Anyone had their account(s) hacked into...

camrude

Last night we got a call from our bank saying someone charged $.01 on our debit card which I guess is a red flag of hacking...so we closed that down. Today we have a $1 charge on our main cc (we charge everything and do the monthly payoff) - the cc company said yeah, it's probably someone testing the card. So that's shut down.

Anyone had this happen to them? What steps did you take? We do EVERYTHING online - do we need to get different software? We have norton.

shitshitshit?

DesignerMama

I *just* read a story on this yesterday. They think more than a million people were hit with these small charges, but aren't sure if it was a testing thing or not. The other theory is the whole "it's easier to steal one dollar from a million people than to steal a million dollars from one person." And the crooks figure most people won't even notice the charges or do anything about them.?

Unfortunately, I don't have advice on how to prevent it. Criminals are getting smarter and smarter. We had a cc # stolen without ever even using the card! It was for the account I write our checks out of, and the card had literally not left this house for 2+ years. And the jerks who used the number were in Texas. How the eff does that happen?

Glad you caught this early though. And I hope your bank gets it all figured out!?

Starr_Mom

I work in fraud, so I can answer your questions.

Basically, you probably have a keystroke spyware on your computer. Are you using Lavasoft Adaware or Spybot? Both of those are free programs that can catch spyware and adware that can not only slow down your computer, but can be used to hack into your information. The first thing you need to do is download those programs and run them to get rid of any yucky stuff. Then go onto all your financial websites and change your passwords. They should be something hard to guess and include at least one number and one letter, depending on the individual website requirements. I would also thoroughly examine all statements to make sure you are not missing anything. If they have access to your debit and credit cards, they probably have more information, like social security numbers and other public record information. It might be in your best interest to get in touch with the credit bureaus and place a fraud alert on your SSN. It is a free service and it will protect you against any additional credit being opened in your name. While you are with the bureaus, request a copy of your credit report. Check that EXTREMELY thoroughly. Report anything suspicious.

I know you feel totally violated. You have a great support team at your financial institutions keeping a close eye on your accounts. You need to do everything in your power to make it easier for them by keeping up-to-date passwords and changing them often, scanning your computer for viruses and spyware and notifying them immediately.

Let me know if you have more questions!

camrude

Thanks ladies.

This is such a PITA.?