12 September 2013

Well, That ... Could Have Been Much Worse

My wife, bless her heart, checks our account at the bank every morning. This morning's report showed charges in New Jersey, Salt Lake City, and Ottawa.

She called me to confirm they weren't mine (nope, they weren't) and then called the bank's fraud department. They asked her to confirm a few things, then I had to call them & verify my identity ("This is me!" ... heh).

They deactivated my card, credited us for the amounts charged, and filed for reimbursement from the retailers where purchases had already gone through. Cost us a little bit of time, and some minor inconvenience, but nothing more than that.

Whatever other faults Wells Fargo may have, they were on this one.

10 comments:

Sandy Livesay said...

Rev. Paul,

I'm very happy to hear you both are always watching your accounts.
So many people don't catch the purchases until it's to late.

I watch our account daily.

Several years back a cashier at an old Kmart took my debit card number and decided to have a field trip shopping to the tune of over $5,000.00. I acted as fast as you both did, and paid nothing. I was reimbursed the money that came out of my account. Of course my husband and I had to sign waivers we had nothing to do with the theft.

Rev. Paul said...

Thanks, Sandy - and you're right: it doesn't pay to grow complacent. In point of fact, quite the opposite is true. :)

Teresa said...

I check mine once a month before paying. I've had that kind of thing happen twice.

I recently had to have my Discover Card reissued since someone obviously was charging stuff on it that I didn't buy (No I haven't shopped at Bed Bath and Beyond... I certainly didn't make 2 purchase of over $250 in New Jersey -ha). As long as you report it before paying, they take care of it and you just have to wait for another card.

The other time on my Amex Blue Card (it's a regular credit card which is the only reason I have it), the fraud was caught early on by their department and they called me to ask if the charges were mine.. I got a new card and they took care of the problem.

Rev. Paul said...

Teresa, checking one's statement is always in order, it seems. This will be either my third ... or is fourth? ... card on this account. The first couple of changes were due to the bank's corporate servers being hacked.

Well Seasoned Fool said...

I no longer use Wells Fargo for several reasons. The one time I had something like this happen, it was taken care of quickly. I attribute that to the local employees WF acquired when they bought out my bank.

Credit Unions for me!

Rev. Paul said...

I hear you, WSF, and can't disagree.

threecollie said...

That is just plain scary. Yowsa. I hope you get it all straightened out quickly

Rev. Paul said...

threecollie, it appears to be fixed now. I just have to wait a few days for my new card.

Anonymous said...

I used to work in the fraud department of another credit card company.
Sadly, the only reason they 'helped' you is because not doing so would be a federal law violation - and, presumably, they want to keep your business!
I've had business dealings with Wells Fargo, and now choose to stay as far away from them as possible.
Hey, if they work for you...

gfa

Rev. Paul said...

Guffaw, I hear you. And I know they've got their problems - but our choices are somewhat limited up here.