As of: January 29, 2024, 4:00 p.m
By: Andrea Stettner
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A lost bank card gives many people nightmares.
What to do in this case and how to quickly find help.
Anyone who loses their wallet and bank card often panics.
After all, without a checking or debit card (formerly an EC card), you cannot withdraw money or pay in stores.
And not every finder is honest.
To prevent unauthorized people from simply paying with your bank card, it should be blocked immediately at the bank.
What many people don't know: In this case, a call to the bank is not enough.
The following overview shows what the Federal Police
say
you should do if you lose your bank card.
Step 1: Have the card blocked at the bank
If you lose your bank card, you should have it blocked immediately.
(Symbolic image) © Zoonar.com/Yuri Arcurs peopleimages.com/Imago
If you have lost your checking (formerly EC card) or debit card, the first thing you should do is have it blocked immediately by your bank.
To do this, either call your bank or dial the emergency blocking number:
Blocked emergency numbers
- in Germany: 116 116
- abroad: +49 116 116 or +49 30 4050 4050
Have your account number and sort code (sort code) or IBAN ready.
Credit cards or SIM cards can also be blocked using these emergency numbers.
Further information can be found at sperr-notruf.de.
If you call an emergency, you will be forwarded to the issuer of the card.
However, not all banks take part in the emergency blocking call.
Then you have to call your provider directly.
Blocking is often also possible via online banking.
There are no costs for blocking the card.
However, banks may charge a small fee for issuing a new card.
Step 2: Go to the police and have the card blocked via the Kuno system
However, banks only block cards for PIN-based card payments.
In order to have your card blocked for payments with a signature (i.e. direct debit), a so-called KUNO blocking is necessary.
However, this can only be done at the police station.
“Unfortunately, it is not possible to block a KUNO card online or by telephone for security reasons,” the card blocking service informs on its website.
However, credit cards that are often used for car rental bookings or on vacation are exempt from the blocking.
Additionally, the lock only works for retail stores connected to the KUNO system.
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What is KUNO?
KUNO stands for “Fighting crime in non-cash payment transactions using non-police organizations” and is a voluntary system of police authorities and businesses to combat fraud.
To have your card blocked at KUNO, simply go to the nearest police station and hold your card
IBAN (or account number and bank sort code) as well
the card sequence number (single-digit number, can be found, for example, on account statements or cash receipts or can be requested from the bank)
ready.
The police officers use this to create a report to the KUNO barrier service.
You will then receive a leaflet with a blocking confirmation number, which you can use to register the card sequence number online if necessary or to delete the blocking if the card reappears.
Who is liable if strangers use the card?
Good to know: If unauthorized people use your Girocard to withdraw or pay money, you will be liable for a maximum of 50 euros until it is blocked, as the
Finanztip
portal informs.
The bank will then cover the resulting costs.
However, you should always keep a close eye on your account transactions after the loss, as fraudsters can still use them to make purchases via direct debit on the Internet (even if KUNO is blocked).
This means you can react quickly in an emergency.
It's not just through lost bank cards that crooks get their savings.
The
consumer advice center
has recently warned about fraudsters who trap their victims with fake emails from the ELSTER tax app.