NFT: Life tip. Wallet stolen

There are a lot of low life people out there these days. My hope is I get to catch one of those idiots in the act.

Young man minding his own business, having his life disrupted because of a thief

You re correct, he ll bounce back, but to be so inconvenienced because of another’s lack of character is so disappointing. I am enraged just reading your post.

Had to cancel my credit card last week. Googled Black Stone Grills. Clicked on first link listed. Prices were better, seemed like legit site, ordered 3 grills as gifts.

They declined my card, I knew my card was good. Got suspicion and tried pay pal, declined, asked for credit card.

Cancelled card. Have no card for holiday now, with the way the mail runs who knows when I ll get the it

Minor inconvenience compared to your son.

Sorry, for you guys, there are just some bad people out there,

Good tips. Those debit cards are the worst. Very good idea to have super low daily limits on those cards. And never use a debit card for any online transaction. Debit card fraud and consumer protection is way behind the credit card. Not sure how the banksters keep getting away with these policies tbh.

Canceled all of my credit cards and ordered a new credit card to be delivered to my hotel. TSA let me fly home with only that credit card as my id.

There are no consequences for the disgusting thieves. I had my CC info stolen twice. After the first time I was pissed. But after the second time I about lost my shit. Both times Wells Fargo told me they don’t really investigate these things because it’s so common that neither they nor law enforcement have the resources to investigate every one of them. They simply turn it over to insurance for reimbursement. So the crooks get away with it every time and they know it. I wanted a head on a platter and WF just didn’t give a damn.

the life tip here is NOT about Apple Pay though. It is about making sure the valuables are in your possession at all times. Keeping them in a back pack is essentially asking to have them stolen even if you are wearing the back pack. People are skilled at stealing things out of there while you are wearing it.

It is is something you care about, you keep it in your front pocket... that's it.

Having been in the situation before, I do the following now:

- I don’t use a debit card to pay for ANYTHING. Set a $1.00 limit on purchases and if anyone nefariously tries to use it, it bounces. You’re not ultimately responsible for fraudulent transactions on it, but the money is out of the account until the fraud is discovered. Just ATM transactions on the debit card which require a pin

- keep a photo of IDs (DL, passport, school ID, etc.) as favorites on the phone

- at least one credit card on Apple Pay, and at least one “spare” credit card kept elsewhere (home, in a suitcase at hotel, etc.)

Can’t account for every possible scenario but experience yields some tips for redundancy, especially on the road!

I switched my debit Visa card to a MAC card only. You need the PIN number fir a MAC card use.

That sucks man. A lot of jackasses out there. My debit card was stolen @ the gym a couple of years back because I stupidly didn't put a lock on the locker. Thankfully I noticed it pretty quickly & canceled that card before the jackass was able to use it.

I go online and check purchases on my credit cards pretty much every day. Doesn’t take more than a few minutes and it’s now a habit. For what this is worth, I went on the 3 credit bureaus and froze the accounts so no one can open any accounts without my PIN. I also use the 2 step authentication. And, I never reuse passwords . I use Appple to create new long complicated passwords.

I use Google Pay. I have PayPal. Nobody has tried using my cards. I think they are at home somewhere but don't know. It is a pain in the ass to cancel. I use Chase. They are great with canceling. No questions with them. I'm sure they look into specific transactions but I've never had an issue saying I didn't buy something. The only reason I haven't canceled the cards is that I have my information in a few places like Amazon and it is a pain to change all that information.

always set up purchase notifications via text, along with approvals over a certain amount. I also don’t know why people still use debit cards.

if someone steals my card and starts using it in an untypical fashion, especially in a different locale than I live, they are on it like Flint. They freeze the card on their own, especially if I don't answer their call/text and confirm it's my charges. If I contact them and agree it's fraud - they will overnight me a new card with new account number and new pin if I request it. They restore all claimed fraudulent charges. I had card info stolen in North Carolina, and the thief used it to withdraw $1,000's at a Piggley Wiggley and they were on it so fast I couldn't believe it. But it is a pain when your card is frozen and you need to use it that day.

