Stolen Credit Card Charges

[MasterSolenoid]

Sometimes I wonder about demographics. Where do you live?

When I got charges I didn’t make on my credit cards, I was in these places.

1. Miami FL
2. Camden NJ
3. Fort Lee, NJ

All urban metro areas

Interesting.
I'd suggest paying an "online' charge using PayPal.
That way, the Seller never sees your CC account number.

Also, every morning I check my e-mails.
The CC company will send me notifications every time my card was used (I'm not waiting for the monthly statement).

 

[alarmguy]

A bank will not be investigating anything under a few thousand dollars, it's not worth it to them. You can hand them the fraudster on a silver platter, then what do you think they will do? Nothing.
It would cost them boats loads more money to prosecute the perpetrator. I dont think anyone (including me) understands such small amounts of losses are part of everyday business.

It's why their focus is on loss prevention and secure transactions and not having a 6 figure income employee chase down and press charges on a $400 theft. Even more so, many times the store or online retailer will be forced to take the hit if the charge wasnt properly processed.

Credit cards with cash back are great. You're not responsible for any charges you did not make. If you see something you didnt charge. You notify the card company charge gets removed. There is no reason to be paranoid about fake charges because you are not responsible.

For those paranoid and not only them. Well then a digital wallet or payment system like Apple Pay secures your card number and the merchant never even knows the number when you pay. I use Apple Pay on line with greater frequency but just for convenience reasons.
Almost every purchase I make is on the internet. Since my house is all Apple, like right now on my desk top. If I buy something and they take Apple Pay. I click to pay, my Apple Watch pings my wrist...I double click on my watch, transaction done.
I dont even have to fill out my delivery address. Gotta love technology. Same thing in stores, supermarkets, click to pay with my watch or my phone. Almost annoying if the store doesnt have electronic payments yet that I have to reach into my pocket to take out a credit card.

With all the above said, it is unsettling when someone does commit this type of fraud because you never know if they have more information on you and how they got it. I had someone buy ATT cell phone service with a card some years back. Knew my name and address.
There were some key things different but I think my card company took the loss. They had my mostly proper name and address but little key tell tail stuff like "ST" instead of "AVE" and I think a last letter missing off my name. But I did wonder where they got all that.
The reason I think the CC card company took the loss because in all my years, they applied the credit as normal but they sent me an affidavit to sign that is was not me who made the charge.
Typically you just click that a charge wasnt you and it gets removed and I have had MANY charges removed. I do notice now10 to 15 years later, in what used to be a couple times a year thing for me doesn't happen anymore with bad charges. I think that is the companies have way better secure transactions.

That airline ticket is like wow!

 

[D60]

I've had a weird situation of packages shipped to my address using my credit or debit cards, but I never placed the orders.

The first time my bank wanted to refuse to help because they said "I received the merchandise." I shamed the bank president and he agreed I could bring the products to the bank and he would credit my account and work to return the merchandise (cologne and a small flat screen TV)

I'm not sure what the scammers' angle was here. Maybe they thought they were gonna porch pirate the packages, but that's a lot of work and I've never had any other package go missing. If you were casing my place, wouldn't you just wait around and steal whatever shows up?

The bank really had no idea how to handle it. But they were charges I DID NOT place and I insisted they were going to do something for me.

 

[fsdork]

...
Now, why in the world does anyone have a debit card. Even more curious, why would they use one? I think my dad told me why, because they are carrying interest on a credit card and don’t want to add to it.
...

Personally, it's to avoid handing Visa a few percent of every purchase in processing fees. Collectively, consumers pay for retailers' SG&A costs on subsequent purchases.

 

[alarmguy]

...

As a consumer, be grateful that credit cards are strongly regulated with protections in your favor. Something debit cards almost entirely lacked when they first appeared, which was part of the reason why they were pushed so hard by the banks. It's better now, but for those who have access to credit, there is still little compelling reason to use them. Why risk your money when you can risk theirs?

Dead on
1. Credit cards company can not hold you responsible for fake charges. They would have to prove you made them which if they are fake they can not. This almost just simple rule of law. They cant put charges on your account that you did not make.

2. Debit cards are YOUR checking account. YOUR chosen PIN. Your pin was used to take money out of your checking account to pay for something. Big difference. True many banks if not all will reverse charges now but in reality you can be held to prove you did not make them. IN the mean time your money can be frozen.

 

[Pablo]

I've mentioned how this happens. Pretty much everyone poo-pooed me. So yeah it happens.

Even with a card issued to you, never used and put in your safe or frozen in water in your freezer.

