Originally Posted by
amandasgramma
A friend has this idea for safely ordering thru the mail.
She opened up a free account at a different bank than her own. She got a debit card. She figures out how much she'll need for a purchase, puts that much money in that new bank account (always leaves $10.00) and uses THAT account to make purchase. They can not access more than she has in the account -- I believe there is a setting that won't let anyone charge more than what's in the account. That way, if she DOES have a fraud then they don't affect her living expenses.
I think your friend's idea is a good one. It puts really tight limits on the risk. Plus, if her debit card has the MasterCard/VISA logo on it, she is also protected by their terms of service, which is very customer-friendly.
But it is very, very, VERY unwise to use debit cards that are tied in to the bank account(s) that you are using for meeting your living expenses! Because if someone uses it, that money is GONE from your account for several days until the bank fixes things. Whereas, on a regular credit card, you aren't out any money and you can just dispute the charges.