Few years ago after phone purchases in the AM to Midway and Brownells. That evening CC people cancel card due to attempted purchases in FL and RI. Coincidence?

Little more recently after a paypal purchase, two Lyft rides use my card for taxi service.

Just now after an online purchase to Volquartsen, someone back east attempts $3100 charges.

My card people have always done me good on these. It is a permanent card limit of 1000 for just this reason.

But the dam hassle sucks.

It sounds about average frequency.

Not much you can do about it.

I got hit about every 6 months to a year, so new rules;
1) Debt card only used at Publix, Krogers & Walmart.
2) One credit card used for on line purchases
3) One credit card for Airlines only
4) A third credit card for Hotels
5) Cash for all other purchases

quote:

Originally posted by Anush:
I got hit about every 6 months to a year, so new rules;
1) Debt card only used at Publix, Krogers & Walmart.
2) One credit card used for on line purchases
3) One credit card for Airlines only
4) A third credit card for Hotels
5) Cash for all other purchases

Other than #1, what exactly does that accomplish in terms of reducing risk of card number being hacked/guessed/mined? Looks like it increases the odds 400%.

quote:

Originally posted by Anush:
I got hit about every 6 months to a year, so new rules;
1) Debt card only used at Publix, Krogers & Walmart.
2) One credit card used for on line purchases
3) One credit card for Airlines only
4) A third credit card for Hotels
5) Cash for all other purchases

For me the Debit card is only used at the bank that issued it's ATM.

It is Never used to purchase anything. I learned a lesson there when it's number was stolen and had to wait a month for the investigation to get my money back.

If you think that using your credit / debit card for online purchases is responsible for fraud, here is a good way to limit that exposure:

Many banks that issue cards, now support “virtual cards.” Here’s how that works, if your bank offers this feature. My Capital One MasterCard does offer this, and I use it.

When I make an online purchase, I use the virtual card feature to generate a virtual card for that particular vendor. I’ll use Midway USA for this example. This virtual card has the necessary attributes for an online purchase: card number, CCV number, and expiration date. The card number and CCV number are unique. I now have a new credit card. All charges to this card are actually charged to my real Capital One MasterCard, and I have a few forms of protection:

1. The card is valid for purchases only at the vendor for which is was generated, Midway USA in this example. Any attempt to use this card number anywhere else, will fail.
   
   
2. Via the bank’s website, I can go into the control panel for my virtual credit cards and turn each one, individually, on or off. Any attempt to make a charge to this card, even at its linked vendor, will fail if the card is turned off. I typically leave the card turned off if I am not expecting to make a charge on it, I can turn it on to make a purchase, and then when that transaction has been approved, I can turn the card off.
   
   
3. I can delete any of my virtual cards whenever I want to. This will cause the card to disappear from the system and, of course, any attempt to make a charge to the no longer existing card, will fail.

There are no bank fees or charges for using this feature. It is a good safeguard for using your card for online purchases.

I use 1Password as a password manager. Not only does it keep track of all my various logins, it also has a section to track credit cards, so I record my virtual card numbers there, where they are easy to find when I need them.

quote:

Originally posted by Georgeair:

quote:

Originally posted by Anush:
I got hit about every 6 months to a year, so new rules;
1) Debt card only used at Publix, Krogers & Walmart.
2) One credit card used for on line purchases
3) One credit card for Airlines only
4) A third credit card for Hotels
5) Cash for all other purchases

Other than #1, what exactly does that accomplish in terms of reducing risk of card number being hacked/guessed/mined? Looks like it increases the odds 400%.

It actually reduces exposure to larger losses. And the "odds" are a bit more tricky to calculate, but it is still less using more cards.

A really bad analogy, but sort of like playing Russian Roulette with multiple revolvers in a single session. (That was going to be Deer Hunter 2, but Walken started Bleeden.)

If a debit card is compromised, one could potentially lose everything in that account and suffer overdraft losses if one has that tied to that account.

