THE UNCOMFORTABLE SUBJECT
OK, so this is one of those topics no one likes to talk about, and I am totally included in that group.
Having had my account compromised in the past, I believe it’s vitally important we talk about this subject matter and ways to handle it, should it happen to you.
We will discuss in another article ways to protect yourself, but for now, this is in case you are looking for some immediate help on ways to handle the here and now of having your account(s) compromised in some way.
After having dealt with this numerous times in our own lives, I decided last time to take the bull by the horns and be very methodical about writing down every single thing we did while we were going through it, so that if there is a next time, I am more prepared and have a system. Then it dawned on me that everyone needs this system in their back pocket..just in case. So, we have come up with a great Simple Solution for dealing with the unfortunate incident of what to do if your bank card gets hacked!
SO, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, let’s get right to the 7 steps to follow if your bank card or account gets hacked!
7 Steps to Follow If Your Bank Card Gets Hacked!
1. VERIFY ITS LEGITIMATELY NOT YOURS!
When you first see an unusual charge, if you are certain it’s not you and you are the sole person on the bank account, go directly to step 2. If you know it’s not you, but you have a joint account, contact that account holder immediately to verify it wasn’t something they charged. Once this is done, proceed to step 2.
2. GET THE DETAILS ON THE CHARGES AND PRINT IT OUT!
Once you have verified the charges are fraudulent, go online to your bank account.
Go to transactions, click on the drop-down menu (+ sign) next to the transaction and either get a screenshot of it to save or print it out to take with you to the bank.
You will need to do this with any and all unusual charges.
Also, next to the transaction, before you even hit the drop-down menu, it will show the last 4 digits of the card that was used. This tells you (in case of a joint account) whose card was used, so you know whose card has been compromised and needs to be turned off in the next step!
3. TURN YOUR CARD OFF!
This step is optional on WHEN you do it depending on the circumstances. Now that you know whose card is compromised, have that person be aware and decide if you will do this later at the bank, or right now at home.
If you decide to do this at home, then log into your bank account, go to a menu sidebar item (or somewhere in the menu when you are looking at your accounts) and find the turn card on/off option. Click that option and click turn it off!! If you go this route, you will have to wait 3-7 days to receive your new debit card in the mail, but in the meantime can get cash out of your account to use, and if it is a joint account, set up any recurring transactions on your joint account holders card number.
If you decide to do this at the bank in person, you can apparently get a replacement card on the spot, but it won’t be fully functional for using online and stuff like that. It would be more for getting cash out of the ATM. You will still wait on your new card for 3-7 days.
4. GET TO YOUR LOCAL BANK NOW! (OR IF YOU CAN’T GET TO THE BANK, CALL RIGHT AWAY!)
If you go in person to your local bank, be sure you see one of the “sit down” personnel off to the side. It is a bit more private and they are trained to handle this type of issue (and in our experience, they handle it well).
Bring your debit card that has been hacked.
Bring your ID.
Bring the printouts of any fraudulent transactions from step 2.
This person (ours was called a Business Advocate) will walk you through the entire process and will also get a claims specialist on the phone and that claims specialist will have to talk to you to verify everything this bank personnel is telling him.
Your advocate will also get a claims number from the claims specialist. DO NOT LOSE THIS! IF YOU MUST TAKE A PICTURE OF IT ON YOUR PHONE! Keep the hard copy in your wallet, but don’t lose it.
If you do the over the phone route, I would imagine it would be much the same as this in person route, so be prepared to have all of your documentation with you as well as your debit card as well as your ID as they will most likely need all those numbers over the phone to verify your identity as well.
Be sure you get a claim number and keep it in a safe spot as previously discussed with the in-person option.
5. GET CASH OUT OF YOUR ACCOUNT NOW!
If you went the “in person” route, you can get your cash out now. You may need to consider getting enough to pay bills in cash in person (as annoying and old fashioned as that may be) over the next week if you have anything upcoming.
If you went the “over the phone” route, please get up to your local bank asap and get some cash out to hold you over. Yes, it’s annoying but it MUST BE DONE!
6. CONTACT ALL YOUR RECURRING TRANSACTION LIST!
This doesn’t have to be quite as horrible as it sounds if you have the printable I already made available to you. Click here to grab it now!
Go, down the list and one by one go online and delete the compromised card that is listed as the one to use. If you already have another card (joint account holder’s card that wasn’t compromised, or a different card), put that one in its place.
If some that won’t let you do it online, that’s okay. Just set those aside until all the online ones are done.
Now, simply call the ones that couldn’t be handled online and those people are quick to help and should handle it in a few minutes. Once those are all done if there are any utility bills or rent or mortgage that won’t let you handle it online, or over the phone, be sure you handle those in person right away!
7. CONSTANTLY CHECK YOUR ACCOUNT TRANSACTIONS!
This can’t be overstated enough.
The most recent time we were compromised, we went through steps 1-6 and then the next day, my husband checked our account and there were 2 more transactions from the same 2 unauthorized businesses, and on a different day!!!
And, this was AFTER we had turned the compromised card off and been in person to the bank. They had warned us; however, that there could possibly still be pending transactions out there that would show up. That is why you have your CLAIM NUMBER!!
Once this all finally dies down and the situation has been resolved, there is one more thing, I forgot to mention……..a bonus step 8!
**BONUS** 8. BREATHE!!!!
It can be very overwhelming and scary to know that somehow someway someone has your information and it can feel violating. Just remember, as scary as it is, you can get through this and your bank’s job is to walk you through this and defend you and we are here for you as well. This will all be behind you soon and we will be cheering for you along the way!
Below is a FREE Printable of the 7 Steps to follow if your bank card gets hacked to remind you of the process as you navigate this temporary situation. Be sure to click on the PDF link under the picture for the printable version of it!
You also need the recurring transactions list printable, if you didn’t already click on the link to grab it earlier in the article. Be sure to click here to grab the combo pack of the above printable as well as the fillable recurring transactions list printable!
Comment below if this was a help to you, if there is something else you learned along the way, and use all the share buttons below to share with your friends.
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