This is good advice. I mean, the police won't do anything, but you're right about the claim. Most of the time, a claim will not even be processed without the police report.
It’s not so they can actually take action, it’s so they can say you’re not lying since it’s illegal to file a false one. That said when it happened to me I believe they did take action bc it was the same drifter who’s done it 15 other times and they knew where to pick them up.
Hey there! Unfortunately the best bet is to just be patient. I work at a bank and it’s true that they do have to wait until the charges are no longer pending. Then you should be able to fill out an affidavit and dispute what wasnt you. Im sure they’ll see that you havent spent much like that on the card before and realize that it’s unusual activity. They will most likely be able to get that back for you, I know it’s unnerving though, but try to do something relaxing in the meantime
In the meantime, file a police report. Call your local non-emergency police number, and they will either send an officer to talk to you or instruct you to file there report online. Banks are *much* more likely to approve your claim if there's a police report associated with it.
Is it an irrational fear to have some feeling they may show up at my house? They have my address through my ID, and even though its extremely unlikely I'm still slightly worried on that end.
Someone once broke into my car and took my iPhone and wallet.
I used find my iPhone and traced it to a king ribs location. The cops didn’t care and said that doesn’t count as evidence.
A year later they call to tell me they recovered my stuff. Drove to the station and they handed me a battered old wallet with nothing in it
A year ago someone broke into my car and stole my wallet. I got a notification that they used my card (and it was declined because I reported it). I drove there and told the police. They met me to arrest them.
Sounds like cops where you are are far more qualified than the Indianapolis metro pd.
This happened on thanksgiving one year, and I was running a charity 5k (hence leaving my phone and valuables in the car).
The police guided parking for the event at Glendale mall which gave the impression of security. Little did we know, they intended to leave the event after parking was completed and all the attendants were at the race.
It was a gang activity and more than 100 cars were broken into, including a police officer’s car. The thief ensured they took his service pistol which I’m sure went over great.
I see. It seems very common that the bigger/denser the populace that the police are responsible for, the shittier they get. My experience was for a 100k-200k pop county sheriff department.
I see it often that smaller pop police seem to have less issues, perhaps we should look into why and maybe use that to improve these City PDs that are fucking shit up.
I wouldn't say it's irrational, but it's not likely that will happen. Whoever happened upon your wallet probably checked for cash, grabbed the card, and tossed everything else. Crimes like this are often just opportunity, not something that leads to more crime.
Think about it this way.
Why would them knowing you live there make them more likely to show up at your house? Supposedly they realize that most places are occupied - SOMEONE lives everywhere. Why does knowing the name of the person associated with a given address make a difference for someone wanting to rob / assault / rape / murder you?
Also, hate to break this to you, but where you live is information that is easy to google and available in public records.
If anything, i would be worried about ID theft more.
I think they'd be afraid to show up to your house considering they've committed a crime and might be putting them at risk of getting caught.
I'm sure they threw out your wallet once they took the money without even checking your ID, but in the case they did then they're likely actually avoiding you. I know that doesn't help much but hopefully eases the nerves a bit
As someone who also has had a wallet stolen, I had the same fear. Never saw them again, though. As others have said, file a police report. If you have no plans to acquire credit in the near future, freeze all your credit. In the future, don't ever take your debit card with you, just use a credit card. The difference being *you* won't be out cash while the bank disputes the charges.
I recently had an issue like this, didn't lose my wallet but a purchase was made online at a weird retailer at 12am. I have debit card usage notifications setup for situations like this and immediately contacted my bank to report the fraudulent charge. They immediately cancelled the card and reported the fraud but nothing could be done until the charge cleared. Reporting the issue as fast as possible is the best thing you can do and as others have said, you have to be patient.
Not necessarily. My child support card is considered a prepaid debit card and it’s covered but I do have to do a lot more work to prove to them that I didn’t actually make the purchases. It’s a pain. But worth it if that much has been taken from you. A prepaid debit and a prepaid gift card are two different things.
