berkeleying thieves....

So I get an email an hour ago that a charge on my Capital One debit card has overdrawn my account (I keep the card on a separate account with only a small amount in it). This is strange, as I haven't used that debit card recently; I barely use it at all, in fact. I check my account statement - it's a $500 charge for Nordstrom's in California. I'm in NY. I don't shop at Nordstrom's. berkeley.

I disputed the charge immediately and locked the card. I can't get a live person until tomorrow morning. Anything else I should be doing? What are the chances I see my money again?

I have never not gotten my funds back.  Each time, the credit card company has contacted me about what they feel are suspicious charges.  They were right each time and this dates back 30 years.  

You'll see your money again.  By law, I think they can only ding you like fifty bucks.

I use the same system, after my account got "released to the wild" twice in one year.  I suspect the nearest gas station and their meth-head counter help.

In reply to 02Pilot :

Maybe it is different with a debit card, but when i ordered some parts from Canada using my Capitol One credit card I was contacted by voice mail and e-mail almost immediately.  They would not honor the charge until i told them it was legit.

If it's got a Visa, Mastercard etc. logo on it and was used as a credit card without pin # you'll get reimbursed. I've always got my money back and been through it several times. Credit card companies make soooooo much money it's just a business expense to them. They don't even want to bother prosecuting the criminals. One time the thief was on video using the stolen card at a gas station right across the street from my business, they didn't care. "Sorry for your inconvenience sir we fixed your charges".

recently had 3 mystery charges for pocket knives (hey I hadent checked it in a week and a half) totaling $3,000  opened dispute and won the dispute hands down.

It got more interesting as the listed company was responsive when I called and I got the (local) address the stuff got sent to. Got papers from company, filed police report, put police in touch with company to share dox and evidence.  They knocked the door and found someone claiming "I get paid $50 to receive packages for people I dont know"    they referred it up to an interstate task force and thats the last I heard of it.

Company was also forthright and refunded me the money directly do I didnt have to wait on the bank (could take 90 days IIRC)

As a note, they used a trick where they sent it to the same zip as the cardholder with no further addrress details and correct it after the charge goes in?  or something like that.   So, business holders beware!

This was a Debit card.  

Minor Threadjack:

Do we like Capital One?

Thanks folks. I've had a couple fraudulent charges with Amex over the years, and they reached out to me and canceled the charge and sent out a new card each time. The differences that have me concerned here are 1) it's a debit card (which is Mastercard affiliated), and 2) nobody contacted me, but I discovered it because they overdrew my account. I'd feel a lot better about it if it was a credit card. Hopefully tomorrow morning brings good news and a new card. Fingers crossed....

Why I regularly get new cards issued. After any buisness trip or vacation if I use the card or every 4-6 months I stop in at my bank and they will hand me a new card at my request on the spot. By doing this I have not had any problems in years. 

Woody said:

Minor Threadjack:

Do we like Capital One?

Much will depend on how they handle this. Until now, they've been OK. I started out with ING and got lumped into Capital One when ING was acquired.

dean1484 said:

Why I regularly get new cards issued. After any buisness trip or vacation if I use the card or every 4-6 months I stop in at my bank and they will hand me a new card at my request on the spot. By doing this I have not had any problems in years. 

Probably not a bad idea, but I use this card so infrequently (like 1-2 times a year, basically when I have to deal with a merchant that doesn't take Amex) that it seems overkill.

I just do it. It does not matter if I use the card or not. I figure the number is in the system if I use it or not. 

I had a never used card get fake charges. That one had me sitting with the banks fraud people and a rather uncomfortable branch manager in his office while they went through things. 

I had the same Visa CC for over 25 years. They were always spot on w/ suspect charges and would put a stop on them immediately and call me. There was never a fraud issue though, I just hadn't used the card in months. 

I reported immediately when I found my CC bill in the mailbox that had been opened. Not ripped by postal machines or accidental but opened end to end by someone, all contents were intact though. I requested a new card but they said they'll 'monitor' my account. C'mon man, what the motherberkeley?? Wasn't long before they were calling regarding some charges... and they weren't mine. Told ya berkeleyers!!! All was corrected w/o cost to me and they finally sent a new CC. 

