Two credit cards hacked 4 weeks apart

[mystang52]

Good news is that my credit card company (Chase) caught the fraudulent use before I did. So, kudos to their fraud/security department.
But it nevertheless is disturbing. Some 4 weeks ago my Chase Sapphire card number was hacked. Then 2 days ago my Chase Marriott card was hacked.

Same pattern both times. An online purchase attempt, then a nominal charge at a hotel. Chase claims they have no idea how this hacking happened.

I take reasonable precautions with my credit cards (including going online every day to make sure no unauthorized purchases) but I guess this is the price of technology.

[Rich]

It's been a while since I've been hacked. The credit card companies seem to have gotten better at catching fraudulent purchases. One little trick my wife and I use is to pay all eating-out costs with cash. We don't carry over CC debt anyway so there's no cost difference. Just makes me feel better!

[Tree-dweller]

Me too. I try to avoid any purchasing situation where the cc is out of my sight, like restaurants. Cash is king there, and the servers like getting the tip in cash anyway. The practice isn't going to protect me completely, but it at least lessens the likelihood of old-school shenanigans.

[KingB]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mystang52 I take reasonable precautions with my credit cards (including going online every day to make sure no unauthorized purchases) but I guess this is the price of technology.

I use the same bank as you do and I set up an alert that notifies me whenever the CC is used. The alert is fast - I get the alert almost as soon as I use it (for instance, Amazon). Or when DW goes out shopping, I can almost track where she is/was from the notification.

[Chuckanut]

Two cards in a four weeks makes me nervous and suspicious. You may want to check your credit reports for any unauthorized activity. Maybe even put a freeze on them to prevent identity theft.

[HighRoller]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuckanut Two cards in a four weeks makes me nervous and suspicious. You may want to check your credit reports for any unauthorized activity. Maybe even put a freeze on them to prevent identity theft.

+1 - I've had two cards compromised over the years too but they were 5 or 6 years apart.

[Fishingmn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rich It's been a while since I've been hacked. The credit card companies seem to have gotten better at catching fraudulent purchases. One little trick my wife and I use is to pay all eating-out costs with cash. We don't carry over CC debt anyway so there's no cost difference. Just makes me feel better!

No thanks.

Most ATM's near me charge a fee to get money and my bank is 20 miles away. Secondly, and most important, I'd rather take my chances to get the 1% cash back.

I also like having all my credit card transactions automatically download to Quicken so I can track them by category.

It's a pain in the butt but it doesn't cost you money when it happens.

[Semiretired2008]

I use WalMart preloaded cards for internet purchases - the most they can hack is what might be left loaded after I made my purchases (a few bucks at most)...

[mystang52]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuckanut Two cards in a four weeks makes me nervous and suspicious. You may want to check your credit reports for any unauthorized activity. Maybe even put a freeze on them to prevent identity theft.

Thanks; I'm mad at myself for not thinking of this! I just entered the freeze and fraud alert, and checked my credit reports. Fortunately, no strange new accounts.

[Mulligan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fishingmn No thanks. Most ATM's near me charge a fee to get money and my bank is 20 miles away. Secondly, and most important, I'd rather take my chances to get the 1% cash back. I also like having all my credit card transactions automatically download to Quicken so I can track them by category. It's a pain in the butt but it doesn't cost you money when it happens.

I use them for everything to get my cash back, too, with the exception of restaurants like previous poster. I have had my CC hacked a couple times, and it wasn't that much of a hassle. However, my debit card is in full retirement with exception of getting cash at the bank ATM.

[donheff]

I don't worry about cards. They get compromised now and then but the CC companies cover the losses. But having your credit frozen is worthwhile for peace of mind. When some neer-do-well opens credit lines in your name digging out can be a huge hassle -- or so I have read.

I do like the idea of alerts. I may set that up.