A case for auto-bill-payment

kieefer

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Found out today that our envelope with our bill payment to one credit card was stolen out of our mailbox or, by someone at the post office.

This bill payment had two checks in it, one for my wife’s account and one for mine payable to Barclays Mastercard.

Both checks were modified and cashed. My check was for $591 and it was cashed for $1591. Not sure if it was by the same person who frauded my wife’s check with his name he forged over (payable to) Barclays, we have seen this check online. This check, $397 was cashed by a bank that required a fingerprint.

We’re waiting for the banks, two different bank accounts, to retrieve both checks to see how this was done and to file a police report, as if it will make any difference.

Not sure how common auto payment is with some folks but I always liked writing a check but today I got everything on auto withdrawal online payments.

Sucks getting ripped off.
No idea if we can get this money back without suing the bank who cashed them.

FYI
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FULLSCALE

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I hope everything gets fixed up for you. I haven’t mailed a check for years, the only reason I still have some is to use for void checks. I do absolutely everything online, I imagine that’s most common these days.
 

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I hope everything gets fixed up for you. I haven’t mailed a check for years, the only reason I still have some is to use for void checks. I do absolutely everything online, I imagine that’s most common these days.
Ditto... Last check I wrote was to Beau Townsend Ford for my Ranger lol
 

t4thfavor

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Found out today that our envelope with our bill payment to one credit card was stolen out of our mailbox or, by someone at the post office.

This bill payment had two checks in it, one for my wife’s account and one for mine payable to Barclays Mastercard.

Both checks were modified and cashed. My check was for $591 and it was cashed for $1591. Not sure if it was by the same person who frauded my wife’s check with his name he forged over (payable to) Barclays, we have seen this check online. This check, $397 was cashed by a bank that required a fingerprint.

We’re waiting for the banks, two different bank accounts, to retrieve both checks to see how this was done and to file a police report, as if it will make any difference.

Not sure how common auto payment is with some folks but I always liked writing a check but today I got everything on auto withdrawal online payments.

Sucks getting ripped off.
No idea if we can get this money back without suing the bank who cashed them.

FYI

My father in law pays all his bills with cash/check because he's worried someone will steal his credit card and buy tons of stuff... I always tell him that if they steal your card, they use the banks money, if they steal your cash/check, they use your money. The bank will get it back, good luck trying to get your cash/check $ back. Even if you do it will take weeks (it might have gotten better), and your bank account will be empty the entire time.

Even if you don't do auto pay, use a debit card since they are now offering 0% fraud liability, and the money will be back inside of 3 days in most cases.
 

VAMike

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Even if you don't do auto pay, use a debit card since they are now offering 0% fraud liability, and the money will be back inside of 3 days in most cases.
Never use a debit card for anything--the consumer protections are pathetic compared to credit cards. Much better to pay with a cash-back credit card and just pay it off monthly while getting a discount at the same time.
 


chasvs

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I use On-line Bill Payment through my Bank. Closer control over payments and stopping payment is guaranteed.
 

t4thfavor

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Never use a debit card for anything--the consumer protections are pathetic compared to credit cards. Much better to pay with a cash-back credit card and just pay it off monthly while getting a discount at the same time.
I should clarify, use the "Visa/Mastercard" portion of a debit card if at all possible, I use a Discover card for literally everything though since it's not even attached to my checking account.

We did have someone spend $1000 on our debit card (as a Visa) one time, we had the money back the next day into our checking account.
 

VAMike

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We did have someone spend $1000 on our debit card (as a Visa) one time, we had the money back the next day into our checking account.
Your bank may do that as a favor, or they may not. Just as you argued with checks, there's a huge difference between having a fight with a credit card issuer with the cash in your pocket and strong consumer protections in law and having a fight with a bank over a debit card with the cash gone from your account, dependent on the good will of the bank and lesser consumer protections in law.

One interesting thing to note is that the anti-fraud efforts of credit card issuers tend to be a lot more active than the anti-fraud efforts of debit card issuers and check processors. Why? Because for the credit card the liability is theirs, while for the debit cards and the checks, the liability is yours.
 
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kieefer

kieefer

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Ditto on running your debit card as a credit card. I’ve had my credit card frauded too, same Barclays card our payments were going to. They always reimbursed the fraudulent charges.

Found out today that one bank, Regions, will reimburse our losses. $397. Very obvious that the check was altered and the teller should have caught it. Check was cashed at Regions.