Good PSA to know about ApplePay -- that's a great alternative solution.

In comment 15458691 joeinpa said:

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Young man minding his own business, having his life disrupted because of a thief You re correct, he ll bounce back, but to be so inconvenienced because of another’s lack of character is so disappointing. I am enraged just reading your post. Had to cancel my credit card last week. Googled Black Stone Grills. Clicked on first link listed. Prices were better, seemed like legit site, ordered 3 grills as gifts. They declined my card, I knew my card was good. Got suspicion and tried pay pal, declined, asked for credit card. Cancelled card. Have no card for holiday now, with the way the mail runs who knows when I ll get the it Minor inconvenience compared to your son. Sorry, for you guys, there are just some bad people out there,

Isn't your cc company sending a new card via FedEX or UPS?

Always kids getting phones and cars stolen while out. They have those phone wallets and everything disappears in a blink of an eye.

In comment 15458721 SJGiant said:

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I switched my debit Visa card to a MAC card only. You need the PIN number fir a MAC card use.

FYI: MAC cards are regional to the greater Philly area. A lot of people don’t know what you’re talking about.

Was wondering about that

Is great about the debit card. Sometimes I surprise myself making a purchase and they contact me to make sure it’s legit.

In comment 15458750 Jim in Fairfax said:

Quote:

In comment 15458721 SJGiant said: Quote: I switched my debit Visa card to a MAC card only. You need the PIN number fir a MAC card use. FYI: MAC cards are regional to the greater Philly area. A lot of people don’t know what you’re talking about.

I didn't know MAC cards are regional. I thought they were nationwide. Thanks for the info.

I was out if gas in downtown philly one night filling up in a sketchy neighborhood and my card got declined because it got flagged as abnormal. Quickly resolved it with a phone call but it kept me at that gas station longer than I wanted to be there.

Annapolis Mike I live in Nashville, was at Verizon a few weeks back getting a phone there were 8 (8!) Young women there on line for new phones after theirs were stolen from them the night before on Broadway.

Crazy.

But his spare key doesn't work now I think he has to get his car towed to the dealer because it's a smart key and the car has to be programmed.

Ugh

In comment 15458790 oghwga said:

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But his spare key doesn't work now I think he has to get his car towed to the dealer because it's a smart key and the car has to be programmed. Ugh

The spare probably just needs a battery. Also: it should work without a battery if you hold it up against the dash next to the Start button.

And thanks to everyone for commiserating

I use Apple Pay for 80% of my purchases.

In regard to the OP's post, when I lost a credit card, I cancelled it by calling the card's service center and immediately found that the card was no longer available to Apple Pay on my phone or watch.

When you cancel a credit card that has been activated to work with Apple Pay, the account will no longer work when you try to use it with Apple Pay.

In comment 15459138 Hammer said:

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I use Apple Pay for 80% of my purchases. In regard to the OP's post, when I lost a credit card, I cancelled it by calling the card's service center and immediately found that the card was no longer available to Apple Pay on my phone or watch. When you cancel a credit card that has been activated to work with Apple Pay, the account will no longer work when you try to use it with Apple Pay.

It depends on the issuer.

They suggested the apple pay idea.

Locksmith got him a new key for $300.

New license and credit cards on the way

All is well

I loathe theft, it's absolutely repugnant.

Hope all goes well.

Yeesh...

I know that sounds odd, theft has been around forever... But serious theft (cyber, identity, etc) is going to get so bad in the upcoming years, no one is safe...unless you live in some mountains off the grid.

My wife is a CFE (certified fraud examiner), her company tasked to assist states to go after and/or prevent unemployment insurance benefit fraud over the last 1 1/2 years. (Upward of 40% of ALL gov't assistance towards UI went to fraud, staggering dollar amounts.) Her experiences with the creativity of thieves would spin your head around. While the OP's experience would only be considered 'petty' theft, it still sucks though.

As suggested, Apple pay is one of the greatest things, you need to start there immediately. But any other security measures you can do in your everyday life will hopefully prevent weeks of misery and tons of money.

(When she wakes up, I will ask her and post any other suggestion she may have.)