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crime

How to stop thieves using your cash cards when you lose your wallet

20 Comments
By Oona McGee, SoraNews24

Japan has a reputation for being one of the safest places on the planet, where you can leave your belongings unattended and lost wallets are often handed in without a single yen missing.

That’s not to say theft doesn’t ever occur, however, as we saw recently when a man stole another man’s wallet on the train, so it doesn’t hurt to stay alert and prepared, even in a country as reputedly safe as Japan.

One person who’s definitely prepared is Twitter user @012_shiro, who picked up a handy tip from a former bank clerk on how to keep the cash cards in your wallet safe in the event of a theft, and after sharing the information with others online it quickly went viral.

Screen Shot 2020-11-09 at 8.13.44.png

The tweet above reads:

“To avoid putting my savings at risk, I’ve put six sheets of paper with random four-digit numbers on them in my wallet. Because, in a worst case scenario, if I lose my wallet and someone with bad intentions picks it up, my cash card can’t be used and will have to be re-issued if the wrong PIN is input multiple times. (From a former bank clerk).”

@012_shiro followed up by saying cash card rules differ depending on the financial institution, but the general rule is that you can enter an incorrect PIN up to three times a day, and if six mistakes are made in total, the card can’t be used.

Of course, @012_shiro says you should call your bank immediately to put a hold on your cards if you do find you’ve lost your wallet, but until that call is made, this simple tip can help to safeguard your savings and give you some peace-of-mind in a worst-case scenario.

A lot of people online agreed with this sentiment and vowed to use the system themselves, just in case.

“I love this, it’s like installing a self-defense trap inside your wallet!”

“Wow. I learned something today!”

“Doing this right away!”

“I often write random numbers on the back of the card. Now I might add a piece of paper too just to confuse them even more!”

“Thank you – this is a great life hack!”

Staying a step ahead of thieves is often the best way to outwit them, so no matter where you are in the world, it doesn’t hurt to use an anti-theft measure like this to help safeguard your money.

After all, traps like these have been known to work — just ask this wily 78-year-old Japanese woman, who set a trap for a thief and got him arrested after he took thousands of yen in toy money from her safe.

Source: Twitter/@012_shiro via Jin

Read more stories from SoraNews24.

-- Elderly Japanese man keeps ATM PIN on paper in wallet, but it’s the thieves who should be worried

-- Steal this umbrella and be cursed for life! Japanese Twitter users’ creative anti-theft measures

-- Lifehack: Transform a Starbucks paper bag into a fully functional wallet!

© SoraNews24

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

20 Comments
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I’ve put six sheets of paper with random four-digit numbers on them in my wallet. Because, ... if I lose my wallet and someone with bad intentions picks it up, my cash card will have to be re-issued if the wrong PIN is input multiple times. (From a former bank clerk).”

Oh, please, Mr. Bank Clerk! The odds of correctly guessing a four-digit PIN in three tries are one in 3,333!

2 ( +5 / -3 )

A quick phone call to the bank and credit card company works. I’m not sure why this is now news worthy.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

This is news worthy because as recent crime headlines the past several years show Japan is not the safe and crime free utopia some make it out to be. While many people realize that no country is 100% safe, there seems to be a skewed public perception especially among foreigners that even petty crime is rare in Japan. They read stories of wallets and other items of great financial items being left on public transportation and safely returned and think it is fine to let your guard down. The fact is even Japan is nowhere near safe as many think it is and you should take the exact same precautions you do traveling in Japan as you do anywhere else in the world.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

Call the card company and have the card suspended? Didn’t think that required a whole news article

8 ( +9 / -1 )

Wtf?

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Oh, please, Mr. Bank Clerk! The odds of correctly guessing a four-digit PIN in three tries are one in 3,333!

Incorrect. Try 0000, 1234, or the birthday on the health insurance or drivers licence.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

I got my card stolen, and I called right away to stop the card.

The thief used it for online shopping even months after I stopped it.

It took me 3moths~ of continuos arguments by phone to get my money back.

FYI, the bank name is "Su[...]"

0 ( +1 / -1 )

1.) My ATM card comes with a four digit password, so I do not see how someone finding it is going to do them any good.

2.) Laws may differ by country, but over here one does not have to pay for fake charges on one's credit card. Charges to an ATM card are paid first, and then one has to try to get one's money back. Which is why I prefer a credit card.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

What are the odds that everyone will put their real pin at the bottom of the list?

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Yes, ridiculous articles.

Geniuses fou'd everywhere now. LOL.

I was 6 years old when thought about that defense system, without knowing that I could recover my password on line nearly instantly in the future...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

You'll be surprised at how simple some PINs can be. A Japanese friend of mine lost his wallet, containing his cards and ID. One of his ID must have contained his date of birth, because they managed to steal his money using the ATM.

Also, a neighbour had her purse and money stolen because she forgot it and left it in her bicycle basket in our parking lot. Not so safe.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

A couple of other solid ideas: close your bags on a train, don't have a wallet sticking out of your back packet that is three times the length of the pocket, don't put your wallet/bag (with wallet in it) on a table at Starbucks to "reserve" the seat and then go off shopping, and just don't lose it! Also, don't carry around cards you don't plan on using, except maybe one in case of emergencies.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

It depends on who the thefts are. Professional hacker gangs can even simply copy the cards, give everything back anonymously, then you feel safe and relieved but they decipher everything with fast computers, hacker software or simpler algorithms like check sums, modulo, etc. look for yourself how ISBN, JAN or Mynumber is calculated if you want an impression, and then use those copied cards soon or some weeks / months later while you even have forgotten the incident already.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

“To avoid putting my savings at risk, I’ve put six sheets of paper with random four-digit numbers on them in my wallet. Because, in a worst case scenario, if I lose my wallet and someone with bad intentions picks it up, my cash card can’t be used and will have to be re-issued if the wrong PIN is input multiple times. (From a former bank clerk).”

I don´t get it. How is that different from having no sheet of paper with random numbers? Surely nobody is finding a four-digit number by pushing buttons at random?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Some people because they can't remember 4 numbers, write the PIN on the card....

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Some banks or card companies enable users to freely set limits on the amount of daily use and cash withdrawal. That prevents or minimizes financial damages.

If you're super-rich holding a high-end premium card, there may be a minimal line. The service company would contact you when the card is used for much smaller purchases, interpreted as an "deviant, unusual consumption pattern" for its client :)

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Bank at fault if user can decide PIN.

Also you are supposed to hide when doing your PIN.

I have traveled in many many parts of the world.

Believe me or not, I "lost" my wallet only once while leaving a train station and never recovered. In Japan. Lol

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Doesn’t really matter if ur card is a dual ATM/ Debit card because most of the time u don’t need to input the PIN number using debit.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

At least with credit cards, if they get stollen and used, the card companies will write the credit charges off. I’m not sure if they do that in the case of debit theft since it’s directly tied to your bank account

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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