I suspect this piss poor card/ customer service was farmed out from the original service of years back. Not pleased w/ them at all after that episode and this will be their last chance. I understand companies saving money but it doesn't have to be a race to the bottom in customer service. Gotta regularly check all my accounts now.

That's a good idea to change cards frequently like Dean said. 

He did say DEBIT card though.  Those directly pull money from your accounts.  I am not sure they have the same protections as a credit card.  A prime reason why I have NO interest in one.  Great for the CC company, no benefit to the consumer.

I If I remember correctly there was a "wonderkind" of the financial world that came up with the idea of an over draft protection on those cards.  You know, to avoid the embarrassment of hitting your limit.  Of course, they would charge you for that, which could turn a 2 cent over draft into a $30 profit for the CC company.

Spoke to Capital One. Investigation takes up to ten days, then hopefully I get my money back. New card issued. We'll see how this goes. Stay tuned....

EDIT: Mastercard has a "zero liability" policy, so with any luck I'll get everything back.

In reply to 02Pilot:

Ten day investigation and then hopefully you get your monry back... That is the reason I have rejected any attempts by my bank to give me a debit card.  They serve no purpose to consumers other than people who can not get a credit card due to recent bankruptcy (and I'm not even sure about that being liegitimate).

Credit cards offer an added layer between thieves and your real money, and typically are much more proactive about and quicker in reversing fraud.

WilD said:

In reply to 02Pilot:

Ten day investigation and then hopefully you get your monry back... That is the reason I have rejected any attempts by my bank to give me a debit card.  They serve no purpose to consumers other than people who can not get a credit card due to recent bankruptcy (and I'm not even sure about that being liegitimate).

Credit cards offer an added layer between thieves and your real money, and typically are much more proactive about and quicker in reversing fraud.

Yeah, I'm thinking I may not even activate the new card. My credit is fine - assuming they fix this right, I'll see if Capital One wants to issue me one.

In reply to WilD :

Bollocks. Debit cards exist exist for people who don't believe in borrowing money every month to survive. Second, in the US, they are protected just like a credit card with the caveat that you have to be able to survive without your missing cash until they refund it. Whereas with a credit card, you were spending somebody else's money in the first place.

In reply to Johnboyjjb :

There's no borrowing involved with a credit card when you pay off your bill in full every month.

I had it happen 3 consecutive years (after traveling to resorts in Jamaica), where once I returned to the states there were large charges to my Debit Card that originated in England. 

I had to go to a branch of my bank, sign an affidavit that I didn't make the charges. All 3 times I had ALL my money refunded within 3-4 days.

I don't use debit cards, only credit cards for this exact reason.  If a scam purchase goes through, its not my money they're playing with.

Johnboyjjb said:

In reply to WilD :

Bollocks. Debit cards exist exist for people who don't believe in borrowing money every month to survive. Second, in the US, they are protected just like a credit card with the caveat that you have to be able to survive without your missing cash until they refund it. Whereas with a credit card, you were spending somebody else's money in the first place.

Uhhh, no. You're not spending someone else's money. Unless you don't plan on paying it back. Credit cards are a valuable tool that can be misused, yes, but debit cards are a world of hurt if you make a mistake or have an incident like 02Pilot's and don't have enough funds to cover it for 10 days. To me a debit card is the worst of both worlds and then some.

1kris06 said:

In reply to Johnboyjjb :

There's no borrowing involved with a credit card when you pay off your bill in full every month.

^^^^^ THIS.  I get interest-free use of somebody else's money for a minimum of 25 days.  Why WOULDN'T I buy everything I can via credit card?  The 1% rebate is just a bonus on top of that.

Sometimes the card company catches it, sometimes they don't.  I've had Discover flag unauthorized charges a few times and froze the account to send me a new card. A couple of years ago, a few charges got past them and I had to flag them myself. Fortunately, they were good and reimbursed the charges.

But it's definitely annoying either way.