Someone just stole my credit card#

[hlweyl]

Hey all, just received a call from my visa company and they told me someone just tried to charge over $9000 to a motorcycle company in Denmark and there also a bogus $400 charge to gomotorcycle.com. This is the first time something like this has happened to me so I'm not really sure how the charges/investigation is handled although I'm sure this happens all the time now.

The only thing I've charged recently is a Helm manual for my Odyssey. But I guess anyone who works for a company that I have done business with in the past could have taken the number and held it for a while before using it.

Has this ever happened to any of you? If so, how was it resolved.

Thx and have a happy easter

 

[dynatac]

Wow. Sorry to hear that.
I've lost a few cards in my time, but been fortunate that nothing like this has ever happened.

I believe that in cases like this though, you are only liable for the first 50 dollars of fraudulent charges.

Hope this gets resolved quickly and good luck!

 

[DocL]

...Has this ever happened to any of you? If so, how was it resolved.

Thx and have a happy easter

A few years ago I got a call from a credit card company asking me if I just purchased five computers and six first class airplane tickets. When I said no, they asked for permission to prosecute the person who was using my card number. It happened to be that they were at a travel agent and the travel agent called the credit card company who then called me as the transaction was taking place. The only time that I had used that particular card was at a resturant two weeks prior so I knew the charges on it for that month.

Out of all the years that I've been using credit cards, and with the online purchasing that I now do, that was the only time I ever had a fradulant charge.

I didn't have to pay anything by the way. Don't worry, this happens all the time and that's why the cc companies call you if they think something is suspicous.

 

[nsxtasy]

As mentioned above, the maximum for which you are liable (by law) is $50 and the credit card companies will often waive even this amount, particularly if you're cooperative with them.

They probably already advised you to cancel your card account and throw away the card, and they'll send you a new one with a different number. Follow any other advice they give you.

Other tips to avoid incurring this in the future:

1. Don't leave your credit cards in view of others.

2. Only enter your credit card number on a secure website (you'll see the little "lock" icon at the bottom of your screen in Internet Explorer).

3. Never include your credit card number in an e-mail.

4. Thoroughly rip up any unused charge card slips with your credit card number on them (like if a store makes a mistake).

5. Shred your credit card statements before putting them in the garbage.

6. Use a router or a firewall so that your computer information isn't available to hackers.

7. Don't reply to e-mails that appear to be from ISPs and other companies that ask you to enter your credit card information. If you store your credit card number with any company (like a place you order merchandise from over the internet), and you see what looks like an e-mail from them asking you for your credit card number, go into their website by typing in their web address - DON'T click on a link in an e-mail. (I've received a bunch of fraudulent e-mails that look so very much like they came from my ISP, but didn't.)

I'm sure other folks here can give you more tips.

 

[PHOEN$X]

I hope they catch the perp, but unfortunately I think this type of crime is low priority for a lot of law enforcement agencies, and the costs (even if initially absorbed by the credit card issuers) are eventually passed on to consumers.

BTW here's an interesting article related to the topic from PC World:

The Credit Card Fraud That Would Not Die
Replacing a stolen card with a new one fails to stop suspicious activity on one AOL account.

Andrew Brandt
From the May 2004 issue of PC World magazine
Posted Wednesday, March 24, 2004

When Jonathan Kamens of Boston got a phone call from American Express about suspicious activity on his credit card, he immediately canceled the card and had the company issue him a new number. But as he learned weeks later, that wasn't enough to put an end to the fraudulent charges.

Kamens discovered that American Express--without telling him--had sent the replacement number directly to America Online. The person who had stolen Kamens's old Amex number had used it to open two AOL accounts with automatic billing, and as a result the thief got automatic use of Kamens's new card, too. Even after getting a new card, Kamens was still paying for the bogus accounts.

"I was dismayed to learn that they would give my [replacement] card number to a merchant after I'd reported [the original] stolen," Kamens said. "That seemed ludicrous to me."

AOL spokesperson Nicholas Graham says the company has put a block on the use of Kamens's American Express number so that it can't be used to create new accounts. AOL has also refunded the charges incurred by the fraudulent accounts, and shut them down.

According to American Express spokesperson Desiree C. Fish, the company has had "a program in place [for several years] where we do this with a few select merchants [including AOL] for recurring billing customers." The company declined to tell me the names of the other businesses involved in the program, or even to give the number of merchants included.

