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With cash becoming a thing of the past, more and more thieves are taking advantage of debit card users.
Valrico resident Michelle Colesanti recently had her debit card stolen after pulling away from the drive-thru ATM at the Bloomingdale Bank of America location when she forgot to retrieve her card after taking out some cash. The next customer to drive through the ATM mischievously plucked the card from the machine and went on a spending spree stopping at five places, including the Bell Shoal's Citgo ($7.04), the Riverview Publix-($160.91), the Gibsonton McDonald's-($7.69) and the Gibsonton Smart Style Family Hair Salon ($18.50) until she was asked for ID at Wal-Mart in Gibsonton while trying to purchase $400 worth of items.
"I received an e-mail saying I had suspicious activity on my account and then I remembered I had left my debit card at the ATM," says Colesanti.
Bank of America states it will cover Colesanti's unknown expenses once she signs an affidavit.
"You still feel violated when something like this happens,” she says. “I felt like 'Hey, you are spending my money- excuse me,' although the bank explained to me I am liable for absolutely nothing."
"Residents should try to keep as much personal information as private as they can. It helps," states community resource deputy Kelly McLaren.
McLaren encourages residents not to give their pin numbers to anyone, to never put pin numbers anywhere near debit cards, to be cautious when completing transactions, to obtain a picture on the debit card, to review credit card statements on a monthly basis or set up an on-line banking service to review accounts daily. In addition, McLaren explains that credit cards are not valid without signatures and suggests writing "ask for ID" on the back. She also recommends residents send mail through the post office instead of putting the red flag up on the mailbox, which only indicates to perpetrators that important information is in arm's reach to them.
In the end, Colesanti decided to get a picture on her debit card to prevent future mishaps. "The whole experience has been more annoying than anything. But hopefully others can learn from my experience. The bank did say that most people are honest and return the card when found," adds Colesanti.
To ensure credit information is correct, residents can retrieve credit reports from www.annualcreditreport.com.
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