Visa charge cancelled

[gayl]

I'm with USAA and I almost just absorbed the lost as it was minor ($20) but then I got angry with whoever they are for scamming me. Here's what set me off:

I needed eTAs for both Australia and New Zealand so I went online to get them. NZ was instantly. The other site was represented as Australian Gov't so I requested eTA. Got an email to call immediately regarding any concerns but the phone number (310-694-0338) isn't a working number. Then I looked up the physical address and it's wrong. So I tried to stop the charge but USAA said I had to dispute it once it was "processed." Hours later I got an email stating "Australian High Council" issued eTA "7799956415606." So I went onto the Australia Gov't Department of Home Affairs website who stated that number is not valid but my REAL number is still valid. Reported following issues to USAA:
1. Not valid phone number / address
2. Wrong title for Australian eTA processing office
3. Payments to Australian gov't are in AUD not USD

Stating there's NO WAY this is anything but a scam. I blocked my cc# immediately to prevent additional fraudulent charges and ordered a new card the next day

Also notified the US State Dept but they said that they cannot do anything with just my passport # as passports are chipped. Confirmed that I 'may want' a new CC#

Took USAA less than a day to reverse the charges.

Love my bank!

 

[ziggy29]

Wow. I can't imagine too many scammers bothering to commit fraud for only $20, but I guess that as you said, they hope enough people won't dispute a charge that small.

 

[brett]

I caught a $2 fraudulent charge on my credit card. Called the credit card folks who put me through to their fraud dept.

I was told that a small charge like this is par for the course. The check to see that the card is indeed good. Had the charges reversed. Not an issue.

The BIG issue is, as always, cancellation of the card, getting a replacement, and notifying all the vendors who post automatically to the card.

 

[Buckeye]

Recently I was notified of $1 charge processing. Called CC company immediately to cancel and replace card. I think they said it looked like someone starting an Amazon Prime membership. The first month is free but then the card will be charged. Amazon tests the card with a $1 test charge.

 

[bolt]

Wow. I can't imagine too many scammers bothering to commit fraud for only $20, but I guess that as you said, they hope enough people won't dispute a charge that small.

Thats how it's often accomplished. Over and over.
.10 here,... .20 there, it all adds up!

Best wishes,....

 

[HI Bill]

Always dispute fraudulent charges. Always record the tip amount you include at restaurants on your CC. I've had a number of instances where the sever adds $1 or $2 to the tip I added, hoping that I wouldn't notice/care. I let it slide a couple of times, but now I record the tip amount with every transaction.

My wife was 'scammed' into buying what she thought was a famous water bottle brand bottle. It was shipped direct from China, and was a very good fake, but the paint didn't match the name brand's paint job, and the bottle smelled terrible inside. We went through several rounds with Citi Bank, took photos, sent an affidavit, but eventually, they refunded the charge, without us having to send the bottles back. We are more careful now.

 

[bobandsherry]

Wow. I can't imagine too many scammers bothering to commit fraud for only $20, but I guess that as you said, they hope enough people won't dispute a charge that small.

Scammers test a card, usually small amount of a buck, verifies that card works. But may try a larger amount, but still small enough to not trigger any fraud warning. Fraud is tracking the small $1 charges, so scammers now doing something different to work around the rules that might trigger fraud warning.