For your own sake in the future, really try to get a credit card and never carry a debit card around. If a credit card is stolen there is a lot more you can do to get your money back. It also doesnt take as long to see a resolution. (just always pay it off in full)
I have a debit card currently because I'm under 18, and need my parents to co-sign on a credit card. I definitely prefer them though, as things like this are a lot harder to do.
This makes more sense with your age. Please be sure to run a credit report at least every year or spend a little extra on credit monitoring for a year, if you can swing it, just to be safe.
Probably just use [annualcreditreport.com](https://annualcreditreport.com) the site the three credit bureaus set up to comply with a regulation that has them provide a free report each, once per year. Make sure nobody else opens a credit line in your name, and start any dispute on that while you're still a minor if you can. Maybe freeze your credit at the three bureaus just to make sure. It's easy to do, just another online sign-in straight through their websites.
If it isnt easy to get a credit card you can also open a second bank account and transfer money via the website into that only when you need to use a debit card. That way you can control how much is in the account linked to the card and minimize potential damages. I use Ally bank online and move money between accounts takes 5 seconds.
Not so much that theres “more to do” as that credit card companies dont want to hold the bag and they take the protection a lot more seriously.
But yeah, second this point.
You have more avenues of escalation to regulatory bodies if they dont play ball plus you can do more things like freezes and charge backs if they think its not a stolen card, - signed the guy who travels to much and had his credit card stole at least 6 or 7 times now.
Years ago my debit card was skimmed while I was travelling in Brazil. This was before online banking, so all I knew was there was no money in my account, and I thought I’d made some sort of mistake as to how much I had. I used my credit card for the rest of the trip. Then when I got home, and my next direct deposit hit my bank, all of a sudden there were more withdrawals in Brazil, but I was back in the US! That’s when I knew my money had been stolen! So I cancelled the card and went over all the transactions and the bank reimbursed me for everything I said wasn’t mine (about $2,000). you are protected from theft on debit cards, max liability is $50 if you report it right away.
I filed a police report, still waiting on any feedback from them or the bank. Thanks for everyone who gave advice, really helped out in this situation.
This is one of the top reasons to use a credit card and NOT debit.
If someone steals your credit card, you have zero liability, and just need to get a replacement... You're not our a cent.
It is too late now for this incident, but for the future never have a debit card, only carry a credit card - then if something like this happens again your money is not at risk.
I learned to never use my debit card years ago when someone got me at a gas pump with a reader. Also get a credit card if possible and keep that debit card at home. My debit is only ever used to withdraw cash and even that in today's world is very rare for me.
File a claim at the bank and hopefully everything will be taken cared of. When I got fraudulent charges though my bank actually called me and froze my cards because the dude went straight to Safeway and spent $500 lol
One thing bothers me. How can a stranger use 700+ dollars without needing to put a PIN. Here (Belgium), you have 3 tries. And if you fail, it’s blocked.
Contactless is possible but is capped at 50€ per day.
This is why it is always best to carry a credit card over a debit card. Debit cards take money directly from your bank account where as credit cards don't. Hopefully you get everything disputed, but in the meantime I would search for a credit card that bests suits you.
Unless the laws changed, if you have a lost or stolen credit card, you can only be held to $50 in disputed charges; but since a debit card is a direct link to your checking account, I don’t believe you necessarily have that protection. (In the US).
This is standard procedure -- the purchases have to post before they can be disputed as the amount may change. File a police report on the theft and provide the police report to your bank. The bank should protect you in this case. If you can, get a credit card in the future and use it for purchases and pay in full each month (use like a debit card). The benefit is that when something like this happens you are not out the money in your account.
File a police report and tell them that the card has been used at Walmart and the smoke shop. They should be able to get the security videos and get a pic of the suspect.
Yeah, cops don't do that. I had some equipment stolen on camera. The thief paid for something with his own credit card while he was there. The store owner pulled up the necessary information and went to the police.
Identify known. Crime on tape.
