Credit card fraud

[kcowan]

But I don't think you want to use a credit card at an ATM as cash advances generate high fees and interest charges...

I am assuming that their technology would be the same on their merchant readers. Also if you keep a credit balance on the CC, then the fees are comparable to debit cards: 2.5% FX fee but no Plus fee. I found that this was necessary in Turkey and Switzerland. Croatia was no problem for Canadian Interac/Plus. Amazon Visa does not charge the 2.5%. YMMV

 

[Chuckanut]

Apparently the PF Chang's breach of security started in September of 2013 according to Krebs. If he is right the bad guys were getting credit card information for about nine months.

Also, according to Krebs, PF Chang's has recently switched back to the old knuckle buster credit card imprinters that make a carbon copy of the transaction. Can Anybody Verify This?

 

[Chuckanut]

Here's an interesting interview with Brian Krebs, the guy who blew the whistle on the Target credit card breach.

brian krebs : NPR

 

[Chuckanut]

It looks like another CC fraud problem. Same old, same old.

Report: Home Depot Victim Of Same Malware Used In Target Hack – Consumerist

 

[ziggy29]

Yeah. I like the 1-2% cash back and the convenience of using plastic (paying off each month, of course), but it's getting old. I don't really worry that I'll be on the hook for fraudulent uses, but the inconvenience of dealing with new card numbers each time you are compromised can suck, especially if you are on autopay plans.

A few months ago, church council authorized for DW to get a debit card for church purchases instead of dealing with buying stuff on our own cards, keeping receipts and waiting for reimbursements.

A few weeks ago her card got compromised somewhere, presumably at some merchant, and after that the council decided to just cancel the card and do it the old way. We do get 1-2% cash back as "free money" but the reimbursement is a hassle. Still, the problem is that the banks won't issue a credit card to an organization unless someone signs for personal financial responsibility, which no one wanted to do. So it was debit or nothing.

But now we're back to keeping receipts, batching them up and getting a reimbursement check from the treasurer every month or two.

 

[mpeirce]

I think we'll solve this problem in the next few years.

Since we "all" (I know, it's not 100%, still...) carry around smart phones that have handy little cryptographic computers built into them, we'll end up using these handy devices to generate one-of encrypted tokens to make a "credit card" transaction. It'll be more convenient than chip cards and way more secure too.

I expect we'll know more about how this might all work tomorrow...

 

[BellBarbara]

We just found unauthorized charges on my hub's card - he uses it at Home Depot. So he called and they canceled the card. He was able to stop 2 of the 3 "orders" by calling the vendors and telling them it was fraud.

 

[meierlde]

My shell master card asks for a zip code except when I am in my home town. Since the town has just one zip code, it would be an obvious guess so no point in asking.

 

[Sue J]

Not related to Home Depot but last month I got a fraud alert call on my Dad's charge card. I'm his POA and I had put my phone number in his profile as the contact number since he doesn't answer his phone. My sister is an authorized signer so that she can buy him things that his assisted living facility doesn't provide. But the fraud alert people would not talk to me because I had never sent in the POA papers, I had just been monitoring his account online and paying the bill.

This was a big hassle because they wanted the POA papers faxed in before they would talk to me. I told them I don't have a fax, can't I email them in? No they must be faxed. I finally got them to give me a mailing address and I snail mailed them in and after about 2 weeks it all got processed and they would talk to me. In the meantime my sister had to pay for Dad's things herself and I would reimburse her. I kept checking the account online and no transactions showed up but the billing address was changed from my home address to an address in Las Vegas, NV. Very weird.

It was all resolved by closing the account and getting new cards issued. Big hassle and I never did find out what caused the fraud alert.

 

[Chuckanut]

I have had the same card reissued to me twice this year with a new account number due to criminals stealing my CC information from stores I did business with.

Today, I get an e-mail from Home Depot telling me:

The Home Depot has discovered that a file containing your email address may have been taken during the payment card breach we announced in September.

The email salutation was to "Valued Customer" and it was signed by "The Home Depot".

 

[imoldernu]

On the Home Depot... just once in the past 5 years, for an $8 purchase, and I was also on the emailing list... Don't even remember giving my Email address.

Solution? Chip in the arm.

 

[FireBug]

Helpful hint (not sure if previously mentioned) But BofA (and others may as well) let you generate pseudo credit card numbers. Example: you say, create a new number for me. It generates a new cc number. You pick the ex date and the credit limit ($100?). It provides you with the 3 digit security code as well. You can create many of them.

I use them for all my online purchases and phone orders when dealing with any non-major web site. If I need a part for an appliance or some such, I use those numbers.... using a card that expires in a month and has a $50 credit limit on it. The numbers are associated with your main CC and when the charge comes in, it gets posted to my main card.

I also have my card setup for 'alerts'.....I get text messages for charges over xx.xx amt, online/phone orders, international charges etc.... At BofA, search on (I think) 'Safe Shop'

 

[Rustic23]

I have only two cards. One a fairly low limit, and the other a fairly high limit. My original plan was to use the low limit card as an emergency card. After having the high limit card cloned, replaced for Target, replaced for Home depot, I changed my plan.

I put all my recurring charges on the low limit card. Utilities, Phone, etc. Things that are paid periodically. Everything else goes on the big card. Now when, and if the primary card is cloned, I don't have to go back to Dish, Amazon and the rest of regular payments.

 

[Chuckanut]

Helpful hint (not sure if previously mentioned) But BofA (and others may as well) let you generate pseudo credit card numbers. Example: you say, create a new number for me. It generates a new cc number. You pick the ex date and the credit limit ($100?). It provides you with the 3 digit security code as well. You can create many of them.

That's a good point FireBug. I believe that Discover lets one do the same thing.

However, it would not have helped me since to the best of my knowledge, my information was stolen at stores where I was physically present and my card was swiped. Not so good. We worry so much about giving information out on the Internet, but it seems more hazardous to have one's card swiped at a store.

 

[FireBug]

What we need to do is go back to the 'barter' system.