bilboburgler

Seems incredibly unlucky....

Still I'd be interested to know if the sums went out in large chunks or in sub £20 units. If in £20s then I'd worry about contactless payements and invest in a Farady cage for your wallet. I'm considering putting my design on ehow if I get very bored.

Best practice with ATMs;
1) does it look normal? (yeah I know you are abroad but anything odd)
2) is a person leaning over your shoulder to read your pin, mirror out "checking their makeup" etc? Mrs Bilbo (if with me) often moves into protective "I have a gun in my handbag and I'd like to use it" orientation (still she does this at the Otley Market Square ATM so go figure) .
3) cover your pin typing hand with your other hand.
4) hum.... that's it

bvlenci, that is an interesting idea, Mrs Bilbo will be after me to get that if I tell her.

RM67

I have two separate current accounts and one savings account with the same bank. I keep everything in my savings account, never draw money out of it and don't even know my PIN for it if I'm honest.

On a daily basis I transfer enough money into either one of my current accounts to cover any bills going out and/or cash withdrawals/shopping etc no more, no less. Should I be unlucky enough to have a current account card stolen or cloned no-one would be able to get any money out over and above that daily allowance (which is often zero if I'm not doing anything). I then would still have my other current account and card for withdrawals and payments whilst a new card was being issued for the compromised account. Transfers between accounts are easy peasy and can be done using a phone app in quite literally 2 seconds. My bank also offers the option to withdraw money without a card in branch subject to certain security questions.

I would have thought a pre-loaded card of any sort was asking for trouble if you lost it, and I wouldn't want an ATM card in addition to a debit card - prefer to have one card that can do both and less to lose or be stolen.

sandralist

Sometimes when I read Fodor's I find it hard to believe most of the regular posters ever leave their houses, let alone travel to other countries.

Whenever encountering reports of things that have never happened to them personally, their immediate response from the long-in-the-tooth is "Wot? Is this a lie? This is absurd! If this poster isn't a troll, then they must be some kind of travel freak!"

Because I live in a popular part of Italy, and because I work with people who travel internationally, I hear a great many stories of untoward and one-off things that happen to people once they have ventured away from home. The world if full of FOREIGN experiences, unusual happenings, skilled crooks, things that frequently don't work. They are all observable phenomena that happen to ordinary people.

World is a much wider place than the me-me-me Fodorities have noticed despite their endlesss claims they are the most experienced travelers in the world and learned .... what?

RM67

Sandralist - but it does seem to be a very common theme on Fodors - fretting to the nth degree and looking for/expecting some sort of absolute guarantee of safety and security. Rather than saying, I've done as much as I can or as much as I'm comfortable with and now I'm just going to forget it and enjoy my holiday. So I think some of the responses to those sort of posts are not denying the existing of such problems per se, but simply advising people to get some perspective or context (ie get a grip )

mendota98

Thanks for all the replies.
In answer to Dukey1 I have no idea how the PINs were uncovered.

The sums withdrawn were 3-500 US dollars several times.

As for the person in Berlin he has lived there for over a year. So he is not a "tourist" but he does not use a European chip card.

The point of the post is to express a concern and to find a solution.

So would a prepaid card of some type be a solution?

Thank you

Ackislander

I have an ATM card that is not a debit card.

Bank of America kicked and screamed before they gave it to me, but they did.

It cannot be used for purchases, only withdrawing cash from my checking account at an ATM.

I cannot withdraw more than $300 per day, so no one can easily clean out my account the way they could with a debit card and my pin.

I would be safer not using an ATM on the street (belt and braces, Flanner) but it is not always possible. I never, ever use a non-bank ATM, whether indoors or out, in the US or abroad, no matter how convenient.

I have had my credit card compromised in Italy and in the US, but there are good protections in place for that.

bilboburgler

Prepaid might (at least it limits total loses) but I think following my advice is best (at least it stops the problem).

I've also heard of using ATMs in a bank's auto-vestibule but I've read recently of a woman being attacked in a bank vestibule until she handed over her pin.

MaineGG

<<I do use ONE debit card, but only for ATM withdrawal: my Schwab MC. Schwab allows me to lower the debit portion to one penny. Ergo, it is of very little use to a thief. >>

We did the same by having our bank lower the limit on our combo ATM/Debit cards for debit purchases, thus rendering them useless without a PIN. When my husband lost his wallet to a pickpocket in Madrid, before we reached our bank by phone, the thief had already made two large purchases. There was no attempt at an ATM since they did not have the PIN.

Christina

I forgot, I do have a limit on withdrawals even at an ATM, so that would be some protection for my ATM card if someone somehow got the PIN (I think they can through skimming, not sure), assuming it would be discovered the same day or so that it was being used fraudulently. IN fact, I thought everyone had a limit. I realize $300-500 may be a lot of money to a young person or student, and while I wouldn't like it, it wouldn't wipe out my account for sure. My bank limits total withdrawals per day, I believe, to around $1000.

But if you can lower the debit portion to one penny, that does solve the problem and basically turns it into an ATM card. I never heard of that option, sounds good. Of course, I have no use for a debit card anyway so would never want one. But if my bank sudeently claimed they would not give out ATM cards, I'd look into that option.

Gothampc

I've had my debit card compromised twice. I agree with others in that I've opened accounts and had to beg for an ATM card. (So much for the customer is always right.)

I keep asking my banks when the US is going to get the chip cards. Security doesn't seem to be their top priortiy.

I'm interested in knowing other solutions. I wasn't aware of the pre-loaded cards and would be interested in hearing from anyone who has used one.

Kathie

The only advantage of a pre-paid card is that they can only steal as much money as is on the card. But even if your card is never stolen by a thief, your money will be stolen by the financial institution issuing the pre-paid card. I'm always shocked at how many fees there are on such cards.

My approach is to use common sense about safety, only use an ATM card to withdraw money, never use a debit card. I have had my credit card compromised a number of times, most recently, while I was in Peru the bank called me to tell me that a marketing company in Germany tried to charge to my card, but they didn't allow it to go through. Not a big deal - I didn't lose any money, the bank didn't lose any money, but suddenly, one of my two credit cards that don't charge foreign exchange fees was no longer secure. Fortunately, the bank was willing to allow use of the card in person (not over the internet) until I got home. It turned out, I didn't need it, but was glad the bank was so helpful.

northie

In Australia out ATM cards can be be credit cards , debit cards and tap n pay all in one. Tap pay requires no signature (no longer available in Oz except for Os visitors) and no pin.

Michael

<i>ATM cards can be be credit cards , debit cards</i>


But isn't the withdrawal using a credit card charged interest immediately?

LuLu

I went to a Wells Fargo bank recently to add my daughter to my accounts. The manager told me I would be soon getting a new debit card and it would have a chip on it. This was unrelated to why I was at the bank. So, check with your bank to see if they are starting to use the chip on their cards.

northie

Michael, the customer chooses what option she wants at the ATM eg withdrawal from savings, credit and presses the appropriate button. If I press from credit card I will be charged interest but I never use that option.