Debit Card Fraud

[wayner123]

Visa does provide some coverage, but the banks are who determine the pace at which that coverage is met:

In outright fraud cases, Visa or MasterCard voluntarily protect check cards they issue through member banks as if they were credit cards, meaning the maximum a defrauded customer is liable for is $50. Visa states they have adopted a "zero-liability" policy, which applys to its debit cards as well as credit cards. Many banks eventually refund the entire amount stolen.

But different banks have different policies concerning disputes - including how long they will take to investigate disputed charges, and how soon after a reported fraud they "temporarily credit" an account. This is where the main differences are visible between a credit card and a debit card.