Fraud! I feel violated....

I'm an ex banker and hubs is a cop. So we try to be extra careful when it comes to our identity and our banking information. We use the debit card at grocery stores but tend to pay cash when we eat out because of skimmers. So imagine my surprise today when the fraud dept calls my house. Actually I was skeptical, hung up on the automated call and called my bank directly. They didn't see anything and I just figured I was part of a phishing expedition. Then later that day I tried to use my card in the ATM. DENIED!!

I came home and called the bank again. This time they put me thru to the fraud dept. They asked me a bunch of questions about my recent purchases. Thankfully they didn't ask what I bought at the pharmacy, just if I had gone there. Then they came to a charge from Kingfisher Airlines made at 1am while I was gently sleeping amid my plethora of cats.

So some bastard in India has my debit card number and took a $85 flight. Of course my husband is sure that this is all my fault. That I must have let someone skim my card. This is the same account he uses, but he is sure I'm just shouting out my number over a PA system or something.

So I had to cancel my card, which is my access to cash! And it will take about 10 days before the new card with the new number shows up. So I'm back to writing checks or going to the bank or my favorite, transferring money to my son's account and asking him to make a withdrawal and bring me cash.

For those who don't know what skimming is: Skimming is the theft of credit card information used in an otherwise legitimate transaction. It is typically an "inside job" by a dishonest employee of a legitimate merchant. The thief can procure a victim’s credit card number using basic methods such as photocopying receipts or more advanced methods such as using a small electronic device (skimmer) to swipe and store hundreds of victim’s credit card numbers. Common scenarios for skimming are restaurants or bars where the skimmer has possession of the victim's credit card out of their immediate view. The thief may also use a small keypad to unobtrusively transcribe the 3 or 4 digit Card Security Code which is not present on the magnetic strip.
Or what phishing is: phishing is the criminally fraudulent process of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication.