Credit Card Fraud OT

[aero3113]

Just got a call from Discover card asking if I made any purchases in Georgia. I told them No!! , someone bought some gas, $35 worth of McDonald's (must have been hungry) and a few other items today. Its amazing how quick they caught that and notified me. They told me the people who have my number must have access to a card reader and made a clone of my card. Hope they catch them!!!

[greg g]

hopr they shut it down till they do.

[aero3113]

yea,they issued me a new account number

[Norm's Coupe]

Most credit card companies have computer programs to look for unusual activity on a card. If it picks something unusual up they will automatically put a hold on any additional charges until they check with the card holder. Had that happen to me a few years ago when Katrina hit. Because of the sudden fear of gas shortages I took all three vehicles to the same gas station one after another. Got to the third car and the pump wouldn't accept the card so had to use a different one. Called the card company to see why when I got home. Said the computer thought three charges at the same place within about an hour unusual so it automatically put a stop on all charges until they talked to me to make sure the card wasn't stolen.

[Niel Hoback]

I have wondered about that for some time now. I used my mastercard one day here at home and again about 36 hours later in England. No one ever called me about suspicious activity. I have done the same thing in Idaho, Alaska, and even Budapest, Hungary. Never got a call.

I fear if someone had my number, I wouldn't know about it until I got the bill.

[aero3113]

I used the card today in New York, then they saw the charges from Georgia and that put up a red flag

[Norm's Coupe]

Aero, that will set things off on their computers alright.

Niel,

If you do a lot of traveling and use the card all the time in a different countries, that wouldn't be unusual for you to use the card in two countries during that time frame. Now, if you did not use it in different countries on a regular basis, maybe then it would throw up a red flag. One other reason may be that you probably use the same card to buy your airline ticket. So........the computer knows where you started and what you bought so again it wouldn't be unusual for you to use it in the country you flew to.

I think those computer programs are sort of like Big Brother Watching. But.......guess it protects us at the same time.

[JIPJOBXX]

I got a call from Visa a few weeks ago and someone was charging up a bill to my credit card that would make your eyes spin. But like someone here said that a suspicious pattern had started and so they contacted me. One of the items someone was trying to charge via the internet was an item from Victoria Secret. Him I know it wasn't my wife as she only like warm bed clothing and so I new that charge was bogus. Anyway the card company paid oft all the fraudulant charges and issued me a new credit card. How did they get my number-hay I don't know?

[Niel Hoback]

What you're saying is that unusual places and charges on my card will not throw up a red flag. That is my fear and tells me they will not ever suspect anything is wrong.

[rolliejoe]

When getting the '51, the wife and I made a ~2000 mile round trip in 33 hours using my shell mastercard to pay for gas along the way. They shut me off about 23 hours into the trip on the way back, had to call. Wonder what set it off, they didn't like that we changed directions or was it because the wheels kept rolling without a break?

[dezeldoc]

They see charges outside your regular aera and they will shut it down. everytime we go out of the city I can always count on a call to check up! them thief's are pretty good at getting card numbers be it from a friend who is a casher or the card readers. it is a lot better than years ago when you were stuck with the bill till you proved you did not make the charges.

[John Mulders]

had the same years ago, was visiting the Netherlands and of course had a bit of a shopping spree. At one of the shops they asked me to the phone and asked some details that are not on the creditcard to verify.

Think it is a good thing they check, would not be happy if they just shut down.

John

[Norm's Coupe]

Sometimes it's possible for a thief to get your card numbers without being anywhere around you when you use it.

Was an article in the paper and on the news within the last year about this. Some large discount store was using a wireless system to process credit cards in the checkout line of the store. Because they did not have their firewall set up correctly the thief's sat in a car in the parking lot and also registered the card info as it was being processed in the store. Then they would make up clone cards and sell them.

So..........that was a store system. Now, if you have wireless connections on you home or office computer without a good firewall, they can also get your card numbers off your computer when ordering online. Even though the place you are ordering from is secure, yours isn't.

Those same people can also download any info off your computer they want if you are online without a good firewall, and on wireless.

