Nothing new. They were testing the cards and the limits. There will be other transactions.

This has happened to my cards twice. Both times they were swiped at stores, big chain stores, but some one put a device on them, he worked on the cleaning crew. Then he took them off, and the fun began.

At first I got 500 bucks in my account. I checked and it seemed so wrong, they used an account I use once a month, and it gets ONE pension cheque from the Feds. No other deposits. The cash goes out the next day on groceries, and what's left applied to cards.

Then I notify the bank, the next day they withdraw the 500 bucks. They told me that the deposit was to test my account, and then the same people would clean it out. Nipped in the bud so to speak.

In the end, don't spend cash that you don't really have, because they are going to take it back. Just as you said. Fishing for bigger accounts, when they take back the 500, later they go for more.

I changed accounts after that. But the fraud was happening at 3 chain grocery stores and 2 big pharmacies in town where this guy worked. He quit after taking the devices out, and left for parts unknown.

John Conley
Musica est vita