 

[alarmguy]

I've had a weird situation of packages shipped to my address using my credit or debit cards, but I never placed the orders.

The first time my bank wanted to refuse to help because they said "I received the merchandise." I shamed the bank president and he agreed I could bring the products to the bank and he would credit my account and work to return the merchandise (cologne and a small flat screen TV)

I'm not sure what the scammers' angle was here. Maybe they thought they were gonna porch pirate the packages, but that's a lot of work and I've never had any other package go missing. If you were casing my place, wouldn't you just wait around and steal whatever shows up?

The bank really had no idea how to handle it. But they were charges I DID NOT place and I insisted they were going to do something for me.

You can only assume a bank first thought would be someone in your household used your card to buy something. Im not saying this is the case but you cant bet it happens all the time.

 

[alarmguy]

...

Now, why in the world does anyone have a debit card. Even more curious, why would they use one? I think my dad told me why, because they are carrying interest on a credit card and don’t want to add to it.
...

Yup, agree. I have ONE and only one use for my debit card. All my banking is internet based, so in the unlikely event I need cash for something, the only way for me to get it is at an ATM. It is rare. I swear a hundred dollars can sit in my wallet for 6 months untouched *LOL* The only time I ever use it is if a super nice waiter or waitress and I want to leave a cash tip instead of on the credit card.

 

[Leo99]

I've been hacked three times. Once at a gun store. I had a credit card that I never used and decided to try it out at a gun store. It took a few tries to for the payment to go through and within 30 minutes after leaving the store, I was receiving a call from the fraud department. I called the gun store to let them know and they got very defensive.

The second time was a different credit card that was used to purchase $34 worth of take out food in the Netherlands. Something akin to Doordash. That was a funny conversation with the fraud department. Uh, no I did not order food delivery in Utrecht.

The third time was right out of my checking account for plane tickets and an Apple computer. In the end, everything worked out in my favor but I was very surprised how the banks just didn't seem to care about catching the criminals.

 

[KrisZ]

I wonder how the CC info was stolen. Did you make any online transactions with it recently? Small stores or gas stations? They often have skimmers on the readers. So that's a possibility.

 

[alarmguy]

I wonder how the CC info was stolen. Did you make any online transactions with it recently? Small stores or gas stations? They often have skimmers on the readers. So that's a possibility.

Likely restaurants too
But as posted, who cares? I dont, just remember not to use debit cards
Credit cards you never need be concerned about owing anything.

@Leo99 A long time back I too was surprised how banks are not concerned about going after fraud. Too expensive I learned, they focus on security and secure transactions before fraud takes place.

Also what the general public thinks is a lot of money is not, I suspect if the fraud on any one card reaches the tens of thousands or more is a different story. Yes, people carry those credit lines as well as unlimited credit lines.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Yup, agree. I have ONE and only one use for my debit card. All my banking is internet based, so in the unlikely event I need cash for something, the only way for me to get it is at an ATM. It is rare. I swear a hundred dollars can sit in my wallet for 6 months untouched *LOL* The only time I ever use it is if a super nice waiter or waitress and I want to leave a cash tip instead of on the credit card.

BoA give me a "ATM" card still. It only works at instant tellers. There is no Credit card function and can't be used in stores.

Every few years they send me a debit card instead. I call and chastise them. they cancel it and send me another ATM card. I am probably the only one left.

 

[KrisZ]

Likely restaurants too
But as posted, who cares? I dont, just remember not to use debit cards
Credit cards you never need be concerned about owing anything.

@Leo99 A long time back I too was surprised how banks are not concerned about going after fraud. Too expensive I learned, they focus on security and secure transactions before fraud takes place.

Also what the general public thinks is a lot of money is not, I suspect if the fraud on any one card reaches the tens of thousands or more is a different story. Yes, people carry those credit lines as well as unlimited credit lines.

I care about the method, not the money, as I know the money part is covered by the CC issuer.
If it was just a skimmer with no PIN entry, then the risk quite minimal. But if the info was obtained during an online transaction, then a lot more personal info was also obtained. So the risk of more serious fraud is more likely as well.

 

[opus1]

My card(s) were hacked 6-7 years ago. I have a pretty good idea it happened at a retailer's online site because I'd used two cards to make purchases and both were hacked. One of them I was able to clear up fairly quickly; got a couple of "did you make this charge?" texts, answered "no" and after the second replacement was issued, things quieted down.