[BobT-47P15]

Occasionally people in restaurants have lifted numbers when you give

them your card to pay and they walk off with it......then return with the

bill for you to sign.

It was reported somewhere that some restaurants were using a table-side

system to take card payments, whereby your card never left your sight.

But I sure haven't seen that around here.

[Captain Neon]

Occasionally people in restaurants have lifted numbers when you give

them your card to pay and they walk off with it......then return with the

bill for you to sign.

It was reported somewhere that some restaurants were using a table-side

system to take card payments, whereby your card never left your sight.

But I sure haven't seen that around here.

Sonic! Sonic has card readers!

I once had my debit card lifted. They were pretty slick, they just bought one item for a couple of hundred bucks. I caught it when I reviewed my monthly bancque statement. I went to my bancque reported the fraudulent transaction, and my money was refunded. I did have the inconvenience of not having my debit card while a new one was being issued.

When I moved to Missouri, our credit card got shut off because they suspected fraud due to all the purchases taking place in a part of the country they never suspected. Except for my interview, I'd never been Chillicothe or Trenton before moving here and I was making lots of purchases in the process of moving and getting our new home set-up.

[Young Ed]

Bob I saw those table side readers for the first time last weekend at TGI Fridays. The same little device had our entire order input into it and then later charged a card for the meal.

[John Mulders]

several ways to copy the card have been exposed on this. The card is wiped for the normal transaction but also at the belt or so to copy the data.

Unless you are really pay close attention , which you probably won't do when enjoying a meal or so, you wouldn't notice.

John

[rearview]

I've had my my card lifted twice... both times at the Toronto airport. One time I got back, took off for Utah on vacation. Got a call the next day from a california "designer wine" manufacturer who was upset that my card bounced after he shipped 18 *CASES* of wine, at $110 per bottle (almost $25K with shipping!). They gave me crap, saying even though it was stolen I was responsilble for payment of the wine because it was shipped, etc. I laughed at him for being so stupid to ship all that wine to me without approving my card first and offered to call the office and make sure it was refused so it will get returned to him. Wasn't good enough, got irate again. So I explained the situation... I have free wine coming that I could either refuse and send back, or i could have amnesia and keep it... he saw things my way.

Both times they've caught it without any financial exposure to me. AAA+++ for american express.

[Norm's Coupe]

Back in the late 90's we had a debit card. Wife used it at a shoe store and the girl there must have copied down her card number. Then her and another girl charged bought over $800 worth of stuff at the Gap using the wife's card number. Police caught them in the act though (they also charged over $2000 on two other peoples card numbers at the same store) and called me. We did eventually get the money back. However, when the bank said they'd give us new cards with new numbers I told them to forget it, I'll write a check or use cash from now on. Haven't had a debit card since and don't want one again. About the only time we use a credit card is when on vacation, so it's easy to track our credit card bills.

[Captain Neon]

Too many businesses, at least here in northern Missouri, will not take a checque, and having that much cash on hand is more dangerous than using a debit card and whole lot more inconvenient. Notice how every one of us that has had our card number lifted has been promptly refunded, and more often than not so quickly it was like it was never gone. Those few days waiting for a new debit card and the hassles of making sure I had enough cash on-hand, etc., etc., I would never choose to make a permanent lifestyle. Right after interfacing with our government bureaucracy, I hate dealing with bancque tellers and asking permission to get my own money.

[Allan Faust]

They see charges outside your regular aera and they will shut it down. everytime we go out of the city I can always count on a call to check up! them thief's are pretty good at getting card numbers be it from a friend who is a casher or the card readers. it is a lot better than years ago when you were stuck with the bill till you proved you did not make the charges.

Ya I know what you mean.... in the past I went to one place where the guy passed my card twice (told me it didn't work the first time) and when I got the bill, it had a second charge on it for a higher amount the next day... and I wasn't even in the same town. I called visa and they said they had a sig and everything. I told them to fax it to me.... they faxed it, and I signed 20 times around the page and sent them a list of 15 things that made my signature different than the one on the page (starting with the slant of a right handed person.... I'm a lefty... so its the exact opposite, the way I do my A, my F and my final T) it was a terrible forgery.... they called back 5 minutes after I faxed it to them to say not to worry about it, they were doing a charge back..... hmmm... place closed down soon after, wonder if they had problems....

