Thursday, May 3, 2018

Identity Theft

In a casual conversation with the Whitehall Police Department today, I leaned that theft of debit cards is on the rise.  Specifically, do not use your debit card at McDonald's, as one or more people have had their account emptied by a debit card thief.  The Whitehall Kroger store is also a problem spot, with the amount of transaction changing between the register and the credit card.

Things that help with credit card theft are:
  • Keep all receipts for at least 10 weeks.  Amounts have been known to mysteriously change somewhere between the cashier and the credit card company.
  • Don't use a debit card; use a real credit card that isn't attached to your account.
  • Check your transactions on a frequent basis.  As soon as you see a transaction you didn't make, call the credit card company and report the card as stolen.

Because of Federal law, the card holder is not responsible for fraudulent charges on his credit card.  The cost of this crime is often split unevenly between the credit card company and the merchant.  Debit cards are not protected by this law.

In the case of a debit card, the bank will usually refund the entire amount.  The keyword here is usually.  About 2% (1 in 50) the card holder loses a large portion of the total amount stolen, and in some cases the card holder loses the entire amount.  Are you feeling lucky this week?  Hence the warning about debit cards and not using them for point of sale transactions.

Best to everyone, and please keep an eye on your credit and debit cards.


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