Woke up to my bank account drained last Wednesday - don't ignore 2FA

I got a text at 6am saying my password was changed on my email. By 8am, someone had Zelled $340 out of my checking account to a number I didn't recognize. Turns out I reused the same password on some sketchy site from 2018 and it leaked. A friend at work showed me how to turn on two-factor authentication on my bank app for free, took maybe 3 minutes. Has anyone else had a close call like this with a reused password?

3 comments

3 Comments

nguyen.angela1mo ago

Did your bank flag any of those transactions before they went through? I used to think two-factor authentication was just for people who were super paranoid or worked in IT security. Then my sister got hit the same way last year, and I realized how wrong I was. Watching her spend two weeks on the phone with her bank and credit agencies made me get serious about it. Now I have it on every account that offers it, including my email and social media. It really is just a tiny bit of extra effort that can save you a huge headache.

claire_davis311mo ago

When you said the bank didn't flag it until you called, that makes me wonder - have you ever actually tested how fast your own bank reacts to a weird charge? I tried a small test purchase on my own card from a new device once, just to see what would happen, and honestly the results were kind of disappointing. Your mileage may vary, but it might be worth a quick experiment to know exactly what kind of protection you're really working with.

leehall1mo ago

Man I had a buddy who thought the same way until someone got into his Venmo and cleaned out like $400 before he even woke up. He said the bank didn't catch it until he called them and by then the money was long gone. Have you found any specific app that makes the two-factor thing easier to manage?