I was snookered!

[Jstpssng]

That's good advice. Over the last 10 years, I parred down the number of cards I have to only one, which I'm able to pay off every month. I use my debit card except for online stuff. I probably should get another, as backup, but the banks don't like them to just sit. I would need to remember to use them both.

I bet there are not many "deals" for new cards these days...

I won’t use my debit card for anything except an ATM card. If they skim your CC you normally can get it resolved. If they skim your Debit card they have access to your checking account; which in my case, also gives access to my savings account as that is my overdraft protection. They also can cause any checks you’ve written to bounce.

I check my accounts relatively often, and one morning before work discovered that Amazon had done a query against my debit card. There is NO WAY they should have had that number. I called the Credit Union as soon as they opened and told them to turn the card off. They sent me a new one with a different number but I never activated it. I now have to drive 50 miles to the CU if I need cash from them, but it’s worth it. I also have an account with a different, closer bank which is strictly for weekly cash withdrawals.

 

[WinterDeere]

I use my debit card except for online stuff.

NEVER use a debit card for anything, other than an emergency ATM visit. Money gets stolen from that, and it's your money. With a credit card, you have limited liability (usually $0 - $50).

 

[stuckmotor]

I got a call last week. I won $1,000,000 from publishers clearing house

Dude that called could barely speak English. Adults were speaking a foreign language in the background. Also sounded like the call was placed from a commercial kitchen, and the dude was in the break room. It must have been a side gig while he was on his lunch break.

Is Publishers Clearing House still in business. I haven't seen their commercials in years?

 

[KennyG]

NEVER use a debit card for anything, other than an emergency ATM visit. Money gets stolen from that, and it's your money. With a credit card, you have limited liability (usually $0 - $50).

Not all debit cards are the same. Many have liability limits similar to credit cards. Check with the bank. If yours doesn't have a low limit, get rid of it and find another one.

 

[Jstpssng]

This just isn’t my week… today I recieved a notice that my Amazon account has been suspended. If I don’t log in to straighten it out within 3 days it will be permanently deleted.

I don’t know who else to ask so would somebody here please tell me:

What’s an Amazon account?



(I know what it is, but don’t have one.)

 

[California]

Then there's the problem of in-house innocence.

Wife was buying a Christmas ornament online for a gift. From the other room she asked "What's our Gmail password?"
I went in to see what she was doing. She was on the screen from Nature Conservancy (or whatever similar, harmless) stuck at the box for 'Enter Email and Password'.

Nooo! I tried to explain they wanted their customer ID info, not access into our Gmail. She reluctantly agreed but I don't think I impressed on her the significance of the issue. I wonder how many other places she's attempted logging into like that.

Aside from direct access like this, a shady vendor could keep a log of failed password attempts to use later. Worst case would be if they know your checking acct # from a legitimate purchase then the customer tried several memorized passwords there that they use for everything including banking.

 

[HAR]

A new one showed up this AM. Not sure if it is or was legit, but it was a no-go hang up for me:
Me: Hello
Recording: This is an important message from your organization: Please press any number to receive your message."
Me: CLICK!

As others have posted, NEVER use the words "YES" or "OKAY" or "RIGHT" or "CORRECT" or any other 'affirmative response' to any unknown entity. Once recorded, it is hard to take back.

 

[WinterDeere]

It is scary how much info someone can obtain about you with just a simple internet search.

The most common problem is people using the same password for multiple accounts. Happened to me 20 years ago, eBay suffered a data breach, and suddenly a hacker had the password/email combo I also used for several other services. Thankfully this was before so much online banking, etc.

Use a unique and random password for every site, and use a password vault to store and auto-fill them for you. All of my passwords are now 32 random characters, or the longest that a site will permit up to 32 characters, and my phone or browser auto-fill them for me.

 

[Snezzy]

I have started to ask politely whether they worry about the damage to their Karma by doing what they do.

I have started to learn some bad words in Hindi. Ullu ka pattha shuts them up. "Your father is an owl." Owls are NOT wise in Indian culture. Quite the opposite. "You're an idiot." A Hindi-speaking Youtube guy takes on a lot of those crooks, see

 

[Snezzy]

Is Publishers Clearing House still in business. I haven't seen their commercials in years?

When I get a call from PCH I always ask, "Mr. Treller? Am I speaking to Robert H. Treller?" They hang up.