About a week ago, I was contacted by our bank about a few potentially fraudulent transactions. Thinking that they were calling about the huge deposit we transferred from savings to checking as a down payment for Chad's new car, I didn't think much of it.
Did I withdraw $400 from an ATM on Saturday, they asked? Hmm...I didn't think so. But with everything going on with the car purchase, I guess I couldn't be sure.
Did I withdraw $500 from an ATM in Maryland on Sunday? Umm...no. Considering I wasn't in Maryland on Sunday.
Damn.
And that began the long saga of figuring out how someone stole not only my ATM card number but also my PIN while one was in my wallet and the other was tucked away securely in my brain.
It all seemed like one great mystery until today when the City of Alexandria put out a press release on a new investigation about a skimming scam. This isn't my normal ATM, but of course I deposited something there one Saturday while we were taking Lucy for a walk at the park.
So, here's my public service announcement of the week: Pay special attention to ATMs when you use them. Skimmers can look like little bookmarks (like this) or big mammoth card readers (like this). And if you see one, trust me: don't use it.
Fortunately our bank has been great. They refunded us about $920 that was stolen and told me they plan to prosecute whoever did this. Other than some time on the phone and irritation that I have to give up the PIN I've had ever since I opened my checking account in 7th grade (sniff...), I'm relatively unscathed.
PS: I mentioned Chad's new car as a complete afterthought. Here's a photo. This car was a process with a capital "P", but he loves it.
1 comment:
Sorry about all that. At least the bank told you. Thanks for all the info. Will be looking. That is a scary thing to have happen.
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