Conor got a call from his bank asking if he had recently traveled and used his card abroad. His bank had noticed an unusual transaction on his account.

Out of the blue, Conor got a phone call from his bank asking if he had been abroad recently as there appeared to be an unusual transaction on his account out of Europe. He advised the bank that he hadn’t left the U.S. in about six months.

The bank explained that a transaction, for the amount of $251.44, was recently taken from his account. The amount itself was deemed odd, and this is what led the bank to question this transaction along with the location.

Given his card details had been compromised, Conor feared that they might be used again so canceled his debit card. The bank arranged a refund and issued a new card. Conor did not authorize the payment himself, nor provided his card details, rather his bank account was a target of fraud.

While Conor felt cheated this wasn’t his first experience with financial fraud, he once (recently?) had bought tickets online from what he thought was an approved supplier for a concert and the tickets had not turned up.  Conor thought back on how his details might have been stolen but had difficulty identifying just how the scammers got his information. He has put it down to experience but is now very careful in how he uses his debit and credit cards, and also with how he shares any of his personal details – particularly online.