chrishansenhome

I got a call while I was out buying rice (something that we have to do regularly in this household). When I got back I listened to the message but it didn't make much sense—it said that it was about my recent order, and I haven't ordered from them in a long while. So, I called the number and it turns out that an order was placed for a Sony Vaio netbook using my debit card details, including the security number on the back. I never let my card out of my sight, so I am presuming that some online merchant has skimmed my card details and has either used them or sold them along. The merchant cancelled the order and, I think, will give back the money.

So I called my bank, got right through (oddly enough; usually it takes quite a while to get to talk to a person), and had a bit of trouble making myself understood to the nice lady in India. There were two held transactions on the account, one for £999, and one for around £550, with a few other small ones that were probably the thieves making themselves certain that the numbers they had were good. The debit card's been cancelled and I'll get another one in a few days. I will need to fill out a form they send me and the money will be credited back to our account. But, we will probably have to transfer money from our savings account temporarily in order to cover our household expenses for February, like the rent and such.

I'm always careful about using my card in person, but have never had problems using it online. So, hopefully, we'll get all the money back. But, what a pain.