Some friends from Minnesota were recently in town to experience the fabulousness that is Dallas. We are at one of the boutiques in the gayborhood when I receive a call from my bank.
Bank: “Hello, were you shopping at a Walmart in Frisco, Texas, recently?”
Me: “Um…no.”
Bank: “…well your debit card was!”
Apparently someone got a hold of my debit card information, created a fake card, and went on a shopping spree at Walmart.
My bank kicked off a refund and issued a new card, but my checking account was locked for the rest of the weekend.
That totally cramped my style.
Flash forward to last Friday – I randomly decided to look at my checking account statement and saw a charge from Spirit Airlines.
I haven’t purchased a plane ticket from Spirit Airlines in years, so I immediately call my bank.
Me: “Hi, I’m calling about a charge on my debit card. It looks like it is from Spirit Airlines…”
Bank: “Oh yes, the one way ticket you purchased from Miramar, Florida, yesterday? How tropical! Wait… there’s another charge from a Texas grocery store right after it… let me guess – you didn’t buy a plane ticket, did you?”
So my brand new debit card gets closed and reissued yet again.
I asked the bank how I can prevent future fraudulent charges, and they basically said, “Don’t use your card at sketchy gas stations.” My bank also wouldn’t issue me a card with a chip unless I was willing to have my newly reissued card canceled yet again.
Either Kroger or one of the bars on Cedar Springs likely has a fake card reader problem – I think it’s time to switch to cash.
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