Don't count on American Express to tell you, either: It is the merchant's job to alert cardmembers that the merchant may receive updated information about the cardmember's account, Fish says. In AOL's case, the paragraph that informs customers is buried in the terms of service. Fish says that her company is looking at ways to "strengthen the ... notification requirement."

In fact, the policy seems to be unknown even to some American Express employees. After he discovered that the thief's AOL accounts were on his new Amex bill, Kamens called American Express to complain. He says the person he talked to "categorically denied" that the card company ever provided merchants with updated numbers.

Think you can avoid this kind of problem by avoiding American Express? Think again. MasterCard and Visa's Account Updater program allows companies that you have recurring bills with to get your new credit card number if your old card expires or if you cancel it and obtain a new card. In all three cases, however, you can opt out of the programs by calling customer service.

 

[RP-Motorsports]

My parents went to South Beach last year, and gave their card to the waiter to pay for the bill. Five minutes later he comes out with the receipts, but no card. He at first said that he gave it back already, then he didn't know where it went Nothing like being on vacation with one credit card, and having to cancel it on day one due to irresponsible staff!!

I have also been called to verify large purchases, but guess what, THEY were made by me.

 

[gheba_nsx]

It happened to me 2 years ago, I found three transactions on my CC of 19.95$ each that had "www. ... .com" as description (do not remember the name of the website) with home in Arizona.

I called the CC company, the deleted the transactions and they sent me a brand new CC/with number. I never paid 1ct...

This out of the hundreds transactions I did with my CC over the internet, so in reality I cannot complain.

 

[Kaz]

I had my CC stolen twice. Once was in Hawaii.. the guys broke into the car and stole everything inside. They went around the island and charged up $2100 worth of gas. Probably traded the gas for cash. Filed a police report and contacted the CC company and didn't have to pay a dime, but I never found out how that one was wrapped up. The Credit card compay probably just ate the loss.

Second time I think the guys used a random CC# generator, because out of the blue I get a call from the CC company asking if I had bought $700 worth of stuff on Amazon.com. The stuff was mailed to some place in TX and I was in GA at the time. In that case I think Amazon had to eat the bill because the they approved it with out properly verifying the exp date or so the letter from the CC said.

Anyway wouldn't worry about it too much. The average CC user is pretty well protected against theft of a CC. Infact I think you have 30 days to even notify the CC company that your card was stolen.

 

[KGP]

Infact I think you have 30 days to even notify the CC company that your card was stolen.
Transactions appearing on your statement that you did not authorize allows much more than 30 days to chargeback, even by MC/Visa rules. Beyond that, there are state laws that protect the consumer further.

The Credit card compay probably just ate the loss.
Most likely not, but possible. More likely is that the amounts were charged-back to the merchants involved, simply debiting back those funds. With that said, a portion of the interchange fees paid by the merchants go towards inherant risks within the network. Losses by the credit card company (aquiring bank or processor/ISO capable of self underwriting) are more typically due to a merchant company going out of business or mass fraudulent activity by the merchant themselves.

4. Thoroughly rip up any unused charge card slips with your credit card number on them
There are new rules in place that are forcing brick and mortor merchants to use credit card terminals that truncate all but the last 4 digits of receipts printed, but changing each and every machine out takes time. Any time you are handed a receipt, look to see if the number is truncated. If it is, no worries. If it's not, tear it up in a way that it can't be pieced back together before throwing it away. Fraud from receipts that are not truncated is huge.

Second time I think the guys used a random CC# generator...
Internet and card not present merchats (telephone order) who ask for CVV2 verification pay less in fees, as this reduces risk, assuring that the purchaser actually has the card in hand.

and the costs (even if initially absorbed by the credit card issuers) are eventually passed on to consumers.
I guess you could look at it like that, but it's true of all payment vehicles, including cold hard cash. Even printing money has risks, and in fact has costs not present to credit cards, i.e., circulation life. The average bill is in circulation for only a few months and costs $.08 each, which has to be passed on to... you guessed it - consumers.

Shred your credit card statements before putting them in the garbage.
Good advice, and I have been too lazy to follow it.

A few other notes:
1. Credit card transactions are extreemy safe for consumers because of the rules in place. If you ever have an issue:
A) Contact the merchant first (if you simply can't recall the transaction). Many times a charge might have a description you are not familiar with, but is actually a legit charge.
B) If you feel a charge on your statement was not authorized by you, then contact the issuing bank. They will charge-back the transaction. The issuing bank has no motivation (fiscally) to see that the charge remains, as they work on your behalf.

2. Never, ever purchase something from a website via credit card that does not have a secure socket connection.