" I THOUGHT IT WOULD NEVER HAPPEN TO ME " !

You hear about it all the time on the news and it is always the same response..."I Never thought it would happen to me". Well, it did happen to me today.

This evening, my wife received a text message from our bank stating that MY debit card has been blocked due to some suspicious activity.

Now, we were surprised at this because It has never been a problem before. After tracing my steps for the past few days I realized that the most probable place that this happened was last night at a neighborhood gas station. It was VEEERY cold out and I paid at the pump. After I finished , i requested a receipt but the pump read " see cashier". I was already half frozen from standing out in 20 degree weather for five minutes, so I just went on.

The fraudulent officer of the bank stated that the card was used at a ATM in Chicago ( six hours away) and was declined after 18 wrong attempts of my pin number. Now , I should be upset that the ATM allowed 18 attempts before freezing the card, but instead , I am thankful that the bank was on top of things and sent my wife a text immediately.

So here is a few tips that you may not think about, but will help keep your money in YOUR account.

1. NEVER use your debit card as a Debit to purchase anything. If you have to punch in your pin, the chances of your card AND pin being stolen greatly increase.

2. If you DO have to use your card as a debit, make sure to shield your key pad when you punch in your pin. Thieves can read your pin from 15 feet away so we do not want to make it any easier for them.

3. Make sure that you swipe your card and PUT IT AWAY quickly. If a thief reads your pin and sees your card sitting on the counter, well you know .

4. Check with your local bank to see what they do in cases like mine.

If your credit cards are lost or stolen, contact the issuer(s) immediately.

Most credit card companies have toll-free numbers and 24-hour service to deal with these emergencies -- they are eager to avoid credit card fraud.
According to US law, once you have reported the loss or theft of your credit card, you have no more responsibility for unauthorized charges. Further, your maximum liability under federal US law is $50 per credit card -- and many credit card issuers will even waive that fee for good customers.
I hope that this helps you understand that it CAN happen to you ! Be safe  .