When Dubbo resident Sharon Willis opened her internet banking account and tried to pay her credit card bill she was shocked.
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"The money wouldn't transfer over and I saw it was all gone," she said.
"My pay goes in on a Friday and I'd only withdrawn some money on the Friday and hadn't used the card since."
Sharon said about $500 was taken.
"When I went into the account, it showed everywhere the money had been spent," she said.
"They used it to buy alcohol, fuel and smokes."
All transactions were below the $100 Paywave limit which meant thieves could use Sharon's debit card without entering a PIN number.
Last week, Sharon said her neighbours told her people had been "going through mailboxes" along her street but she "didn't think anything of it".
"Because my card was up for renewal, it had come through automatically which I didn't know about," she said.
As the card was a replacement for one that expired, Sharon said it could be used without needing to be activated.
She suspects someone took the card from her mailbox.
"I've told the bank with my replacement card, and all cards from now on, I want to pick them up from the branch.
"I don't want anything sent to my house....you should be able to get your mail without worrying about it."
Ms Willis reported the matter to police who she said were investigating the theft.
