Fraud

Azeeza

New member
My credit card company called me this morning to ask about a purchase made today in the amount of $330.81 in Florida. I'm no where near Florida. It was used in a Publix store.

Of course now my credit card is frozen and I'll have to use cash, check, or debit card until my new card arrives in about two weeks. I'll have to update changes to my online accounts. Thank heaven I only have a few.

How on earth does someone clear across the country or planet get a hold of someone's credit card number and use it in a fairly large store? I'm hoping this is the only time my card was used fraudulently. Since my statement will be coming mid month, I'll wait to see if there was any other odd activity on it.

Azeeza
 

Eshta

New member
Oh yeah, had that one! They noticed when I used my card in London within 10 minutes of apparently using it within Sri Lanka :shok:!

Apparently they clone the card when you use it in a card reader, and then send the details electronically to their partners, wherever they might be, where they manufacture your card.

I have to give my bank credit for being on the ball & they restored my bank balance with little fuss within a week.

Pity though that now every time I (god forbid) leave the country :shok::shok::shok::shok: they block my card!!! Calling before I go makes no difference. There's always a day when I have no access to cash and a hugely expensive phone call :rolleyes:

Can't win!
 

Azeeza

New member
Eshta:

What company would collect your info from a reader? Do you think it could be from one of those gadgets where you sign on the LCD screen? I think my grocery store has those.

Strange because my husband just used his card at our local grocery store about 30 minutes before we received the phone call and it must have tipped off our cc company that the card was being used in two different states several thousands of miles away from each other.

Whenever we leave to go on vacation and plan on using our cards often, my husband does call our cc company to let them know and we usually don't have any trouble.

I suppose your company may have been monitoring your spending and being in London and Sri Lanka at nearly the same time was clue that you were a victim of fraud.

Yes, I agree with you in regards to the companies really being on top of things. Now, it's got me wondering if there are any other fraudulent charges on my card.

I'm really bummed because I'm going to a workshop this weekend and there are going to be vendors there and I want to use my card for any large purchases. I hate the debit card and I don't want to carry a lot of cash with me. I guess it'll have to be the forever filling out of the check from the checkbook.

Azeeza
 

Salome

Administrator
There was some expose on dateline or one of those shows recently where they did a piece on it. Apparently many culprits are the gas station attendents, waiters etc. that scan the info and sell it. So that's pretty tough to avoid if you can't trust the staff of the business you patronize.
 

Reen.Blom

New member
Obviously there even exists a little hand-held device that can be hidden in one's sleeve- someone holds your card several seconds and poof its cloned.... it could have been a small store or even a restaurant... geez and they keep on telling you credit cards are safer....
 

Eshta

New member
Aw Azeeza honey, it's really not much fun, I really feel for you.

Apparently there are lots of ways they can do it (Salome, it looks like mine was cloned in a petrol station, grrr :mad:), and you wouldn't know unfortunately. They can attach devices to the normal card readers, some have hidden cameras to read your pin number, sadly the only safe way to use your card is to...er, not use it...

It did put me off using my card for a long time. It was really good for my financial situation as well as I am really bad at spending crazily on my credit card, realising the damage I've done and then spending months living frugally :)(am currently in the frugal stage:() to make up for it. But as long as you take sensible precautions and report anything you think is suspicious you should be ok.

When I phoned up my bank from Egypt SPITTING with rage that they'd blocked my card, the chappy told me it was all automated and calling up in advance does diddly. They might put a note on your records but the computer will still put a stop on anything they find suspicious. In my experience, "suspicious" involves going to countries with non-white natives...:rolleyes:
 

Eshta

New member
Oh and on a positive note, if it's meant to be costume-wise it's meant to be! I deliberately didn't take money to a festival for fear of succumbing to the sequins, and yet I saw the most beautiful costume & regretted not having the money, Lucy for me the stall owner was sympathetic & let me have the costume & transfer the cash :D!

Actually it's the costume in my avatar!
 

Kharmine

New member
Sorry to hear about your illness, KN -- hope you are getting lots of rest and good chicken soup.

My mother-in-law had her credit card number copied at a Chinese restaurant. Fortunately, she lives in a small town so her her bank's manager simply called and said, "Flo, you're not actually buying exotic automotive car parts in California, are you?"

I've run into this a couple of times myself, and am grateful that so many banks are vigilent about spotting anything unusual.
 

Dev

New member
All those credit card frauds . C/card info is not that easy to obtain . Sometimes we are little bit careless and make it easy by leaving the reciept at the ATM machine and things like that, But overall credit cards are quite sophisticated.Using credit cards in social networking site could be fatal, eg -downloading music from facebook etc.

Dear Azeeza hopefully your bank will sort out the problem without it being too complicated.

While this discussion is about C/Card the advert below the thread showing some C/card advertisement. Clever Google adword.
 
Last edited:
Top