Many people think that debit card fraud consists only of having cards lost or stolen. While this can certainly lead to fraud, it is not necessary for criminals to have a user’s actual card in their possession. All they need is the user’s name, card number, pin number, or account number. It can be easy to believe that debit card fraud is simple to avoid, by keeping safe track of one’s card and only making purchases at reputable companies. Users can be in for a shock, however, when they learn that such sensible preventative measures have not been enough and their accounts have been breached.

Debit card users can take the following steps to mitigate their losses after learning that their debit cards have been used fraudulently:

•    Waste no time calling their banks. This step is vital because banks can freeze user accounts and prevent further illegal charges if they are informed of suspicious activity. When speaking to an account representative, the user should point out the fraudulent transaction, including the dollar amount, the date, time, and the vendor listed.
•    Inform vendors or payees who might attempt to debit the account. With the prevalence of automatic bill payment programs, it is common for debit users to have many different bills scheduled for payment from their accounts. If the card holder does not contact them and inform them of their situation, those companies may still try to process the debits. Because the account will most likely be frozen, any returned bills can result in extra fees. The same applies for any cheques that have been written, whether public or private.
•    Call the vendor where the charge was made. If the purchase was made in person, the vendor will have a copy of the receipt and the criminal’s signature. This will help the authorities in their investigations. If the purchase was made online and a product is scheduled for delivery, the vendor might be able to assist by providing the authorities with the delivery address noted on the order form.
•    Notify the authorities. It is best to notify the police in the district where the fraud occurred. Users should be prepared to detail all the relevant information, including the vendor, the vendor’s address and phone number, the date and time, the address and order form (if the transaction was online), and/or the receipt (if the transaction was completed in person).
•    Keep a timeline. Card holders must keep a timeline for everything that happens in the course of reporting the fraud. This includes footnoting the day and time they first called their bank to report the illegal charge, the name of the account representative who handled their call, the date and time they notified their payees, when they alerted the authorities, and so on. Failure to do this could prove detrimental later on. For example, a payee who was notified of the frozen account the day that it occurred may try to cash a cheque shortly thereafter, levying penalties against the user and claiming ignorance. By recording the date, time, and name of the person who took the call, the user has empowered themselves.
•    Card holders must be persistent. Card holders cannot rely on the vendors, police, or banks to keep them abreast of new developments. The responsibility for staying aware of what is happening falls squarely on the debit user themselves.