Darn it - Credit Card Number swiped today.

[audreyh1]

Darn it. Some suspicious internet charges started showing up on my credit card today and the bank called me. At first I thought it was a scam call LOL because they started asking for sensitive information, but when I called back the number on my credit card, they asked the same questions and started going over the suspicious charges. Yep - none of the internet charges were mine. Wow - they picked this up fast!!

They had to close our account.

Unfortunately we are traveling for several weeks which makes it difficult to get replacement credit cards. We have to wait until we are some place for a couple of days so we can go over to the local bank branch and arrange for new cards to be overnighted. I don't know where I had read this was an option - but thank you to whomever posted that.

Fortunately, we had just recently activated new credit cards on an account that had been dormant for over a year. "Just in case" we needed a backup credit card - whew!

Now I have to go to the accounts that do recurring charges to the card and get them fixed up. In the future, I will keep those recurring charges on a separate credit card used for nothing else. Wish that had occurred to me sooner.

Audrey

[canent]

Sorry to hear that. We has the same happen to us late in teh winter...about $500 worth of charges but thank goodness the bank (CIBC) covered it all, no questions asked.

Their system was triggered by a $1 charge at Home Depot...I can't see why anyone would charge $1 there unless they were just testing the card to see if it was valid.

[Scrooge]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audreyh1 Fortunately, we had just recently activated new credit cards on an account that had been dormant for over a year.* "Just in case" we needed a backup credit card - whew!

Oh yes, a backup credit card can come in handy. If nothing else, there have been times when my main card couldn't be read by the merchant's reader, but the backup one worked fine.

Unfortunately, having your CC data stolen and/or hijacked is not that rare. At different times, I have had:

1. my wallet stolen,
2. one of my CCs physically stolen and used by the thieves,
3. another CC used on the internet to buy an expensive camera and ship to another city.

Interestingly enough, the CC company quickly identified the unauthorized charges in case #2, but not in case #3, which surprised me*

[audreyh1]

Yep - our bank's system was triggered by a $1 charge too.

The credit card fraud lady also mumbled something about European charges? I guess that also made it look suspicious. So somehow the number found it's way into some kind of "ring" I suppose.

One of the charges was around $1200! The bank had already denied two of the charges. They're working on the 3rd.

Audrey

[MJ]

The other day, I used my CC to charge 87 cents for postage at the USPO. My CC hasn't contacted me yet.

[audreyh1]

They might be watching for suspicious internet charges now! You never know!

Audrey

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vagabond The other day, I used my CC to charge 87 cents for postage at the USPO. My CC hasn't contacted me yet.

I bought a 99c churro last week on my card. Checkout guy forgot to charge me for it (gabe was eating it at the time), and without asking just put in a second charge. I'd have given him the buck...

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cute Fuzzy Bunny I bought a 99c churro last week on my card.* Checkout guy forgot to charge me for it (gabe was eating it at the time), and without asking just put in a second charge.* I'd have given him the buck...

I bet most cashiers are told to charge every purchase for the credit-card rebates-- whether it's cash or airline miles or beaver-cheese options.

I only had to use cash for a few events during a two-week vacation-- cab rides, SubWay lunches, and a meal at the Lincoln Diner in Gettysburg. And my guess is that the Lincoln Diner is unlikely to enhance their revenue by accepting credit cards.

[MJ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords I bet most cashiers are told to charge every purchase for the credit-card rebates-- whether it's cash or airline miles or beaver-cheese options.

I am assuming you mean consumers telling them, and not their management.

[spideyrdpd]

Ya cant be too careful. Theses sob;s are tricky

Scam warning for internet phone users
Criminal gangs are beginning to exploit the internet telephone network to steal bank account and credit card details, it was revealed this week. The fraud has been dubbed “vishing” because it is similar in technique to phishing, the scam that uses bogus e-mails and websites to elicit bank details from unsuspecting internet users.
The fraudsters are using cheap telephone calls through voice-over-internet protocol (VoIP) to bombard thousands of people with automated messages saying that their credit card or bank details have been used illegally. The messages implore the recipients to call a bogus number to have their details updated. When the unsuspecting victim phones the number, it is answered by a computer-generated voice that tells the caller to tap in card details and security information. By doing so, the caller gives the fraudsters all the information they need to empty the caller’s account.

Paul Henry, an executive at Secure Computing, the American internet security company that highlighted the scam, says that criminals are using VoIP because the calls are either free or very cheap. The perpetrators are also taking advantage of the banks’ own security measures. “It is a normal procedure when calling a credit card provider to be asked to enter your 16-digit credit card number before given the opportunity to speak to a representative,” he says.

[TromboneAl]

It's a bother, isn't it?

Quote:

I will keep those recurring charges on a separate credit card used for nothing else.

That separate card's number could also be compromised.* You might see if you can do this.

[Tadpole]

I never buy anything on line unless I use the "virtual" credit card. I can limit the amount that can be charged to the amount of the purchase (plus a little) and can make the number expire from existence a short while after the purchase. Also, despite Suze advice to the contrary, I have one credit card with a purchase limit within the boundaries that I could sustain a loss. I may regret this when taking out my next loan but I am trying to avoid loans anyway. Cash as you go, so to speak.