lost debit card...chances for id theft?

[Lady Pi Phi]

Originally posted by OTW
Always be on alert despite knowing you cancelled the debit card.

This happened to me last year. I didn't have my picture on my card, and even though I had "SEE I.D." on the signature strip, someone still used it for two freaking days AFTER I CALLED MY BANK TO CANCEL THE CARD.

I used the card Monday evening, realized I had left the card in the ATM two hours later, and called the bank immediately. They said they cancelled the card.

So tell me why and how I went to the bank a few days later to withdraw cash (since I was waiting for a new debit card), the teller gets snooty and says, "Uh maam, your account is in the negative." Someone had made gas, food, and clothing purchases on my debit card and now I was in the red.

I was irate because a) the bank was supposed to cancel the card and b) these damn vendors aren't asking for ID when the debit card was used! They ended up doing an investigation that took over a month and a half to get the $$$ credit back into my account.

Check your debit balance DAILY to make sure you know what's going on. Don't wait around for a credit report!

Out of curiosity, how would this person have made purchases on your debit card? Don't you need a PIN for them?