The other check is from Ascend Credit Union, ($1591.check) hopefully will hear something about it tomorrow.

We’ve had these Barclays cards for several years, my wife seldom used hers but I did mine quite frequently when we first got them. (Purchases tied to flyer miles.)

The first two years this card kept getting hacked so I quit using it. Then the wife got on to me and the newer cards now have this chip in them. Apparently the chip works, haven’t had this card hacked since.
This card and the Ascend debit/credit card is all I use besides cash. No interest charges, pay it off each month.
 

t4thfavor

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Ditto on running your debit card as a credit card. I’ve had my credit card frauded too, same Barclays card our payments were going to. They always reimbursed the fraudulent charges.

Found out today that one bank, Regions, will reimburse our losses. $397. Very obvious that the check was altered and the teller should have caught it. Check was cashed at Regions.

The other check is from Ascend Credit Union, ($1591.check) hopefully will hear something about it tomorrow.

We’ve had these Barclays cards for several years, my wife seldom used hers but I did mine quite frequently when we first got them. (Purchases tied to flyer miles.)

The first two years this card kept getting hacked so I quit using it. Then the wife got on to me and the newer cards now have this chip in them. Apparently the chip works, haven’t had this card hacked since.
This card and the Ascend debit/credit card is all I use besides cash. No interest charges, pay it off each month.
Agreed, the chip is very hard to hack. I'm finding now that someone used my SSN, name and address (apparently that's all it takes) to open an account at Verizon Wireless and buy 4 (yep FOUR 1200$ phones) iPhone X Max's. I only found this out when I got a notice stating that I hadn't used my phones yet, and that I had 30 days to complete activation before the contract would be terminated and I would be billed for the entirety of the cost of the phones.

I of course contacted Verizon Fraud dept, and they cancelled the charges, but it was an eye opener, and a total PITA...

I now have fraud alerts on all three of the major credit bureaus... Thieves don't need very much info from you in order to cause you a crapload of trouble, so why worry about it? Keep Calm and Ranger On I guess.
 

MSG W

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Agreed, the chip is very hard to hack. I'm finding now that someone used my SSN, name and address (apparently that's all it takes) to open an account at Verizon Wireless and buy 4 (yep FOUR 1200$ phones) iPhone X Max's. I only found this out when I got a notice stating that I hadn't used my phones yet, and that I had 30 days to complete activation before the contract would be terminated and I would be billed for the entirety of the cost of the phones.

I of course contacted Verizon Fraud dept, and they cancelled the charges, but it was an eye opener, and a total PITA...

I now have fraud alerts on all three of the major credit bureaus... Thieves don't need very much info from you in order to cause you a crapload of trouble, so why worry about it? Keep Calm and Ranger On I guess.
Fraud alerts are ok, but freezing your credit is the best way to go
 
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kieefer

kieefer

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Fraud alerts are ok, but freezing your credit is the best way to go
Explain “freezing your credit”.
I assume it prevents anyone else from opening a line of credit in your name?
 

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Don’t use Wells Fargo, that’s who Ford put me with...been on the phone once a month trying to get my payment posted on time...for the rest of the time , I’m going directly to their bank and making payments there.I did so this month and it was posted on time....I was sending a normal payment and a $2000.00 principle payment..apparently the receivers don’t know what to do with two checks...btw their bank is a one hour drive from here...Never Again !
 

MSG W

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Explain “freezing your credit”.
I assume it prevents anyone else from opening a line of credit in your name?
When you freeze your credit, you have to unfreeze to be able to apply for credit.... it is free to freeze and to unfreeze. no one can get credit no matter ho much info they have on you unless they have the pin number to the credit freeze.... you can google credit freeze... each state is a little difference.. for can freeze each credit bureau, and each will have its own pin. My wife and I both work for the Government and have had our info taken several times, but with a credit freeze i do not worry about it. with credit watch they tell you something happened but do not stop it from happening.
 

t4thfavor

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When you freeze your credit, you have to unfreeze to be able to apply for credit.... it is free to freeze and to unfreeze. no one can get credit no matter ho much info they have on you unless they have the pin number to the credit freeze.... you can google credit freeze... each state is a little difference.. for can freeze each credit bureau, and each will have its own pin. My wife and I both work for the Government and have had our info taken several times, but with a credit freeze i do not worry about it. with credit watch they tell you something happened but do not stop it from happening.
Mine is basically like this, they have to call me, and I have to answer at the number given and provide a pin number in order for the credit to succeed.
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