Regardless of whether it was a case of political trickery or a sophisticated attempt at theft, a local woman’s debit card experiences could be viewed as a valuable lesson that it pays to keep close tabs on your bank statements.

Last month, a local woman was looking at her online bank statements and noticed two $5 charges that raised big red flags.

Describing herself as “positively” conservative in her political leanings, there was no way she would have made two $5 donations to the Democratic National Committee and Barackobama.com, on Dec. 14, as her bank statement indicated.

She immediately started looking into the situation and said she subsequently was told by a DNC representative in Washington, D.C., that the organization had received a “massive influx” of unauthorized charges and was crediting them back.

She said she never was asked her name. While her online statements show the money was returned to her account Dec. 17, she still has questions about how it happened, who was responsible and who profited.

A DNC spokesperson said it appeared to be a case of someone using the DNC Web site to test whether stolen cards and account numbers still were valid.

“There were an influx of $5 donations made on the DNC web site in December from various credit cards,” the spokesperson replied in an e-mail. “Once the DNC became aware of the issue, the accounts were all credited for the amount that they had been charged.”

“Apparently, this is a common technique when someone steals a credit card — to make a small donation to a campaign or nonprofit web site in order to verify that the credit card works. Unfortunately, the person who made these charges used false information (name, address, etc.) so the DNC has no way of knowing who made the charges.”

The local woman who was among the “influx” of unwitting donors isn’t ready to accept such an explanation. “I just don’t buy it that somebody stole them because they would be using them,” she said.

Still waiting for a new debit card from her bank, the woman said she has been repeatedly checking her account activity since the DNC incident and has found no other bogus charges.

Maria Audas of the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs said her department has received similar types of complaints over the years in which small amounts of money, like these $5 donations, show up on bills.

Those who steal account information sometimes make small purchases to make sure the account still is active, she said.

Another common reason for the relatively small dollar amounts is that they often are overlooked. “A lot of consumers won’t go through the hassle of fixing it,” Audas said, “or they don’t even catch it because they’re looking for the big charges.”

Why the DNC?

It could simply be a case of someone using an organization to mask what they’re doing, Audas explained.

Regardless of how this happened, Audas said people should keep up their guard when reviewing bank statements and pay close attention to details. Much like the local woman who caught this quickly, Audas said it can be helpful to have online access to your accounts so you don’t have to wait for your monthly bank statements in the mail.

Any problems should be reported to your bank immediately so you can get a new account number and address problems, Audas said. According to the Federal Trade Commission, there’s a difference in your liabilities when it comes to the fraudulent use of your credit card compared to the fraudulent use of an ATM or debit card.

Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, the FTC says your maximum liability for unauthorized use of your credit card is $50. If you report the loss before your credit cards are used, the FTC says the card issuer cannot hold you responsible for any unauthorized charges.

Your liability under federal law for unauthorized use of an ATM or debit card depends on how quickly you report the loss, according to the FTC. While federal law limits losses if unauthorized use is reported quickly, the FTC says you can risk unlimited loss if you fail to report an unauthorized transfer within 60 days after your bank statement is mailed to you.