I talked to the police and they said "We got other stuff to do. Not going to bother with this one." Cops don't do anything about minor crimes unless they are protecting the person/organization it happened to. They sure don't give a shit if someone steals your identity.
Interesting. I had a completely different experience. Smaller town though. State Police were involved. They were very helpful and actually called me to tell me that they had made an arrest. (Car break in, stolen purse).
Was going to say, must be small town. Los Angeles we didn't even bother going to police for report. Have had or seen so many instances where they do Jack shit it's an absolute waste of time. Hit and run, theft, traffic accidents...you could hand them all the evidence they need on a silver platter and they will still not lift a finger.
>Los Angeles we didn't even bother going to police for report. Have had or seen so many instances where they do Jack shit
And then the police are like, Look, crime is down. It's a racket.
I wonder if the theft occurring at a state park had something to do with it. I was told to report the theft to the state police. They actually called me today to give me an update on the investigation. I was pleasantly surprised to say the least!
This wouldn’t bother me at all assuming these are credit cards
Just call and inform them of the theft. Wait for transactions to post. Then let them know which ones are fraud. You aren’t liable.
Piece of cake.
Edit. Just saw it was debit. Good luck.
Hit credit instead of debit, under a set value I've never had a second challenge to my charges.
Tho that is how I got my card frozen when I was out of the local area and forgot my pin...
To me using a debit card is a mistake as they lack the protection to the consumer that CCs do. I can honestly say I only use my debit for ATM use as it's for ATMs. I don't even carry it with me unless I am doing ATM transaction
Probably smart.
My debit information got stolen for the first time a month ago.
Fairly certain it was a gas pump that asked me to swipe right after I swiped... they put card readers over the top of the now.
Probably smart.
My debit information got stolen for the first time a month ago.
Fairly certain it was a gas pump that asked me to swipe right after I swiped... they put card readers over the top of the now.
- called skimming and with the technology that exist, they can skim you info for several feet a way. I have had an anti-RFID wallet for years as we travel all over when we are RVing
Talk to the bank of the debt card. Tell them you did not authorize the purchases and it was not you. They will contact the companies and you'll get a refund in about 2 weeks. Has happened to me before.
It probably won’t be immediately, unfortunately. But I’ve had this happen a couple of times and the bank will get your money back because of FDIC (insurance)
You don't wait for anyone to dispute the charges. That's YOUR job. Your card was stolen.
I got scammed out of my pin number once, immediately realized what happened, slapped myself in the forehead, and saw charges starting on my card. Cancelled it immediately and went to the bank the next day. My banks process was having a resolution in 14 days. I had to wait out that timeframe and got my money back.
You have a good chance of getting your money back but it won't be immediate.
File a police report, will help your claim to show its legitimate. Other than that, not really.
This is good advice. I mean, the police won't do anything, but you're right about the claim. Most of the time, a claim will not even be processed without the police report.
It’s not so they can actually take action, it’s so they can say you’re not lying since it’s illegal to file a false one. That said when it happened to me I believe they did take action bc it was the same drifter who’s done it 15 other times and they knew where to pick them up.
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I live in Philly, not overwhelmingly large city to hide in tbh
Police report and ID theft report. * https://www.identitytheft.gov/#/ - If in US If the thief has all his ID he's ripe for ID theft.
Hey there! Unfortunately the best bet is to just be patient. I work at a bank and it’s true that they do have to wait until the charges are no longer pending. Then you should be able to fill out an affidavit and dispute what wasnt you. Im sure they’ll see that you havent spent much like that on the card before and realize that it’s unusual activity. They will most likely be able to get that back for you, I know it’s unnerving though, but try to do something relaxing in the meantime
Ok thank you for the advice.
In the meantime, file a police report. Call your local non-emergency police number, and they will either send an officer to talk to you or instruct you to file there report online. Banks are *much* more likely to approve your claim if there's a police report associated with it.
Is it an irrational fear to have some feeling they may show up at my house? They have my address through my ID, and even though its extremely unlikely I'm still slightly worried on that end.
