I went into my Credit Union account 2 days ago to transfer some money to Lyn's account, and was greeted by a $975 withdrawal from my account which I knew nothing about from a company in London.
A few weeks earlier the Credit Union had contacted me about a $200 amount also in London, but at the time it wasn't long after I had bought my Staranalyser from Paton Hawkesley... so I was expecting a ~$200 amount.
This time I contacted the Credit Union, and on investigation, they were able to tell me this $975 withdrawal was for bets through this particular internet funds transfer company (I won't mention them at this stage, but it is a different company to that used by Paton Hawkesley for their online business). They had used my debit card number, so I immediately had that card blocked and requested a new card.
In the meantime, I was advised to contact the company concerned and advise them of the incorrect debit and demand a refund, as a first step before the fraud process was initiated.
Well, this morning I got an email back from the company advising they will credit me the money since it was not me who authorised the debit.
So, I'm just waiting to see when it reappears... so fingers crossed, otherwise there is always the fraud process to follow.
Such a hassle though when you realise someone is ripping you off and you have to block/cancel cards and get new ones, etc. I have been reasonably vigilant, I thought, about the security of my cards and online purchases... It makes you wonder how secure it all is!
One thing it has made me appreciate, is not to keep all your money in the account attached to your card. They could've got maybe another 2 grand, but fortunately I have an S2 savings account as well (which is not accessible by card), so I intend to maximise my use of that in future.
Al.