Credit cards, typically have a limit of liability for fraudulent charges.

FWIW, I have all my accounts tied to SMS notification to my phone, so anytime anything touches the card, I get a notification.

quote:

Originally posted by 95flhr:

quote:

Originally posted by Anush:
I got hit about every 6 months to a year, so new rules;
1) Debt card only used at Publix, Krogers & Walmart.
2) One credit card used for on line purchases
3) One credit card for Airlines only
4) A third credit card for Hotels
5) Cash for all other purchases

For me the Debit card is only used at the bank that issued it's ATM.

It is Never used to purchase anything. I learned a lesson there when it's number was stolen and had to wait a month for the investigation to get my money back.

I'd take it one step further....NEVER get a Debit card!

A compromised Debit Card means someone can empty your Bank Account! You may not be liable for it in the end (AFTER the 'Investigation'), but you'll likely be without access to your funds for some time, which are GONE at that point anyway! If this happens while you're traveling you're screwed!

Further, when using a Debit Card for certain purchases such as Restaurants, Hotels, Rental Car, etc (where the could be multiple incidental charges, recurring charges and/or tips potentially added to the bill), a large 'Temporary Authorization' is imposed on your account that locks up funds until the finalized debit charge 'posts' to your account, which is a few days AFTER the transaction!

I forced my bank to provide me with an ATM Card, and I only use it at my bank....And if that's lost or stolen I'm not out any money!

As long as you're financially responsible a Credit Card is definitely a better choice! If my Credit Card is stolen/compromised, I have zero liability and at that point I can use a secondary card until it's replaced....And again, I'm not out ANY money!

Yes, I also got hacked after an online purchase.
It is damn annoying.
New app downloaded to my phone = Skimmer scanner .
I filled up at a local BJ's Wholesale each time I was hacked. Now I will scan for a "skimmer" at the pump.

My bad for lack of clarity. I wasn't meaning to use a debit card for anything other than groceries, etc. Even that doesn't really protect since the numbers get mined without anything as sophisticated as skimmers and such I think.

I meant why bother with more than one credit card? Losses are limited to $50 on most prior to reporting and none after that, and most cards just reverse it all.

More cards equals more numbers to be guessed/hacked/stolen from some database.

More cards equals more $50 exposures. But my likely exposure is $0 whether I have 1 or 50 cards.

More cards equals more hassle.

I like the idea of an ATM only card to remove the issue of debit cards.

Currently I have only two credit cards, and only reason for that is AMEX vs VISA sites coupled with having a backup if on a trip and one gets hacked while the replacement is in route.

quote:

Originally posted by SIGfourme:
Yes, I also got hacked after an online purchase.
It is damn annoying.
New app downloaded to my phone = Skimmer scanner .
I filled up at a local BJ's Wholesale each time I was hacked. Now I will scan for a "skimmer" at the pump.

How does this work? Curious.

quote:

Originally posted by 229DAK:

quote:

Originally posted by SIGfourme:
Yes, I also got hacked after an online purchase.
It is damn annoying.
New app downloaded to my phone = Skimmer scanner .
I filled up at a local BJ's Wholesale each time I was hacked. Now I will scan for a "skimmer" at the pump.

How does this work? Curious.

Not sure what you're asking. Are you asking how a skimmer works? Or are you asking how a skimmer scanner works?

quote:

I'd take it one step further....NEVER get a Debit card!

I was issued a Debit card and have never used it.

I don't know what some of y'all are doing, but we've never had a problem to that degree with on-line purchasing.

I buy a lot of stuff on-line. Gun supply and ammo stores, Amazon, Best Buy, Home Depot. The list goes on. I use PayPal and have for (checking...) eighteen years.

Heck, I even used one of my cards for an on-line purchase from an on-line electronics retailer in Europe, when we were there, to acquire a "thank you" gift for the relatives that gave us a place to stay.

<knock on wood>, but the only time our cards have been 0wn3d was via card terminals in local use (Target, Home Depot).