| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| FieldsofThyme |
Posted - Jan 21 2013 : 04:51:34 AM
Are any of you on a cash only basis right now?
Our account had fraudulent charges recently, and last night my cousin did, who lives not far from us.
For us, it was that they had my debit card number. I went back over my account, and had used it locally.
I talked to my brother, who is a police officer. I had a very interesting chat. I found out that a foreign group of people has sent folks to work for them in our area, skimming cards. These people get hired, then get access to being able to skim your card and get your information (gas pumps, local stores, restaurants etc). They can even carry a gadget in their pocket to skim your debit card.
I am seriously considering getting rid of the debit card, and going back to paper checks (for bills) and cash.
Has anyone else gotten rid of their debit cards? I'm told that it's the people who use it for everything, that are getting these fraudulent charges on their bank accounts.
My Life: http://pioneerwomanatheart.blogspot.com/
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| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Lanna |
Posted - Oct 01 2013 : 03:31:36 AM
Some places just won't take cash or check anymore. But if that's the case, and you do have a bank you still use, you could always ask them to create a temporary card number for just one or whatever purchases. Some will do it for their customers. That said, you do have to plan ahead quite a bit. Making sure your cash on hand will cover all your current bills, plus some emergency extra on hand and all that can take some intense planning. I have a few friends that are basically cash only, it's kind of fun, buy getting money orders is harder/more expensive than it used to be from what I can tell. I don't have the fortitude for that quite yet, but we don't have any credit card debt or anything (just the house, student loans, teeny bit on car since we don't want to zero out our main account).
We do too much shopping online and I don't like carrying *that* much cash on hand, just. in. case. I had my wallet stolen at girl scout camp twenty years ago, so I'm a bit, uh, guarded with stuff like that. I can cancel a card, but I can't make $800 in 20's magically reappear.
And fwiw, there *are* ways to disable the RFID chips in your passport/driver's license, not sure how/if it can be done to a credit/debit card (ours don't have them so far).
*****************
Lanna, homeschooling mama to four little monkeys that still try to jump on the bed |
| Room To Grow |
Posted - Sep 20 2013 : 4:38:10 PM
We paid off all our credit cards. I do use checks to pay bills...but I only put money in the bank to cover the checks I have written...then I keep money and put in envelopes to use for gas and groceries...We really live pay check to pay check but we have no mortgage or car payments...so all we have in house bills..just got a wood stove installed so that means the propane bill will be really low this winter...and we just got a generator..just in case the power goes off..now for a couple 50 or 100 gal tanks to put regular and diesel fuel in them...praying to get them soon...
Deborah
now we are on our forever farm. God has blessed us. |
| kymomma4 |
Posted - Sep 04 2013 : 12:37:52 PM
I only use cash or check for bills. Now we do use the debit card every so often but DH would rather go get the money out of the bank and then pay for something. That way you don't go over your budget. For me I have to use a debit card to order my stock for my business. That way I can get my products within a timely manner and not weeks out. I hope that the security that they have set up is excellent but I've never heard of any other MK consultant say otherwise. I would rather my customers pay in cash or check, but to each their own I guess.
Farmgirl #2361
"Blessed is the farmgirl who helps make the world a better and healthy place" ~ Me
"For she is clothed with dignity and strength and without fear of the future"-Proverbs 31:25
www.marykay.com/rcarson4 |
| Room To Grow |
Posted - Sep 03 2013 : 4:13:01 PM
saw this on TV...it seemed like to me...DONT SHOW EVERYONE HOW TO DO THIS!!!! why do they do that...advertise!! and then they want to know why so many people are getting there card numbers stolen...
now we are on our forever farm. God has blessed us. |
| CindyG |
Posted - Sep 02 2013 : 6:12:56 PM
The envelopes are used to protect credit cards (and passports) that have an RFID -radio frequency identification - chip. You may have seen commercials for this technology - McDonalds and some minimart/convenience stores advertised the "touch and pay" supposed benefit of their cash registers. You don't have to swipe a card or sign because the chip on the card emits a radio frequency read by the register. You just tap the card to the reader and you're done.
The BIG problem with this is bad guys can get the readers and get your credit info by standing next to you at a crosswalk, standing behind you in line at the store, etc. Not such a handy feature on the card, is it? They can get your info while your credit card is still in your wallet/purse.
The special envelopes (I have some from TravelSmith or Magellen's, and it is a brand called Identity Stronhold) block the transmission of the chip info.