They likely will not. Because then they could get caught. They will actually be more likely to avoid your house now.
Someone once broke into my car and took my iPhone and wallet. I used find my iPhone and traced it to a king ribs location. The cops didn’t care and said that doesn’t count as evidence. A year later they call to tell me they recovered my stuff. Drove to the station and they handed me a battered old wallet with nothing in it
A year ago someone broke into my car and stole my wallet. I got a notification that they used my card (and it was declined because I reported it). I drove there and told the police. They met me to arrest them.
Sounds like cops where you are are far more qualified than the Indianapolis metro pd. This happened on thanksgiving one year, and I was running a charity 5k (hence leaving my phone and valuables in the car). The police guided parking for the event at Glendale mall which gave the impression of security. Little did we know, they intended to leave the event after parking was completed and all the attendants were at the race. It was a gang activity and more than 100 cars were broken into, including a police officer’s car. The thief ensured they took his service pistol which I’m sure went over great.
I see. It seems very common that the bigger/denser the populace that the police are responsible for, the shittier they get. My experience was for a 100k-200k pop county sheriff department. I see it often that smaller pop police seem to have less issues, perhaps we should look into why and maybe use that to improve these City PDs that are fucking shit up.
I wouldn't say it's irrational, but it's not likely that will happen. Whoever happened upon your wallet probably checked for cash, grabbed the card, and tossed everything else. Crimes like this are often just opportunity, not something that leads to more crime.
Think about it this way. Why would them knowing you live there make them more likely to show up at your house? Supposedly they realize that most places are occupied - SOMEONE lives everywhere. Why does knowing the name of the person associated with a given address make a difference for someone wanting to rob / assault / rape / murder you? Also, hate to break this to you, but where you live is information that is easy to google and available in public records. If anything, i would be worried about ID theft more.
I think they'd be afraid to show up to your house considering they've committed a crime and might be putting them at risk of getting caught. I'm sure they threw out your wallet once they took the money without even checking your ID, but in the case they did then they're likely actually avoiding you. I know that doesn't help much but hopefully eases the nerves a bit
That's not going to happen.
As someone who also has had a wallet stolen, I had the same fear. Never saw them again, though. As others have said, file a police report. If you have no plans to acquire credit in the near future, freeze all your credit. In the future, don't ever take your debit card with you, just use a credit card. The difference being *you* won't be out cash while the bank disputes the charges.
It's not an irrational fear. Even more important to file a police report.
I recently had an issue like this, didn't lose my wallet but a purchase was made online at a weird retailer at 12am. I have debit card usage notifications setup for situations like this and immediately contacted my bank to report the fraudulent charge. They immediately cancelled the card and reported the fraud but nothing could be done until the charge cleared. Reporting the issue as fast as possible is the best thing you can do and as others have said, you have to be patient.
What do you mean by “company who owns the card?” Your bank? Or is it a prepaid debit card?
Its a prepaid debit card.
Why did you have $700 on a prepaid card? Was this a gift? Just wondering.
Yikes I’d be surprised if he can get anything back. Prepaid card is basically cash, no ownership
Not necessarily. My child support card is considered a prepaid debit card and it’s covered but I do have to do a lot more work to prove to them that I didn’t actually make the purchases. It’s a pain. But worth it if that much has been taken from you. A prepaid debit and a prepaid gift card are two different things.
Might be one of the debit cards used for paying wages at McDonalds/etc?
For your own sake in the future, really try to get a credit card and never carry a debit card around. If a credit card is stolen there is a lot more you can do to get your money back. It also doesnt take as long to see a resolution. (just always pay it off in full)
I have a debit card currently because I'm under 18, and need my parents to co-sign on a credit card. I definitely prefer them though, as things like this are a lot harder to do.
This makes more sense with your age. Please be sure to run a credit report at least every year or spend a little extra on credit monitoring for a year, if you can swing it, just to be safe.
