Regina man's bank account drained after debit card compromised

A Regina man says his bank account is drained after he was the victim of debit card fraud.

Art Topp said he checked his account Tuesday to learn that four withdrawals had been made – two Monday night and two more Tuesday morning.

“When I looked at it my bank account was pretty much emptied out,” he insisted.

The four transactions have equated to hundreds of dollars lost for him and his wife. That’s turning out to be a big hassle he said as various payments are automatically withdrawn.

“(I) talked to the bank. They said that somebody in New York City had taken money out of our account.”

Strange, since Topp hasn’t even been there. He guessed he might have been targeted at a business after he or his wife were forced to swipe their debit card instead of using the chip. Which business and where exactly it was remains a mystery, as he indicated he had been to Edmonton over the summer and a thief could have been holding on to the information since that time.

“Fair warning to myself never to use a swipe machine again. If I can’t use my chip then I guess I don’t pay for the transaction, I just leave the store,” he revealed.

Topp said TCU Financial has been very good in helping his family out, and is working on reimbursing the stolen money.

He added a report has been filed with the Regina Police Service (RPS).

Speaking for RPS, Elizabeth Popowich indicated while there may not be an absolute guaranteed method to protect against card fraudsters at ATMs or point of sale terminals, you can take certain steps to protect yourself.

A device that’s been tampered with might have certain indicators, she outlined. Those could include a terminal that looks odd, if your card doesn’t fit properly, or if you’re forced to swipe your card. Popowich added that you should be diligent in reading your bank statements, taking note of any activity on the card that is unauthorized and then reporting that to police.

“Unfortunately, it’s possible that information that is gathered might not be used for many months,” she clarified.

That means frequently checking and keeping a close eye on your account.