Debit card fraud

I have a love/hate relationship with banks. They're getting rich ( and I'm talking effing rich) off your money, but still you need to cough up if you want to have access to your own money! Taking money out from an ATM or paying with your debit card is not free!

And unless you use your money, it has no real value when it's just sitting on your bank account. It's meaningless. It's just numbers on a paper, digits on a computer screen. Nothing tangible. Like a whiff of perfume.

And now we experienced first hand that taking out money is not entirely without risk. We were the unfortunate victims of debit card fraud. Our debit card was copied and then used to withdraw money. We didn't even notice it, but our bank had flagged the suspicious transaction and blocked our cards.

Tracing back were it could have happened was easy but unexpected. Only 3 transactions all with respectable companies ... turns out that Jean Coutu, a well known pharmacy chain, is not so trustworthy after all. Apparently one of their employees is earning a couple of extra bucks on the side.

Luckily we will be fully reimbursed, but it will take a while. For those worried, I have a little tip: if you think something fishy is going on, use a wrong PIN number. If the transaction is approved, you know it's a scam. Call your bank ASAP!