About two weeks ago, I was doing our usual on-line bill paying. I noticed a funny charge and asked Bearded Brewer about it. No, he hadn’t purchased a ticket to Australia. OK then.

We investigated other charges that seemed strange. And we found out that once again we had been phished. This time, apparently, we are the victims of a “dirty” card reader. All the charges came through on my ATM/debit card. It was likely at a “point-of-service” transaction where I didn’t have the cash and didn’t have my checkbook on me. We cancelled our ATM/debit cards and started the process of getting our money back. The total damage was just under the $500 protection.

I thought that I had caught the problem and there would be no lingering issues. One could only hope. Instead, packages started arriving at our door from companies that we did not recognize.

There was the Flash costume for a 6-8 year old…

The million dollar sticky notes (seriously – these three pads cost $17.14!) Not monogrammed, not even that sticky. We can’t figure out what makes them so expensive.

There was also an on-line purchase of an “Entertainment book” (we already bought them from Reedy Girl as a band fundraiser), a “zoo park ticket” (the zoo in DC is free), an “Ab Circle” exercise machine and the final kick in the face was a membership to an “online security” company, guaranteed to “keep your information safe.”

It was madness. Phone calls, emails, and three trips to the bank, we are possibly going to see this round of banking nightmares end.

Now before you ask…

YES. We use only encrypted, secure websites for transactions
YES. We have a safeguard on our router
YES. We have complicated passwords (more than 7 digits, alphanumeric and mixed case)
YES. We carry only the cards we need.
NO. I don’t click on ads in email or give out account information on the phone unless *I* made the call.
NO. We don’t go to on-line gamer sites.

And to top it all, I use a Mac, not a PC!

Yet despite our precautions and safeguards someone got my information. The best that we can figure is that either was the result of our mortgage company’s database being compromised last year, or that “dirty” card reader. There’s really no way to know. Our information, along with many other people’s, apparently, was sold to on-line gamers. They used it for “virtual cash” to keep playing games. They earned the “virtual cash” by ordering products on-line at member websites. According to one fraud investigator I talked to, it is becoming more and more prevalent.

Lesson learned.

I will only use my ATM card for cash withdrawals or deposits at my bank. And I sure as shooting won’t use it any more for on-the-spot purchases. The people behind me will just have to wait a little longer while I write a check.