Probably just use [annualcreditreport.com](https://annualcreditreport.com) the site the three credit bureaus set up to comply with a regulation that has them provide a free report each, once per year. Make sure nobody else opens a credit line in your name, and start any dispute on that while you're still a minor if you can. Maybe freeze your credit at the three bureaus just to make sure. It's easy to do, just another online sign-in straight through their websites.
If it isnt easy to get a credit card you can also open a second bank account and transfer money via the website into that only when you need to use a debit card. That way you can control how much is in the account linked to the card and minimize potential damages. I use Ally bank online and move money between accounts takes 5 seconds.
Not so much that theres “more to do” as that credit card companies dont want to hold the bag and they take the protection a lot more seriously. But yeah, second this point.
You have more avenues of escalation to regulatory bodies if they dont play ball plus you can do more things like freezes and charge backs if they think its not a stolen card, - signed the guy who travels to much and had his credit card stole at least 6 or 7 times now.
Cant you do the latter with debits?
Dependant on bank, not always and there could be (old data on my part) fees if it's still that way.
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I really wish my banks had ATM only cards instead of combo ATM/Debit cards.
They probably have cameras at wal mart. Finding the dude doesn’t get your money back though. Tell the banks what happened.
The smoke shop has to have a camera too!
Especially since the OP is underage. I’m pretty sure it’s illegal everywhere to sell smoking materials to someone under 18.
Years ago my debit card was skimmed while I was travelling in Brazil. This was before online banking, so all I knew was there was no money in my account, and I thought I’d made some sort of mistake as to how much I had. I used my credit card for the rest of the trip. Then when I got home, and my next direct deposit hit my bank, all of a sudden there were more withdrawals in Brazil, but I was back in the US! That’s when I knew my money had been stolen! So I cancelled the card and went over all the transactions and the bank reimbursed me for everything I said wasn’t mine (about $2,000). you are protected from theft on debit cards, max liability is $50 if you report it right away.
Don't all debit cards require a PIN?
PIN is only required for cash back, otherwise it can be run as credit.
Not when used online.
The EU requires extra authentication for online card payments since January 2021 afaik.
I filed a police report, still waiting on any feedback from them or the bank. Thanks for everyone who gave advice, really helped out in this situation.
This is one of the top reasons to use a credit card and NOT debit. If someone steals your credit card, you have zero liability, and just need to get a replacement... You're not our a cent.
Get a credit card so you're not boned the next time this happens.
It is too late now for this incident, but for the future never have a debit card, only carry a credit card - then if something like this happens again your money is not at risk.
I learned to never use my debit card years ago when someone got me at a gas pump with a reader. Also get a credit card if possible and keep that debit card at home. My debit is only ever used to withdraw cash and even that in today's world is very rare for me. File a claim at the bank and hopefully everything will be taken cared of. When I got fraudulent charges though my bank actually called me and froze my cards because the dude went straight to Safeway and spent $500 lol
One thing bothers me. How can a stranger use 700+ dollars without needing to put a PIN. Here (Belgium), you have 3 tries. And if you fail, it’s blocked. Contactless is possible but is capped at 50€ per day.
We're still using signature here. Banks are afraid you'll use a different card if it was PIN.
I'd use a different card if it was signature.
This is why it is always best to carry a credit card over a debit card. Debit cards take money directly from your bank account where as credit cards don't. Hopefully you get everything disputed, but in the meantime I would search for a credit card that bests suits you.
Unless the laws changed, if you have a lost or stolen credit card, you can only be held to $50 in disputed charges; but since a debit card is a direct link to your checking account, I don’t believe you necessarily have that protection. (In the US).
This is standard procedure -- the purchases have to post before they can be disputed as the amount may change. File a police report on the theft and provide the police report to your bank. The bank should protect you in this case. If you can, get a credit card in the future and use it for purchases and pay in full each month (use like a debit card). The benefit is that when something like this happens you are not out the money in your account.
File a police report and tell them that the card has been used at Walmart and the smoke shop. They should be able to get the security videos and get a pic of the suspect.
