Thought it was just a weird glitch at first, but nope... scammers love testing small amounts before going big.
Yeah, those small charges are sneaky. Had a similar thing happen last year—noticed a random $3.25 charge from some convenience store two states away. At first, I figured maybe it was just delayed processing or something, but nope... scammers testing the waters. Good thing banks usually flag these quickly if you're paying attention. Now I check my statements weekly instead of monthly—tedious, but worth it to catch stuff early.
Had something similar happen a few months back:
- Saw a random $1.50 charge from some vending machine company I'd never heard of.
- Thought maybe I'd just forgotten grabbing a snack somewhere, but it felt off because I rarely carry that card.
- Called the bank to double-check, and they confirmed it was suspicious—apparently scammers love vending machines because they're easy to overlook.
- Bank canceled the card immediately and sent me a new one. Was annoying to update payment info everywhere, but better safe than sorry.
- Now I have transaction alerts set up for anything over a dollar. Yeah, it's kinda paranoid, but I'd rather get a bunch of notifications than miss something sketchy.
"apparently scammers love vending machines because they're easy to overlook."
That's wild, never would've guessed vending machines could be a scammer's go-to. I had something similar happen last year—noticed a small charge from some random transit company in another state. At first, I thought maybe I'd accidentally tapped my card on a trip or something (I commute a lot, so it wouldn't be totally impossible). But then I realized it was somewhere I'd never even visited. Called my bank, and sure enough, someone had skimmed my card info. They canceled it immediately, but yeah... updating all my auto-payments was a pain.
Honestly, setting alerts for anything over a dollar isn't paranoid at all. I ended up doing the same thing after that incident. It might seem excessive at first, but catching something sketchy early can save you from bigger headaches down the line. Better safe than sorry, right?
I ended up doing the same thing after that incident. It might seem excessive at first, but catching something sketchy early can save you from bigger headaches down the line.
Had a similar thing happen to me, but it was a random coffee shop charge in a city I'd never even heard of. Like you said, updating all the auto-payments afterward was the real hassle... Definitely worth setting those alerts though.
"Definitely worth setting those alerts though."
Couldn't agree more. Setting up transaction alerts is one of the simplest yet most effective ways to catch fraud early. Another thing I'd recommend is regularly checking your credit reports—at least once or twice a year. You'd be surprised how often something sneaky slips through unnoticed, even if you're careful with your cards.
Also, if you haven't already, consider freezing your credit with the major bureaus. It's free now, and it adds an extra layer of protection by preventing anyone from opening new accounts in your name without your explicit permission. Sure, it can be a bit inconvenient when you actually need to apply for credit yourself, but lifting the freeze temporarily isn't too complicated—usually just a quick online form.
I learned this the hard way after someone tried opening a phone account under my name... thankfully caught it early, but still a headache sorting it out. Better safe than sorry, right?
