if all the transactions are made by me. A store (the teller wont give the name) has had someone busted for copying peoples interac cards. My card was used at this location so it is possible that it has been copied too. It is not a sure thing that it has been copied as it could have just been one employee that was acting on his/her own and my transaction might have been handled by someone not copying them. My bank (and i assume all others that were told) had shut down all the cards used at this location just in case.
I asked a couple of questions and im gonna post the answers so everyone knows.
Q. How do they do this?
A. Most of the time that this happens there is another machine hiden under the counter where the Interac (debit) card machine is and they will swipe you card on it also. This second machine copys all of your cards info.
Q. That wont do that much good without seeing my pin will it?
A. If your not carefull about hiding your pin # it can be seen by the cashier or even a camera set up in the store. Some of these scammers are also getting so good that the machine used to swipe your card the second time CAN COPY YOUR PIN # TOO.
Q. Is this common?
A. We are supposed to assure you that this is not a big problem and give you all of the steps to prevent it but I would be very carefull as I seem to be seeing and hearing more and more of this happening every day.
Q. What should I do to avoid this?
A.
1.) Never let your Interac (debit) card out of site. They will need to swipe it twice so keep an eye on it.
2.) Do not use Interac if you can not see they machine. If the machine is under the counter and just the pad is up top then it is impossible to see what the cashier is doing when your card is out of site.
3.) Check your balance often and always know when and how much you have used your interac card.
4.) Although it may be easy you should try and use cash for your small purchases. I am not supposed to tell you that but it just makes sense to me. BTW you seem to use your debit card a lot and you have raacked up a large amount in service charges. After we are finished here im going to set up your account different so that you will pay about $5 more a month in regular service charge but will save a bunch in charges for using your debit card. Did you know that the way your account is set up you can only use it 5 times at non *insert banks name* locations and after that you get charged an outrageous fee per transaction?
Q. If this does happen to me or if I look back and find a transaction that was not mine am I insured?
A. Yes. Every dime stolen from you would be covered by the bank. Even though you are covered the problem is that you might not notice every transaction that wasnt yours. Most of the people doing this are not stupid enough to just empty you account in one shot. They are smart enough to do it in multiple transaction that may not be noticed.
The teller was very upfront and honest with me about this stuff. Can't customer service be like this everywhere?
Anyway I just figured I would let you guys know about this since it took me off guard and I never even thought about this when going into any store. I would follow all the steps she said as this seems to be a problem that is just getting worse.
To finish this of on a light note.... Does anyone find it interesting that this problem seems to have happened after the whole JJ and ZeeJustin stuff? They cant have multiple poker accounts anymore so maybe they no are trying to get multiple bank acounts?
Comments
Pretty sad when it's easier to carry cash in your pocket rather than worry about getting ripped off at some store.
Brutal.
JohnnieH
The advise you were given sounds very good though. Be sure you can see your card at all times. Never let the cashier scan your card out of your site, and hide your PIN as much as you can.
Another piece of advise I was given by my bank was to regularily change your PIN on your card. They suggested at least once every three months. Problem with that is that is often a very low priority, and I don't enter banks very often anymore, but it is a good idea.
Sorry to hear that man. Just think how bad this could become in the next 5 years...
Carry cash
Identity theft/fraud seems to be more and more common these days. Be careful. I was paranoid BEFORE this happened... you can imagine what it's like now...
I had my gas card double swiped and Aimee had her debit card possibly doubled swiped at a gas station. She had to go and get the new card as hers was frozen after the gas bar employee was busted. I've also noticed more and more places now make you swipe your card. In restaurants I usually go with the waiter/waitress when I give them a credit card. No more putting your card in and have them be back in 10 minutes.
There's a big difference between scams on credit cards and debit cards. To this point credit cards have been far easier to scam since debit cards require PINs. But the crooks are becoming more resourceful at getting their hands on your PIN.
Although I work in the industry, I've never used a debit card to purchase goods or services. I get paid to use my credit card so why would I pay a service charge to use debit? Plus the interest-free loan is always nice.
With credit, if you are scammed, your liability is minimal. This may be the case with debit now but it wasn't years ago.
A legit store should ask you to swipe your own debit card and hands you the pin pad. I have no idea how this works in a restaurant, although I know some may have wireless terminals now. If the device has not been tampered with, your PIN is encrypted before it leaves the pin pad. If the device has been tampered with, the transaction cannot possibly go through. Your pin can't be deciphered by the store with some device hooked up to the pin pad. Of course, they can have a camera on you and get your pin that way. Always cover up when you enter your pin.
I would avoid the 'white label' or no name cash machines, although I'm sure the vast majority of them are legit. Anyone can set one up - what a great opportunity for a scammer. Also, if at all possible, avoid outdoor bank ATMs as these have a greater potential to be tampered with. If you see anything at all suspicious, report it. The suggestion of changing your pin on a regular basis is a very good idea.
In the not-too-distant future, you'll see the banks issuing 'smart' cards. These are cards with embedded computer chips. These have already been introduced in parts of Europe and fraud has dropped dramatically. They are virtually impossible to duplicate.
Cash is king. Virtually untraceable. As far as the general public knows...
Elaborate?
www.wheresgeorge.com
www.whereswilly.com
And its slightly dissappointing, but I like the idea. I put in four 20s but each was the first entry
The happy ending to his story is that he actually only used his debit card at one place, the hotel gift shop. Needless to say it was easy to trace and the person was caught quickly.
He ended up getting a 2 page apology from the hotel and 2 week stay free at any of their locations.
Wat happened: After bank hours to access the cash machine one has to swipe their card in the door thing for the door to unlock. WELL that door access thing was copying the cards and the scammer had installed a camera above the keypad to get her password.
Then the next day the scammer cleaned out her account, made a fake deposit with an empty envelope trying to get more (if she had a line of credit)
She got ALL the money back obv,
So to protect yourself do 2 things: When you need to swipe a card to open the door, u can use any card, not just the bank card or credit card. so do this... second always protect your PIN when you punch it in ALWAYS. cover it up!