[jyl]

So irritating!

For the second time in six months, there have been unauthorized online charges on my debit card. I get an emailed alert whenever my debit card is used online, so I called and blocked the card against future use, but now I have to deal with getting $514 of charges reversed and being without a debit card for awhile.

I assume this probably means that someone at a retail business where I hand over my card for them to run (e.g. a restaurant), as opposed to my doing the swipe/PIN (e.g. a Starbucks or Home Depot), wrote down the card info and then went to Match.com and on an online shoe shopping spree.

Suppose I obliterate the CVV code on the back of my card? I'd record it somewhere else, for when I need it. Would that help prevent this sort of fraud? Is there any downside to doing that? Do retailers use that code?