I had just arrived home when my wife texted to let me know she just finished shopping at Target and wouldn’t be back in time for dinner. Not being much of a cook, I logged on to my mobile app to see what she spent and whether or not I could take my kids out for a quick meal.
When I accessed my account, I was very surprised. Not only was the Target purchase there, there were two pending purchases from Taco Bell for $18.44 and Foot Locker for $119.76. Odd, I thought. My wife had not mentioned either of those stores.
I clicked on the Taco Bell purchase for more information and saw that the store was located in New York City. Likewise, the Foot Locker purchase was there as well. Even if my wife had taken an airplane from our New Hampshire home, she couldn’t have made there that fast!
It was 5:05 p.m. I called the 800 number on the back of my Hanscom Federal Credit Union debit card. The representative who took my call quickly deactivated my wife’s debit card and indicated that a third purchase – at a Kids Foot Locker – had been declined. It was a rare moment when I was happy not to have much money in the account!
The following Monday, my wife disputed the two charges through Hanscom FCU to have the charges removed. Now, unfortunately for them, Taco Bell and Foot Locker are on the hook for the fraudulent purchases.
The lesson I’ve learned? I will make sure I check my account balances every day or two. Fortunately, I only had to deal with two fraudulent purchases. Had the ID thief been able to make more purchases or put my account in the red, I would be looking at possible bounced checks, store fees, and undoing a real mess.
With the Hanscom FCU mobile banking app, there's really no excuse for not keeping an eye on our accounts. Have you downloaded the HFCU mobile banking app yet? It makes checking your account fast and easy. Learn more here.
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