We got a recorded message from the fraud dept. at our bank regarding unauthorized purchases on our credit card. I thought the message was weird so I got my credit card out and called the customer service number on the card. They put me into the fraud dept. and I found out the call was legit. Someone tried to purchase thousands of dollars of fishing gear on our card but they could not give the correct billing address so it was declined. Had to cancel the card just two days before we were to leave on vacation. They could not get us the new card in time so we had to use our ATM card. I just had to make sure I transferred enough money for us to use. It was a pain in the neck but we were able to go on vacation feeling everything was taken care of. Please call your bank and verify everything that was told to you on the phone. It will be worth the peace of mind.

Thanks!!! That pic got me a husband!!! LOL[/quote]

I frequently wish this site had 'like' buttons. That's one I would have liked to 'like'!

My bank has called me if there was a larger than usual purchase on my debit card. I would still call to see if it was on the up and up.

I agree, call to double check just to make sure. It sounds alright to me, but I used to work in card services for a bank in the fraud department. Banks have a complicated system that runs 24/7 - evaluating current fraud trends, your spending pattern, locale, and $ amount of purchases.

Better safe than sorry.

just christmas day someone used my card # and clean out our account almost 3,000.00 before we found out wished my bank had call....but they did put all the money back thank god

This was what the guy did. All he asked was if we had tried to make a large purchase 6 minutes ago and I told him no I had not bought anythingi in 3 or 4 days. He said he was with fraud prevention for my bank (Citizens) and that he thought the large purchase was unusual for our account. He cancelled my card right then and told me to contact my bank first thing in the morning as they had already closed for the day. All he asked was for the zip code #. I asked if I would have to pay for the purchase and he said they had declined the purchase.

My son and sister have been through this within the past couple of months. Both received calls from the fraud department of their banks. They were not asked to give any personal information other than to verify some facts before the bank personnel would even discuss the case with them. They visited their bank in person the following day and everything was taken care of, including getting the money returned to their accounts...thank goodness.

I had this happen to one of my CC several years ago. CC company called me stating there were charges & this lady started asking questions. I hung up & called my CC company & sure enough someone had tried to place over $3300.00 in ladies sexy under garments, electronics & they even tried to make a donation to a non-profit organization. I placed fraud alert/ID required on all my accounts & haven't had any problems since. There are warehouses full of hackers in China & Russia & possibly a few other countries, where all they do all day long is attempt to steal your info/money/etc. It may be a pain in the butt to have to let your company know when you make a large purchase, but it's better than being ripped off. Bank account/checking/debit cards are the easiest to hack, which is why I don't have one.

This is such a scary subject! Is there some reason bank account/checking/debit cards are easier than credit cards? How can we protect ourselves? We try to shred everything but I've heard that thieves can get personal information for the bar codes on address labels!

I have had banks/cc companies call to check on larger charges that didn't fit into our "normal" spending pattern.

15th anniv we went to the jewelry district in L.A. and bought expensive watches. Got home to a message from Discover Card services on the answering machine. I just called and said that it was me and we were very happy with our anniv presents.