Allan

[Norm's Coupe]

Too many businesses, at least here in northern Missouri, will not take a checque, and having that much cash on hand is more dangerous than using a debit card and whole lot more inconvenient. Notice how every one of us that has had our card number lifted has been promptly refunded, and more often than not so quickly it was like it was never gone. Those few days waiting for a new debit card and the hassles of making sure I had enough cash on-hand, etc., etc., I would never choose to make a permanent lifestyle. Right after interfacing with our government bureaucracy, I hate dealing with bancque tellers and asking permission to get my own money.

Well, it took us about 90 days to get our money refunded after that debit card problem I mentioned. If we had needed that $800 to live on, we would have been in a hurt until we got it back. It also took about 3 trips to the bank to fill out paper work for the refund. Not to mention the time the wife spent filling out forms for the DA to prosecute the two women who used the card number.

As for cash on hand, we don't keep that much around either. Usually about a hundred or less. If someone wants to hold me up for that small amount, they can have it. If something we want cost more than that during the week we write a check for it. I have not run into a store that will not accept a check yet. If that ever happens it tells me I don't want to buy there anyway. If they don't accept checks (especially locally in state) they aren't a real business in my view. If they were and were concerned about taking a check they could use Telecheck etc. to verify the check. If they can't afford that kind of service, they aren't that much of a business. Even the gas stations around here will take a check. I've never done it but my wife has written a check for gas at times when she fills up and forgot to take cash with her. As mentioned, about the only time we use a credit card is when on vacation. If we run out of cash on a vacation, there is usually a major city close by. Then we can just go to a branch of our bank and write a check. That's because our bank is nationwide and has branches in every major city. So, we don't need a debit card or a Tyme card and don't have either.

[Young Ed]

Norm was that debit issue a while ago? I believe now that there is a federal law that the bank must issue you provisional credit while researching the debit dispute. Its called debit regulation E.

[Don Coatney]

I do not understand why Norm has such a problem with a debit card. An ATM once ate my debit card along with a check I was attempting to deposit. I drove to a bank branch and told them my problem. They issued a replacement card on the spot as well as crediting my account for the amount of the check. With the frequent traveling I do I cannot imagine not having a debit card. Another good banking feature is being able to access my bank accounts on line. I can pay bills and transfer funds when I am in a hotel room 2000 miles from home. I know how much my wife spent at the store before she has time to drive home. When ever I charge anything against my debit card I always select the credit (not debit) option. This gives me 3 business days before the funds are actually removed from my account although they are listed as "pending" when I check things on line.

[Captain Neon]

Well' date=' it took us about 90 days to get our money refunded after that debit card problem I mentioned. If we had needed that $800 to live on, we would have been in a hurt until we got it back. It also took about 3 trips to the bank to fill out paper work for the refund. Not to mention the time the wife spent filling out forms for the DA to prosecute the two women who used the card number.

As for cash on hand, we don't keep that much around either. Usually about a hundred or less. If someone wants to hold me up for that small amount, they can have it. If something we want cost more than that during the week we write a check for it. I have not run into a store that will not accept a check yet. If that ever happens it tells me I don't want to buy there anyway. If they don't accept checks (especially locally in state) they aren't a real business in my view. If they were and were concerned about taking a check they could use Telecheck etc. to verify the check. If they can't afford that kind of service, they aren't that much of a business. Even the gas stations around here will take a check. I've never done it but my wife has written a check for gas at times when she fills up and forgot to take cash with her. As mentioned, about the only time we use a credit card is when on vacation. If we run out of cash on a vacation, there is usually a major city close by. Then we can just go to a branch of our bank and write a check. That's because our bank is nationwide and has branches in every major city. So, we don't need a debit card or a Tyme card and don't have either.[/quote']

Sorry, Norm, the banking laws are not as tight in Missouri as Wisconsin. Almost no one in Trenton or Chillicothe will take a checque. Pizza Hut, Conoco, Pamida, none of them will take a checque. I'm not driving 1/2 an hour one way just to find some one to take my checque.