Warning...Credit/Bank card skimming is very real.

I figured I would post my unfortunate experience here as a warning...

This thursday(day before christmas mind you) I came in to work & checked my bank statement online, only to see that a an unauthorized charge of exactly $1000.00 had been taken out of my account, leaving me flat ass broke...in the middle of christmas shopping, with alot of bills still due. Well to make a long story short I just got off the phone with my bank, after making sure that the paperwork for the reimbursement had been received, I was talking with the guy, & he told me that their records indicate that my card had been swiped locally at the store, I was perplexed at how this could happen, seeing as I still have my card in my wallet.

He said that someone, most likely a restaurant worker, must have used a 'skimming device' on my card, captured all my information, transferred it onto a blank card of his choice, & used it like a normal card...no questions asked.

This blew my mind, I had no idea that this technology is so widely availiable that petty teenagers are now using it all the time.

Apperently they can even use a card with their name on it, so that if they get ID'd they just pull out their license & nobodys the wiser.

I looked up a few websites on this...

http://www.state.nj.us/lps/ca/brief/card.htm

this ones interesting, here they found a skimming device inside an ATM machine in australia, amid a rash of bank card fraud in the area...
http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/securi...20270527,00.htm

This pisses me off, & scares the sh*t outta me at the same time. Now im afraid to use my damn card, im going to have to start carrying lots of cash...which I dont like do either...

Yeah this stuff is real. At the restaurant I used to work at, one guy would take down the number off of business credit cards, then use the number to buy food and tip their friends very well at other restaurants. Their friends would do this and come into to see him and repay the favor. Usually it was businees cards so people might not look at the records as close. I dont know if the caught him specifically, but before I left we had to have a manager approve any cards that we had to type the in the number because it didnt swipe.

Yes, it is very real...

They've had instances of people putting a card reader on the opening of an existing ATM machine and putting a small wireless camera in a plastic bin that holds brocures & deposit slips so they could record your PIN.

You should always take a second look at any device you shove your card into.

The safest thing to do is not use a debit card ;)

You have more protection with using a credit card. Not to mention they don't suck all your cash out.

RJ