Can you believe I’m dealing with another compromised credit card? Once again, I’m the victim of credit card fraud.
A few nights ago I was grocery shopping at the Real Canadian Superstore. I’m planning to buy a Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser for under eye concealer. (Disclosure: I’m an Amazon associate. If you click the link and make a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission for the referral.) Browsing the cosmetics in a grocery store means a much lesser chance of getting bugged by a sales person. I’m planning to give this concealer a try, but there are so many color choices, I wanted to look at them on a shelf and try to figure out what shade I need before buying from Amazon.
Decided on fair.
I wasn’t planning to buy it in the store at $13, because it’s cheaper on Amazon. Before making an online purchase, I just wanted to see what shade would be best for my skin. So many color options!
My phone rings and the call display shows a toll free number. Probably a scammer. I answer the call anyway – ha ha!
Turns out to be someone from the fraud department at RBC Visa. He believes my credit card might have been compromised and he wants to check if I’ve attempted to make any recent purchases.
What!
Are you kidding me?
Another compromised credit card?
GIFT CARDS AND TOYS
The fellow reads off a few dates, dollar amounts, and companies.
They don’t mean a thing to me. A scammer was trying to buy toys and gift cards, and get cash advances, a few hundred bucks here and there. None of the purchases went through.
Then he got as far back as an Amazon purchase and an Amazon refund. Those were mine.
These scammers use technology to try out different credit card numbers, expiry dates, and security codes until they get a hit. Then they go hog wild on a shopping frenzy.
I believe these scammers must have been getting close to getting all my credit card details correct.
SECURITY ALERT
The fellow from Visa security said the flurry of attempted purchases flagged their department because it’s unusual activity for me.
He noticed I don’t use the Visa that much. A purchase every couple of months from Amazon and nothing over $200 in a month.
One of the things about staying debt free is I rarely use my credit cards.
VISA NEVER LEAVES THE HOUSE
My RBC Visa sits in a drawer in my house. It never goes out. I use it mostly for Amazon purchases and occasionally other online purchases.
I keep my TD Visa in my wallet in case of emergencies. Seeing as how I’m not too crazy about this bank after a rogue TD employee cancelled my Visa 20 years ago, I’m not tempted to use it.
MY COMPROMISED RBC VISA IS CANCELLED
The rep from RBC’s security department told me he’s cancelling the Visa and sending me a new one that should arrive within the next two weeks.
He asked if I had any payments scheduled that hadn’t gone through yet.
Unlikely. That’s not my thing.
However, now that he mentions it, I am on auto pay with annual BCAA coverage that comes out in February. I kind of think this is the card I have on file with them.
Bummer. It sucks trying to get through on their phones. I was going to buy travel insurance from them two years ago, but hung up after being on hold for ten minutes. My time obviously is NOT important to BCAA Insurance and I ended up buying from one of their competitors who had a real person answering the phone.
BCAA is British Columbia’s equivalent of AAA.
Oh well, I’ll have plenty of time to switch it over to the new credit card number before the renewal date.
Or maybe I should just leave it alone for now in case I have another compromised credit card before the end of the year!
The worst thing about that RBC Visa being canceled? I was just about to place an Amazon order and buy that Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser!
Oh well. I could always just another one of my credit cards for that purchase. I’m not in a huge hurry to buy…
RARELY USED CREDIT CARDS
One of the ways I stay out of debt is by not using my credit cards. Oh sure, there are times I have to use a credit card.
Online purchases.
Big vet bills.
I don’t use my credit cards for buying stuff like gas for the car, groceries, clothes, etc.
If my credit card statement shows up with a bunch of unexpected charges, I’ll know about it and can dispute the fraud right away.
Credit card scammers count on people who use their credit cards for every little thing, multiple times daily. People who might not notice an extra charge they didn’t make.
There’s another benefit to getting rid of your credit card debt. With a zero balance, it’s easier to figure out when you’ve been a victim of a scammer.
Or in my case, the RBC Visa fraud department got an alert to look into recent activity on my credit card that was unusual based on my spending habits over the past few years.
So way to go to RBC Visa for getting on top of this suspicious activity before it became a bigger problem!
Around here we’re all about taking control of debt on a low income. That means cutting out unnecessary spending. Leave those credit cards alone!
Published by Cheryl @ The Lifestyle Digs on August 6, 2021.
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