[EarliestMemory]

I am the treasurer for a professional writers' organization, and hackers drained our bank account a few years ago to the tune of over $4K. I got a panicky-sounding call from the bank one morning, asking if I was aware that my account had been overdrawn for the past three days. I knew right away it was fraud, because the biggest checks I'd written recently was only $120.

We had three debit cards - one for each signer on the account - and one of those had never been used and was still in a drawer at my house. So I suspect the breach happened on the bank's end. Each card had been charged about $1800 by some generic-sounding co. in Belgium.

The bank eventually made everything right, but it was a PITA. Since they didn't offer $0 fraud liability, they wouldn't replace the $$ in my account. Instead, they let me overdraw my account by the amount that was stolen, and open a new account with that $$ so I could pay my bills until they investigated the charges. Getting the money replaced and my accounts back to normal involved many phone calls and several trips to the bank.

Of course, I closed the debit cards, plus the one I had for my personal account. If something screwy like that happens with a credit card, they'll immediately credit the consumer for the charges - whereas a charge on a debit card immediately comes out of your bank account, so it's much more trouble.

Btw, this is a large, reputable bank (even now) so yes, it really can happen to anyone. Best thing to do is what Draco said - keep an eye on your accounts.