PSA - Keep your money/ID safe!

Roomie and I went to Maggiano’s for dinner last night. It was quite an enjoyable evening, a little vino, tasty Italian food, and just generally a good time. We paid the bill and headed home – only my ATM card did not make the trip back to the apartment.

I am reasonably certain I grabbed my card after signing the bill, and put it in my pocket. I think it must have fallen out while getting in the car or something. I don’t blame Maggiano’s at all. It’s my fault for not making sure it was locked down.

So, in the 12 hours that “they” (whoever “they” is) have had my card, they have used it to buy lots of gasoline and frequent lots of stores in the Buckhead area. GREAT. Luckily my bank noticed this was “unusual activity” and called me this morning.

First, when you get a call like this, tell the caller that you will call them back in a moment, and HANG UP THE PHONE. You should have a list of all your banking/credit card phone numbers specifically for this reason. Anyone can call you pretending to be your bank or credit card issuer, and get you to give out all your info. If you are solicited, by calling back you know that you are indeed connected to your financial institution. If you can not find a phone number, go online to get it or use the yellow pages.

I was mighty surprised that “unusual activity” would kick off action like this – prompting my bank to contact ME – in such a short amount of time (it was barely 12 hours). But sure enough, when I called my bank back, they informed me that they did indeed suspend my card for unusual activity. We then went through all the charges and what was mine and what wasn’t. The folks at the bank were quite helpful. The card has been halted and I’ll be issued a new ATM card. The charges will be reversed, but they still debit my account b/c it’s an ATM card and then reverse the charges after I return signed/sworn affidavits.

Of course, all this could have been avoided had I been diligent about putting my card in my wallet and in my purse, rather than in a pocket – oh well. Please be careful, everyone – I forget that there are still dishonest folks walking around.