Your credit card may not have this feature. Google RFID icon to see what the little logo looks like, and if it isn't on your credit card, you need not worry about it. Yet. More and more companies are going to this technology, and passports newer than 2007 probably have it. |
| AnnieinIdaho |
Posted - Sep 02 2013 : 09:05:57 AM
Yes, the skimmers are here in Henderson, NV as well at the local Von's Market. I had my debit card numbers lifted. They then made a card crashing in some abandoned foreclosed house and were even seen sitting at Starbucks where the wave technology is being used and every time someone waved their cards...bzzzz the wireless data was grabbed. Hotels, cabs and restaurants on the strip all turned the card down, but the mistake was made when they used a kiosk for cab fare and the data went to a home office in New York, then they tried another kiosk at the airport and the data went to Oregon, so my bank's fraud program picked up that one cannot be in two states at one time and so flagged the account. Since I was reimbursed by my bank our police dept. does not consider me a victim and will not do anything about this. I am sure this ring of folks are still grabbing numbers at the grocery stores and at Starbucks. I finally insisted that my one card I use for hotels, travel etc has no chip in it. Yes, we pay cash a lot more these days. But sooner than we like it will be phased out even more because they cannot track your purchases.
Have a good day sisters, try to not carry a troubled heart over the demises that seem to be coming more frequently in our world. As Mary Jane told me when I met her, "Every thing is all right in our world, right?" Stepping down our own good path is all we can do at times. Be aware of pitfalls and dangers, face evil and enemies with a poker face being fully aware of where it lies and what it is up to, so you can walk around the enemies camp quietly getting to your destination through informed diligence, disarming all the hidden traps that greed and laziness put before us. May harm stay away from your door.
:-) Smile now. It is our inherent right not only to survive but to thrive on earth...our planet home we were born into. But we must "do good." Annie
"The turnings of life seldom show a sign-post; or rather, though the sign is always there, it is usually placed some distance back, like the notices that give warning of a bad hill or a level railway-crossing." Edith Wharton, 1913 from 'The Custom of the Country'. |
| Room To Grow |
Posted - Sep 02 2013 : 08:02:20 AM
Carole...wish my husband was like that...I am the one who has to be that person...I have been doing the envelope thingy for sometime now..It really works.
now we are on our forever farm. God has blessed us. |
| ceridwen |
Posted - Aug 25 2013 : 06:19:00 AM
Or only spend what you can pay at the end of the month. My dh said the following wise words to me, "you can have anything you want, just not everything." So I pick and choose, taking into consideration what I really want. Its more of a conscious buying.
Carole
Farmgirl Sister 3610
http://www.carolesquiltingetc.com
http://www.fibrejunction.com |
| JoyIowa |
Posted - Aug 24 2013 : 11:40:13 AM
I wonder if keeping a really low credit limit, say several hundred dollars, would help? Then you would have enough for most purchases, but not enough to be tempting???
If it's not illegal, unsafe, or immoral, why not try anything once? Who knows? You may come back for a second helping! |
| ceridwen |
Posted - Aug 08 2013 : 5:30:31 PM
Lol! The service provider is lucky that the cheque did not bounce, or maybe it did! Lol
Carole
Farmgirl Sister 3610
http://www.carolesquiltingetc.com
http://www.fibrejunction.com |
| Ninibini |
Posted - Aug 08 2013 : 1:47:26 PM
I swear I just heard Joy from "My Name is Earl" say that, Lisa! LOL!
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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| nubidane |
Posted - Aug 08 2013 : 1:43:12 PM
Hey Carole & Nini, that reminds me of a local newscaster from Cinci, (who just happens to be the one and only Jerry Springer). Years ago, before he had his trashy TV show, he paid for a prostitute using a personal check. What a big dummy
"We must reject the idea that every time a law’s broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions.” – R.R. |
| Ninibini |
Posted - Aug 08 2013 : 1:17:14 PM
LOL! Oh Carole! That WOULD be something to see!! That's something I wouldn't WANT to know about a person! Sheesh!
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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| ceridwen |
Posted - Aug 08 2013 : 10:21:14 AM
I'm going to chime in, a tad late but I needed to share. Credit card fraud has been on the rise and as a small business owner, the processing fees are huge mainly - to cover the increase in fraudulent use as well as "points/bonus" the customer gets.
