(This story has been republished from The Quint’s archives in light of one of the biggest data breaches – and subsequent debit card fraud. The story was originally published on 21 September 2016.)
I always thought my bank ATM card was secure. That is, until a few days ago when Rs 50,000 was fraudulently withdrawn from my savings account.
It was late on a Saturday when I received 5 text messages. Each message said Rs 10,000 had been debited from my debit card from a particular ATM located in Jaipur. As I was half asleep, it took me some time to believe what I saw. I then immediately checked whether I had my debit card in my possession. My card was with me and I was in Delhi at my home... who could possibly withdraw money? I called my bank’s customer care, where it was confirmed that someone had cloned my debit card.
Let me clarify here, I never shared my pin number with anybody and my debit card was merely 5 months old. Although, I had used it in restaurants and malls for shopping.
How To Retrieve Your Money?
Block Debit/Credit Card and Net banking
Your first call should be to the bank’s customer care advisor. Inform them about the fraudulent activity and get all your debit/credit cards and net Banking with this particular bank. Check with the banker exactly how much has been withdrawn, from which place and at what time. Also ask the banker to begin the process of getting back your money.
Post On Social Media
Once I was done informing the bank, I posted on Facebook and Twitter about the fraud and tagged the concerned bank. Though the bank didn’t respond to me on Twitter, there were tweeple who wanted to know more about the incident. As consolation, I found a few people who had lost bigger amounts than me. It clearly showed that the cloning of debit card is a relatively widespread problem.
Lodge an FIR
File a complaint in your nearest police station. Write a detailed complaint, don’t miss important information like time, place, debit card numbers, and give them screenshots of the text messages showing the money has been debited from your account. Don’t forget to take a stamped copy of the complaint from the police station. Also request that the police officer transfer your case to the cyber crime unit.
Submit Documents to the Bank
Each bank follows different processes. In the case of my bank, one of the biggest banks in India, an internal inquiry is initiated to track down the details. I was asked to submit a copy of the FIR and other relevant documents with all the details. Now it is the responsibility of the bank to carry out the investigation. According to my bank, a minimum of two weeks are required to complete the investigation.
Use Debit Card Only To Withdraw Money From ATMs
I spoke to my bank officials to find out the possible places where my card could had have gotten cloned. They said it could have had happened in a restaurant, in a shops or even in the ATM of another bank, though they claimed that their ATMs are safe and secure. So it is better to use cash to pay shopping bills than debit cards. Be a little discerning in choosing an ATM to withdraw money from.
The banker also suggested that the ATM pin numbers shouldn’t be date of birth or anniversaries. It is very easy for the hacker to crack such numbers. Think of a pin that is tough enough to crack and of course, don’t share it with anyone.
After having been burned once, I have now decided to go traditional. I will not use my debit card any more, but rather will use a cheque to withdraw money. I know it’s a bit tedious, but that’s the decision I have come to. You may feel a different path is more practical.
But I do promise you an investigative report on how debit cards are cloned. I will certainly try to crack down and find out more. After all, it is a matter of our earned money which we keep in the bank thinking that it is safe. The reality is that even with trusted banks, precautions are needed.
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