What to do if you found someone else's bank card

Losing a bank card is always an unpleasant incident for its owner and, in some cases, for the person who found it. Having discovered someone else's card, it is important to act correctly to help recover the missing card and not break the law. Izvestia tells us how to act if you found a bank card in a bank, on the street or in public transportation.

What to do if you find a card in a bank or transportation

The order of action depends on where the card was found. If it is seen in an ATM, then in such a situation it is better not to do anything, and leave it in place. It is quite possible that the owner is somewhere nearby and will soon return for it.

You should not take the card out of the ATM also because you can fall for a trick of fraudsters. It is not uncommon for criminals to leave the card in the reader on purpose and wait for someone to take it in order to accuse them of withdrawing a large amount of money. If the card is not touched, after a short time it will fall into the card reader. Once the card is discovered missing, the owner will be able to return it to the bank.

If the card is found in the bank premises, for example, on a table or on the floor, it should be handed over to any employee. He will then pass it to the correct department or contact the cardholder himself. A card found in a store should also be given to a member of staff. And a card found in public transportation - to the station duty officer or driver.

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Is it possible to find the cardholder yourself?

When someone else's bank card is found, some people try to find its owner on their own. For example, they place an ad in social networks or transfer a symbolic amount to the account, reporting the find and specifying their contact information.

It is better to refuse the first option at once. Photos of bank cards posted on the Web, compromise both the owner and the one who found it. In particular, fraudsters can take advantage of the situation to withdraw money from the account. And then you will have to prove your non-involvement in what happened.

It is better to contact the bank that issued the card by calling the hotline. They will inform you what to do next. Another option is to take the card to the nearest bank office. The plastic will be blocked, and the compromised data will be deleted, because according to the bank's terms and conditions, it is no longer possible to use such a card.

However, the most reliable way is not to touch someone else's card at all. The owner will block it himself when he finds it missing and order a new one. But if the good will to find the owner of the card is still great, you should take into account that the found card may have been previously stolen, and the money from it - stolen.

To avoid possible trouble, lawyers advise to lift the find in front of witnesses or in the area of video surveillance cameras. Otherwise, you can then become a suspect in illegal transactions made after the card went missing.

What happens if you pay with a card found on the street?

It is impossible to pay for purchases or make any transactions on someone else's bank card. These actions are qualified as theft and fall under criminal liability (paragraph "g" part 3 of article 158 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). The minimum penalty for such an offense is a fine of 100 thousand rubles, and the maximum penalty is up to six years of imprisonment.

Liability is also provided for fraud with the use of bank cards (article 159.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). The punishment ranges from a fine of up to 120 thousand rubles to imprisonment for up to three years.

What to do if you lost the card yourself

In case of card loss, you should immediately contact the bank or block the card through a mobile application. In a short period of time, the bank will issue a new card to replace the lost one. A quick response will reduce the chance that confidential data will fall into the hands of intruders.

Earlier, Izvestia told how to protect your funds and card data from fraudsters.