How to prevent identity theft (and: What to do if you’re the victim of identity theft)
Last month, Kim was a victim of identity theft. Somebody used her debit card to make a large purchase of cosmetics.
The thief first tried a couple of test transactions for amounts of $0.01 and $0.00. (How is a $0.00 transaction even possible? I have no idea.) When those worked, she went all-in. She charged $555.90 to the account.
Fortunately, Kim has an excellent bank. USAA both phoned and texted to let her know something seemed suspicious. Then, over the next week, they worked with her to keep disruptions as minimal as possible.