We found out yesterday that somehow someone emptied our bank account through an ATM using my Debit card number which was in my possession the whole time. This apparently happened on Tuesday while I was at work and we noticed it yesterday when our bank account was overdrawn.

Long story short after taking with US Bank Fraud and the police department this is called Cloning. You use your debit card somewhere and they either have cameras or a person that captures your information and watches you enter your pin #. They can then recreate a duplicate credit card and proceed to the nearest ATM and begin withdrawing. This particular individual kept withdrawing the $700 limit until the account was empty leaving the account overdrawn and lots of extra overdraft charges.

It’s going to take us about 3 weeks of time, paperwork, and headaches to get all this reversed, but we are confident that we will get the money back and the bank said they would take care of the charges, etc.

The advice I was given was to never use your pin # unless have to and if you do use your pin # be very protective of it (overhead cameras, people lingering close by, etc). Cover your hands while you enter your pin # and obviously never have it written down anywhere near your card. The police said they would be able to track down the ATM used and get the security tape, but most likely these people are professionals and will be disguised.

Just wanted to give everyone the heads up to be careful so this kind of horrible stuff doesn’t happen to you.

Thanks for the heads-up!

It sucks that you had to infrom us based on a personal experience, I hope you get your money back and all will be well.

Did you kick a black cat under a ladder and through a mirror or something when you were a kid? I swear, you have more terrible random unlucky things happen to you than anyone I know.

Sorry to hear it, nice that the bank is being cool about the whole thing though.

I always try to keep a fair amount of cash close and accessible, just in case something like this ever happens. It's nice that the bank is replacing the $$$ and reversing all the charges, but that doesn't fix the fact that you're rolling change and taking back bottles for food and gas for a week (I'm not saying you, you, just the biblical "you").

Even using it as a credit card can be dangerous. My card was cloned at an Albertson's in Oakland, CA while I was on vacation. The cashier had a small machine that she swiped my card through on the side of her register, which copied the card information. My card was cloned and sold. One week before Christmas my checking and savings account where cleaned out as well as about $2000 in over charges (US Bank allowed them to continue charging after the account was empty). The FBI later busted the debit card cloning ring and US Bank was investigated for allowing the charges to go through. It was very shady how they approved the charges so they could rack up the over charge fees.

On the bright side, I had all my money back wihtin 10 days.

Sorry, man...missed you last night, now I see why. Hang in there, let me know if there's something I can do.

Will be 3 - 4 weeks, but should get it all back.


At the time I could have swore it was brown, obviously I was wrong


good stuff


yea didnt see you 2 weeks ago either, just couldnt swing last night, but I should be there next week hopefully.

I feel for you man.