[Tamara]

You know how I said I didn’t want to have this happen again? Well, it has! The bank assured us when we first phoned them that they would put a hold on the card. It didn’t happen and now another huge amount has been let through on our new number of which the cards haven’t arrived yet!

Not a good start to the year! I have to get school things and uniforms and food! And now I can kiss the new piano goodbye!

These could be famous last words but we are wondering how many more transactions from the Philipines have been let through. We had to transfer money to unoverdraw it which won’t be reimbursed – only the stolen $ get reimbursed!

Think I will go back to hiding our $ in a pot under the bed like the old days! And no fabric purchases for a while now.

[Sarvi]

I confess I’m a little confused — when you say ‘card’ do you mean an ATM card, or a card that goes directly to your bank account? I had assumed you were using a credit card, such that any amount in excess of your credit limit would be declined, whereas you could be ‘overdrawn’ on a checking account, for instance. Maybe it’s an AUS vs US terminology issue?

It’s a nuisance to have to find another way to pay for food and school things, though, sorry to hear there’s a muddle.

[Tamara]

I mean credit card as this is the number that has been stolen. When we found the first amount we were told that we had to have new cards – meaning a new number – sent to us, PIN numbers renewed and all. Murray did some online banking this morning and discovered that even though the statement said the new card number, the account wasn’t frozen as promised and the bank allowed the amount through without so much as a blink, which caused the card to go over the limit.

I have no idea why the bank let this amount through or for that matter let it go overdrawn. They should have not let it go through. It is something that we will be discussing with our manager I think – maybe it is an opt out situation and because rules and things change all the time we missed that bit.

Still, it should not have been let through. I was in panic mode when I wrote that other message and I’m only just gone onto simmer now. We will be able to get school ready it is just a huge pain I’m the backside that’s all.

I have emailed the only place I have used my MasterCard in the past week and asked if they would please consider adding PayPal to their payment options.

It may not have happened online. My details may have been scammed while using facilities in the city – skimming devices that I previously haven’t come across before. Just really not a great situation to experience.

[Adrienne]

I have an answer for you Tamara! If you are using a SIM connection, here is my husband’s answer concerning security:

“You are fine using a cell connection with a SIM card because it is a direct connection to the Internet. It’s not a shared connection like a wireless hotspot. “

Hope this helps!

Adrienne

[Sarvi]

What do you call a local area network in Australia?

The LAN down under.

[Tamara]

Oh tell your hubby thankyou Adrienne. That is very good to know. I may have to stick my new sim in the slot as the modem (yes our new one) died! Murray is taking it to get tested at the nearest Telstra shop (150km away).

Yes Sarvi, LAN is what we have. Haha but I do love the play on words! You have a wicked sense of humour!

Tamara

[Nicole]

Sarvi,ba ha ha ha ha

But do you glow as they plunder?

[Sarvi]

Haha, I do, but of course! Can’t take credit for that one, a friend is a new father and seems to have inherited a book of corny ‘dad jokes’.

[daisygirl78]

Hahaha! Sarvi, I used that one as one of the jokes in our Christmas crackers this year!

[Nicole]

I can’t remember where I read it but I believe foil can be very useful.

[needlewoman]

Just wanted to alert everybody to a mobile phone scam that’s doing the rounds. Got a text on my phone saying my number had be picked to win a million UK pounds. Went to internet scammer site, and checked web address given by scammer. Seems it’s been around for a while, and the scam consists of asking people for addresses/money to collect “prize”. The question as to how these so and so’s are getting mobile no’s isn’t answered by site.

So BEWARE; I know all this forum’s members are too smart to be suckered by something that looks too good to be true but you may know people (like your children) who aren’t as savvy, and will be tempted to go to the offending website. You should block the following: collectdpmt02@gmail.com.

Be careful out there!

Fiona

[Tamara]

Thanks for the warning Fiona.

My kids aren’t allowed an email address just yet but they do know mine so it can be a concern when it comes to pop ups and win this free such and such! My 10 year old is more likely to fall for it as she is currently enamoured with all things Internet.

When it comes to emails, I generally cursor over the the name stated as the sender. I do this because it looks official and sounds official but totally isn’t. Just this morning I got an email from “FedEx” saying something or other. I deleted it without reading after I cursor end over the sender and yes it was a hoax email. I’m still working out the whole email on the tablet thing so thankfully I don’t do emails on the phone also. Here I am thinking I am this savvy chick who knows her stuff about all things technological! How I am the one to prove that so very wrong!

[Sarvi]

Thanks for the heads up — in general with any unsolicited or merely odd looking email, it never hurts to have a google and see what turns up if you find it tempting to peek.

[rastis]

oh i can’t believe all those credit card dramas… what a headache! when i was living in europe a few years back i had all my money stolen in a card scam (i was stuck in france at the time with no money and i don’t speak french well… so had to wait for hours at the police station in nice waiting for a translator)… it was horribly stressful and it took MONTHS for the bank to sort it out and for my money to be returned to me… i hope yours is sorted quicker than mine was! surely if the bank was supposed to put a stop on the card and didn’t then they are responsible for any money spent on the card (since you reported it?)

[Tamara]

It’s all sorted now thanks rastis! It isn’t a situation I would wish on anyone but thankfully what was stolen has been returned and I have learned some very valuable lessons along the way.

Being in another country and having your money stolen is one of those things which surprisingly happens quite often I am thinking. When my grandparents went on their world tour back in the late 80’s, my grandmother had her bag stolen whilst in Rome. She had a pen which was special to her with her name on it and that was the main thing she wanted back (her name is Roma) but unfortunately she didn’t get it back as the thief must’ve thought it would have been of value on the tourist market, being of course the name of the famous city. She did get her bag and money back but other things were never returned and it did spoil their whole holiday because of the language differences and the time it took to sort it all out – not as long as your experience but still long enough to put them off travelling anywhere again.