I have had debit card numbers and checkbooks stolen on several occasions in the past.
Each time it was a different scheme.
I am not sure how it happened the first time.
This was way back in the 1990's.
I could have inadvertently become a victim if a Phishing scheme, which was a new phenomenon at that time.
I found out when my wife got a call from a large financial institution stating that someone with a Middle Eastern accent was trying to wire money from my account.
That was a head's up move on the part of that employee.
No money was transferred or stolen thanks to their alertness, but I still had to cancel the accounts and cards and get new ones.
Also had my credit reports secured and alerts put on.
I had a brief case stolen from the car once.
It had my business check book.
I don't know if their intention was to steal my Id or they were just looking for cash.
Again I had to close the accounts just to be sure.
All automatic deductions and deposits had to be changed.
Last time I was completely unaware that my card was being skimmed.
I was renting a trailer from a local equipment rental chain.
The cashier took my debit card and held under the counter for a long time.
I thought it was odd at the time but attributed it to a slow system.
Turns out she was skimming the card.
Several days later I noticed several gas transactions appearing on my online bank statement from a near by city which I never visit.
I reported it to the bank, they canceled and reissued the card and reimbursed me for the fraudulent transactions.
Other family members have had it happen.
One had their stolen while she was in the parking lot of a grocery store.
The other probably has his debit card stolen via a device installed at a local gas station.
These incidents are not as bad as some.
Some are much worse.
Id theft has become a menace and is something that needs to be taken seriously.
It can completely destroy your finances and your name if not caught in time.
But there are things you can do to prevent it and things you can do to minimize the damage once it has happened.
For instance, shred financial documents, keep your personal information secure at home and beware of your surroundings just to name a few.