Most people still would prefer to use credit/debit cards because of these "points/bonuses" that can be used for what ever. It makes no difference in cost for the customer, but it does for the small business owner. The credit card company make it look like the "perks" come from them, but not really. Depending on the perks you have with your credit card, fees can go as high as 7% of the total sale, which includes sales tax, plus a processing fee per transaction, as established by your credit card processor. I find the fees I pay so that my customer can use their credit is horrendous, and I am truly a small business.
I understand the need to have debit cards for internet sales, but I would much prefer that my customer use cash or cheque. I to am carrying more cash and making a point to use cash whenever I buy from a local business. I have to agree with Nini, it makes your life choices accessible to everyone. Many moons ago I worked for a large bank in Montreal for over 18 years, and let me tell you, when a customer comes to you asking for a statement and you see a "strip joint" debit on that statement, it sort of changes your opinion of that person! lol
Thanks for allowing me to vent! Off my soap box!
Carole
Farmgirl Sister 3610
http://www.carolesquiltingetc.com
http://www.fibrejunction.com |
| MagnoliaWhisper |
Posted - Feb 06 2013 : 12:50:47 PM
I was in NYC during 9-11, and that is exactly what happens. Also gas pumps and such could not take cards during that time. You NEEDED cash! I was even back then PRO cash. I will never give up keeping some cash in my home. (I have safes in odd places) It's genetically ingrained in me, I can't help it. my grandparents buried their money in the backyard in mayonnaise jars!
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
| Ninibini |
Posted - Feb 06 2013 : 12:44:39 PM
We just received our Costco magazine today, and there is an article inside about the big debate as to whether or not cash will soon be a thing of the past. I have problems with this. For one, I hate that someone will always know where my money is and where it is going. That is nobody's business. At all. For two, all the cyber theft out there really unnerves me. What happens if someone takes all your money, or if the money that should be deposited to your account never makes it there? And third, what if, Heaven forbid, a disaster ever occurs where we cannot access our money (and the use of it) for a few days or longer... or worse, weeks on end? No. No. No. I just don't like it. For some reason, it feels to me as if our independence is being squeezed out of us; depleted. It's really bothering me. Back in the 80's there was a lot of discussion about the implications of such a thing happening. I can't believe that we're actually seeing so much of it coming to fruition nowadays. It's unsettling to me. How do you all feel about it?
Hugs -
Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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| FARMALLChick |
Posted - Feb 05 2013 : 2:12:17 PM
The envelopes are for the cards while they are in your wallet or purse or pocket - same as the foil. It is supposed to protect them from hand held pocket card readers. I've seen them online and I think they did a spot about them on Anderson Cooper one day. They remind me of the tyvek material some envelopes are made of - think fedex or priority mail. Unfortunately, they will not work at the pumps - you have to take them out.
"Courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyway" -John Wayne
www.CountryFriedAcres.etsy.com www.farmallchick.blogspot.com www.farmallchickphotos.blogspot.com |
| MagnoliaWhisper |
Posted - Jan 31 2013 : 8:47:52 PM
I mainly use cash. BUT, also gift certificates.
Here's my way-
Ok I mainly shop at local stores, I don't like to use cc's there because 1. The bank/cc charges them so much and they aren't big corps and just trying to make it. 2. most wont' take CC's for any purchase less then 20 dollars because of the charge.
So what we do so we aren't leaving the house with hundreds of dollars in cash with us-I don't like to use checks cause my DH likes to do the checking account and he's not that good at balancing the check book, it would be a mess if I used checks cause of that. Any way, what we do is buy LOTS of gift certificates. Even the small local places here usually sell them. PLUS it's usually to my benefit to buy them. Most times it's at least 20 percent savings at the local places-will sell me a 50 dollar GC for 40 dollars cash. Then for the bigger places we buy the GCs at our local Krogers cause they quadruple our gas points-gas points can be exchanged for so many cents off a gallon at the pump. So to us GCs make sense all the way around-we aren't carrying around tons of cash, plus we actually are saving money! (ie either the 20 percent savings, or the gas points).
Online I also try to use gc's, but that is the only place I do sometimes use a debit card-when I absolutely have to. But, mainly I use GC's and my paypal (paypal account does have a cc/debit card connected to it, but I mainly use the cash that is direct deposited into my paypal account for one of my jobs).
We've been doing the cash/check only for about 6 years now. The GC's have become gradually part of our main staple starting about 6 years ago, and with in the last 1 to 2 years has become our main currency.