Yeah, cops don't do that. I had some equipment stolen on camera. The thief paid for something with his own credit card while he was there. The store owner pulled up the necessary information and went to the police. Identify known. Crime on tape. I talked to the police and they said "We got other stuff to do. Not going to bother with this one." Cops don't do anything about minor crimes unless they are protecting the person/organization it happened to. They sure don't give a shit if someone steals your identity.
Interesting. I had a completely different experience. Smaller town though. State Police were involved. They were very helpful and actually called me to tell me that they had made an arrest. (Car break in, stolen purse).
Was going to say, must be small town. Los Angeles we didn't even bother going to police for report. Have had or seen so many instances where they do Jack shit it's an absolute waste of time. Hit and run, theft, traffic accidents...you could hand them all the evidence they need on a silver platter and they will still not lift a finger.
>Los Angeles we didn't even bother going to police for report. Have had or seen so many instances where they do Jack shit And then the police are like, Look, crime is down. It's a racket.
I wonder if the theft occurring at a state park had something to do with it. I was told to report the theft to the state police. They actually called me today to give me an update on the investigation. I was pleasantly surprised to say the least!
There is about a 0% chance cops will bother with that. They are busy with real crimes, like, you know, speeding.
You'd be surprised. I'd go in person and make a report. Then keep following up.
Relax. Breathe. Let the bank handle it. You’ll get your money back.
This wouldn’t bother me at all assuming these are credit cards Just call and inform them of the theft. Wait for transactions to post. Then let them know which ones are fraud. You aren’t liable. Piece of cake. Edit. Just saw it was debit. Good luck.
If you had Amex and chase card, you will be fine. I know other banks will tell you to kick rocks.
I think you just have to wait it out short of calling the police to get camera footage of the person. You should get the money back.
Stop using debit cards btw. Everytime my bank sends us our “new” one — I shred it. Credit cards only, no liability in the event of theft or fraud
Your homeowners or renters insurance may cover the loss. File the police report and then contact your insurance company.
How did they use your card without a pin?
Plug in debit card.. when it asks for pin, just press enter. Rings it up as credit I believe but let’s you use the card with no pin.
- don;t debit cards NEED a PIN to be used?? How did they know your PIN
Hit credit instead of debit, under a set value I've never had a second challenge to my charges. Tho that is how I got my card frozen when I was out of the local area and forgot my pin...
many places dont ask pin unless over $50 or w/e
To me using a debit card is a mistake as they lack the protection to the consumer that CCs do. I can honestly say I only use my debit for ATM use as it's for ATMs. I don't even carry it with me unless I am doing ATM transaction
Probably smart. My debit information got stolen for the first time a month ago. Fairly certain it was a gas pump that asked me to swipe right after I swiped... they put card readers over the top of the now.
Probably smart. My debit information got stolen for the first time a month ago. Fairly certain it was a gas pump that asked me to swipe right after I swiped... they put card readers over the top of the now.
- called skimming and with the technology that exist, they can skim you info for several feet a way. I have had an anti-RFID wallet for years as we travel all over when we are RVing
Talk to the bank of the debt card. Tell them you did not authorize the purchases and it was not you. They will contact the companies and you'll get a refund in about 2 weeks. Has happened to me before.
I lost $1000 this way. Citizens was able to refund me after investigating. It took a few weeks though.
It probably won’t be immediately, unfortunately. But I’ve had this happen a couple of times and the bank will get your money back because of FDIC (insurance)
You don't wait for anyone to dispute the charges. That's YOUR job. Your card was stolen. I got scammed out of my pin number once, immediately realized what happened, slapped myself in the forehead, and saw charges starting on my card. Cancelled it immediately and went to the bank the next day. My banks process was having a resolution in 14 days. I had to wait out that timeframe and got my money back. You have a good chance of getting your money back but it won't be immediate.
I had my card stolen once, the bank ended up voiding the transactions and I had my money back within 3 days.