B.Y.O SENIOR ACCOUNTANT

- July 17, 2017

I remembered the song, "It's A Hard
Knock Life" from the Broadway play
Annie recently. I got a "hard knock"
as a result of being lazy. I did not monitor my checking account regularly. This task is boring and a nuisance.

Even if your bank has staff trained in fraud detection, bad things can happen beyond their control. Fact is, no one can keep up with my "frequent shopping miles" better than me.

LESSON LEARNED:

MONITOR MY CHECKING & CHARGE ACCOUNTS DAILY!!

MY PENNY PINCHER CHARGERS

My bank called me on a Sunday morning because they noticed $2 charges from Florida! A hacker was testing my account to see if my bank would allow his small dollar transactions to go through. The bank clerk said the hackers began to transmit large dollar amounts if the small ones go through. I assured him I was not Florida. He immediately cancelled my debit card to avoid further hacking.

I often partake in Value Menus at my
local fast food restaurants. So, my checking account has lots of dollar amounts under $10. This is why I need
to pay close attention! I make sure all
of those small charges and fees were made by me. Some hackers could have their scamming dollars mixed in.

STRANGE CHECKING ACCOUNT VISITORS!

My friend's checking account was hacked for 6 months without her or her bank noticing. The hackers had fun and made transactions totalling $7,000. This hacking would have continued until her debit card
denied a charge when she was out shopping. She was alarmed because her pay check had just been direct deposited.

Another friend was traveling in Europe didn't take the time to monitor his checking account. The hackers had made $15,000 of transactions before he or his bank noticed.

Their banks worked with both of them
and law enforcement was notified of
the fraud/hacking. They were blessed
because their banks said that most customers are usually responsible
for fraudulent transaction over $500. These horror stories really frightened
me. Now I make sure I monitor all of
my bank accounts daily . I check for transactions from unfamiliar stores or
purchases I know I didn't make. I keep
all of my receipts and don't discard them until I verify them in my bank accounts.