The other card, though, was a hassle for almost 3 years. I found out it was hacked due to an e-mail I read on the train ride home thanking me for changing my address. I got home, signed onto the account and found out that I moved to Georgia. Talked to the rep and they insisted that someone called that morning with enough info, including my SS#, to convince them that it was me. I don't get that because I know I didn't use my SS# on the retailer's site, but who knows if what she said was legit. Long story short, I talked to the fraud department next, jumped though all the hoops, and a new card was issued. Three months later, I received a text at 12.30AM asking if I made a charge for an Xfinity bill; I replied "no", and fraud department and I talked the next day, and a new card was issued. I made it a point to not use that card online, and sparingly otherwise, and, like clockwork, every 3 months I'd get a text about an Xfinity bill, and the cycle would start over. This finally ended when I was talking to the fraud department rep and said that I'm not telling them how to do their job, but they can pull up my history and see how little I use the card, that I don't use it online, and that I had to wonder if there wasn't something going on internally there.

I think I went almost 9 months before the next fraud alert text came, and since then, thankfully, the card has been safe.

 

[Nick1994]

Sometimes I wonder about demographics. Where do you live?

When I got charges I didn’t make on my credit cards, I was in these places.

1. Miami FL
2. Camden NJ
3. Fort Lee, NJ

All urban metro areas

One being a credit union, I had to return a notarized affidavit as it was 5 figures.

The other charges were 4 figures. It does in fact irritate me to know, the people who made the charges got away with it.

They happened before the days where one can pay a restaurant check via QR code, or is handed a terminal to pay. Remember the days when the wait staff left with the Cc and came back 10 minutes later?

I'm in Phoenix. But just this year I've traveled to LA a couple times, Seattle, The Netherlands, and France.

 

[DemoFly]

I have seen people turned around several times by TSA for having a boarding pass that doesn’t match their ID, usually a simple spelling mistake, but I’ve watched people get turned around.

US airports have CAT and CAT-2. I haven't presented a boarding pass in at least 4 years. You are also now allowed to pass through security without a scheduled flight.

 

[PWMDMD]

US airports have CAT and CAT-2. I haven't presented a boarding pass in at least 4 years. You are also now allowed to pass through security without a scheduled flight.

Groovy…yet, I've watched it happen, relatively recently. I remember it because I was behind these people and annoyed.

 

[John105]

Interesting.
I'd suggest paying an "online' charge using PayPal.
That way, the Seller never sees your CC account number.

Also, every morning I check my e-mails.
The CC company will send me notifications every time my card was used (I'm not waiting for the monthly statement).

Yes! I do that today. These incidents go back to 2005–Miami was a business trip, and a restaurant. A fateful one—my heart was set on a 2007 G35S manual. But I saw a new 2007 E93 335 on the A1A, and ended up ordering a E92.

Camden and Fort Lee, were both gas stations.

NJ is still full service. If anybody notices, Costco’s procedure is to tap, and immediately hand back credit cards. I think since I don’t use the costco visa to pay, they have to insert (I believe tap signifies this is membership and payment, where as inserting has the option for alternate payment).

Another fraud? Sketchy websites which display Apple Pay etc logos, but when clicked they don’t work. RED FLAG!!!

My bad. I bought stamps from a website selling them discount (I didn’t know this is not allowed other than costco cvs etc), and I thought it was the usps. Charges were to a Hong Kong co. But I got the stamps and they work.

The older I get, imho the more susceptible to fraud…

 

[opus1]

Interesting.
I'd suggest paying an "online' charge using PayPal.
That way, the Seller never sees your CC account number.

Also, every morning I check my e-mails.
The CC company will send me notifications every time my card was used (I'm not waiting for the monthly statement).

These too. I had another card get hacked at an online vendor but around the time the thieves started to use it, an e-mail blast went out from the retailer that they'd been hacked and to make sure to watch our accounts for unusual charges. Got a new card and with that vendor, I only use PayPal now.

I've got my cards set to alert me for everything; charges over a certain amount, charges outside of the US, refunds, etc.

 

[JHZR2]

There's nothing that can't be faked on an apple ID and there's nothing that can't be faked when purchasing a plane ticket. They are just going to charge it back and issue you a new card. All you need to buy a plane ticket is a fake name, address, phone number and email. Then you pay with a stolen credit card.

TSA doesn't even look at your boarding pass. They don't care about that ticket at all. TSA makes sure you have valid ID and puts you through detectors and bag scan so you can get on the other side of "the wall". When you board the plane, you scan your boarding pass and they don't even look at your ID.

Name on that valid ID needs to match, right?

I suspect that folks living in certain metro areas where they know there will be no prosecution do this because… why not? The money that got the DA in their job is also pushing the “stick it to the haves” philosophy… despite coming from $Billionaires.

Wacky times.