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
| FieldsofThyme |
Posted - Jan 31 2013 : 2:33:04 PM
Please explain this envelope? Do you keep it on your card when you swipe it? Will that work at the gas pump?
My Life: http://pioneerwomanatheart.blogspot.com/
Recycle Ideas: http://scrapreusedandrecycledartprojects.blogspot.com/
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| FARMALLChick |
Posted - Jan 30 2013 : 08:20:55 AM
Just a little tidbit - they do have special envelopes to put your credit cards and debit cards into protect them from pocket readers. You can also use tin foil. Just wrap the card in tin foil. I only have 1 card and it's a debit card. It was hacked on January 1 of this year and is currently under investigation. They used it for a $1 test on Groupon and tried to use it for a $272 purchase on Walmart.com and it came out of Bolingbrook, IL about 3 1/2 hours from here. My bank caught it and stopped it, but I had to get a new card. We are trying to go back to using cash and checks, but around people get really nasty if they have to wait on you to write a check! I try to have them filled out as much as possible while I am waiting in line - but dang!
"Courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyway" -John Wayne
www.CountryFriedAcres.etsy.com www.farmallchick.blogspot.com www.farmallchickphotos.blogspot.com |
| Ninibini |
Posted - Jan 26 2013 : 08:22:10 AM
We had the same problem last year, too, Kristina. I'm so sorry you and our farmgirl sisters have had similar experiences. We have been paying our bills through our bank online, we do use checks for purchases of items for more expensive items or for purchases which make receipts a necessity (medical co-pays, for example), and we use cash as often as possible. The only thing is, we don't keep a lot of cash on hand because it just doesn't seem like a safe thing to do where we live. We also don't keep a lot of money in our checking account. We try to keep money in one place and transfer it to another as needed so that there is very little chance of immediate access for thieves, if that makes sense. I also vigilantly keep watch over all accounts on a daily basis, just in case. I want to catch things as they're happening - not days later. I'd do all cash if it were up to me, but it truthfully just isn't practical. And checks aren't the best payment form for us for paying bills because our mail is THE pits and totally unreliable. It just seems very unwise nowadays to put all of one's eggs in any single basket to go to market, you know what I mean? Our experience last year really freaked me out, and we have been much more cautious since. It blows my mind what is happening out there. We just have to do the best we can do. I'm sure you will figure out what's best for you, too! :) Hugs - Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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| jenne.f |
Posted - Jan 25 2013 : 06:10:37 AM
Lots of good sound advice here. I need to make some changes too. Has anyone heard about the new charges for using a credit card or maybe a debit card. (I cannot remember if one or both.) It starts Sunday and is effective in 40 states. Charges can be up to $4.00.
~blessings~
Jenne
Farmgirl #4616
Let all that you do, be done in love. I Corinthians 16:14 |
| momshopsalotta |
Posted - Jan 25 2013 : 05:44:08 AM
I do utilize an easy way to minimize debit or credit card theft at the gas station. I use my debit card and as soon as I fill the tank and get my receipt, I immediately press clear on the data panel. If you don't clear the transaction, your credit card number and access to your account is available to the cashier/clerk or next customer until that pump is used again. |
| Catherine L |
Posted - Jan 25 2013 : 04:55:11 AM
I have been considering cash and checks because we just mindlessly spend with the debit card. If we only used cash when it was gone that's it.
~Cathy~
Farmgirl 2428 http://www.my-fairhaven.blogspot.com/
http://adaywithnonnaandboompa.blogspot.com/ |
| lovecatsandsunshine |
Posted - Jan 24 2013 : 10:58:18 AM
Anyone who calls u and wants info about u, hang up! Got a call recently from someone claiming to be microsoft. Knowing this was a scam, hubby messed with the lady on the line.the lady said she needed him to sign on laptop to a site to check out a problem. They want you to go to the web site and then they put spam on and u pay to get rid of it. I googled the phone number while hubby was talking and said just hang up. Someone is trying to use my sister's name ss# to get money. She passed away 7 years ago. I've told her daughter to be aware this is going on. I think the person trying to get money is her ex, as he would be the only one to know my address/phone. NEVER give anyone info about u or acct or anything!!!!! I pay bills with a check. someone got my debit card for that free credit scam. Now pay with cash orr when I use cc, pay it off next day.
Find something beautiful in everyday!
And STYX rocks! |
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