Originally Posted by
AlienQuilter
That's really good of them to do that.
What are some of the things to do to protect yourself in the future? I already know not to use a debit card. A credit card company works harder at protecting you and also, all your money could be gone from your checking account before you know anything is wrong.
I have not ordered from either of these stores so I haven't had this experience, and it is possible that they were hacked but didn't discover it right away either; but as to what you can do....
1. I have read one online tip is to
only use one credit card for online purchases, . I use the one I have with the lowest amount that can be charged i.e. one that has $10,000 limit rather than the one that is $25,000. But you could also apply for one that you would only use online and request a specific limit. The one I use I also use at stores I am at in person.
2. I don't use my debit card either, as credit cards do have some protection that the debits don't.
3. Always read you statement for all your cards when they come. Or if you check your statements online too, you can probably check weekly to catch any suspicious activity.
4. If you see a item and you don't know what it is for or don't recognize the company name call or contact the card company. They can look up the transaction code and you can then tell if it was a company you ordered from.
Also check with your bank about any services they may have. My bank offers a separate "free checking' account. If you have an account with them you can open another account with a separate number and card like a credit or debit card. You can check what your balance will be for an online purchase then go to the bank online and move that much money into the account and go back to the online site and submit the order. This way there is only enough in it to cove the payment. I did try this but I would use it so seldom that at one point I had a dormant fee. Banker waived it the first time and suggested I use it for a small purchase every month, such as a cup of coffee just to have an activity so it wouldn't be dormant. But I cancelled it after awhile as I just didn't use it often and didn't want to have to keep making sure I used it in between online use. If I didn't want to use my other one for online I think I would just get one that was only for online.
Hope this helps