credit card fraud - any ideas?

[04SE]

I got a call today that my card had been used in Williamsport, TN. Mastercard and my account show a $6.13 charge to 'Worth House' what ever that is.

They obviously knew it was fraud as they cancelled the card before they called me. They lady at the card service company was great to deal with and had a sense of humor.

I can't find anything on Worth House via Google, any ideas?

No clue how/when my card # was stolen, I still have the card, it wasn't lost or anything.

First time I was glad that I answered a phone # I didn't recognize!

 

[Sayjac]

Didn't CC rep say new card on the way after you confirmed not a charge by you and card cancelled?

It's happened to me before, CC canceled, new card with new number sent. Then they may send a form confirming charge not yours that you return. That's it. At least how it's worked IME.

 

[fdcg27]

We've gotten such calls for card companies in the past.
How the thieves got hold of our card numbers I have no idea, but they did and the issuers had sophisticated enough algorithms to flag this activity.
Their liability, of course.
A typical call might ask whether we were in Texas, to which I'd reply that we weren't, so we couldn't have been charging things at Texas eateries or gas stations using a cloned card.
This is also the reason that it's a good idea to tell your card issuer when you are traveling, since to have a card declined for suspicious activity would be rather embarrassing.
I've had this happen once.

 

[oil_film_movies]

Happened to me several times a few years ago. (No fraud for 1 year now though, good.)
In Las Vegas, I strongly suspect it was a hotel check-in clerk, since that was about the only place I used that card, and they had my address too just like any hotel would.
Other times I think a waiter might have taken the number or scanned it when they process your card for food purchases.

Last year Discover Card told me someone with a physical "clone" copy of my card attempted to buy a gift card at a Sam's Club 70 miles away. Sam's Club was allowing it even though the Sam's Club membership card name did not match the fake cloned Discover card name on it. Discovercard was the one that didn't allow the gift card purchase. There are clone copy-card makers out there. With the embedded chip, that has now closed that avenue for the goofy fakers.

 

[CKN]

This happens frequently-there is no telling how number was stolen. No long term issues for you-your not liable.

Move on.

 

[oil_film_movies]

With the chip, you might not even have to cancel a card these days if someone used your number somewhere.
Think about it: They can't use it for online shipped purchases since your billing address must match the shipping address, I think!!!!????

 

[SatinSilver]

As mentioned if the card ever left your sight then it could have been cloned. Such as a restaurant, etc...

I would think they would cancel the current card and send you a new one.

 

[Blinker]

If it makes you feel better, I once exchanged a debit card at my bank because it was cracked and I wanted a new one. The bank teller gave me a replacement card with a different number and linked it to my account.

The next day my old debit card was being used (physically swiped) for random purchases.

Long story short the bank teller kept my old card to make fraudulent purchases. Customer service said the card was never deactivated and all that the bank teller did was add a second debit card to the account This with a BIG national bank.

 

[SatinSilver]

Originally Posted By: oil_film_movies
They can't use it for online shipped purchases since your billing address must match the shipping address, I think!!!!????


I just made a $200 purchase for four Nokian eNTYRES on Amazon where the billing and shipping address didn't match. Should arrive Monday.

 

[oil_film_movies]

Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
I just made a $200 purchase for four Nokian eNTYRES on Amazon where the billing and shipping address didn't match. Should arrive Monday.
..... with a stolen card?

They at least must match your name, and in case of Amazon, your Amazon membership name, with the name on the card.
I'll bet they won't allow you to ship to a different address unless you have a history of stuff shipped to your home address.

Let's say you stole or copied, front and back, the numbers on a card. Say you're a hotel clerk and you copied the home address too.
Say you now set up an Amazon account in the stolen name, with the stolen card & address.
At this point, Amazon only knows you are a new Amazon account holder, not a faker, if the card you stole's real owner wasn't already an Amazon user that is.
Your first order you say "I want to ship to another address." Amazon's fraud algorithms would be flashing red, and your credit card company would call or text the genuine card holder and ask them if this is really you..... they caught you.

Sorry SatinSilver, if that is your real name, NO NOkians for you.

 

[04SE]

Originally Posted By: Sayjac
Didn't CC rep say new card on the way after you confirmed not a charge by you and card cancelled?


Yep, new card in 7-10 days.

Originally Posted By: oil_film_movies
With the chip, you might not even have to cancel a card these days if someone used your number somewhere.
Think about it: They can't use it for online shipped purchases since your billing address must match the shipping address, I think!!!!????


That is the crazy part, this is a chipped card.

 

[Rolla07]

Originally Posted By: oil_film_movies
With the chip, you might not even have to cancel a card these days if someone used your number somewhere.
Think about it: They can't use it for online shipped purchases since your billing address must match the shipping address, I think!!!!????


Depends where you buy stuff, it doesnt always work like that. I placed a WM order in the USA and put my hotels address as billing addy and it processed...so I wouldnt rely on it

 

[L_Sludger]

When it comes to verifying information beyond the basic CC card, the pertinent part of an address is the ZIP code. You could write 986 Donald Duck Drive as long as the ZIP code is correct.

 

[oil_film_movies]

Originally Posted By: 04SE
That is the crazy part, this is a chipped card.

Thought I heard its the merchant's liability if they process a card without reading the chip.
Card companies like that since they don't eat every fraud purchase.
Consumers are good either way, I never paid for those instances in the past.

 

[oil_film_movies]

Discovercard has gotten so paranoid. If I go outside of my usual geography, they stop the card and call me. A thief would need to be local.

 

[DdDd]

There are so many loopholes for fraud I wouldn't even sweat it.

One ANNOYING new avenue is merchants building consumer profiles and selling the info. Yep, your card is tied to that. Then they get hacked because they're idiots not banks. Home Depot just had to amass such a database and off course they used the lowest bidder for IT...

 

[L_Sludger]

Originally Posted By: DdDd
There are so many loopholes for fraud I wouldn't even sweat it.

One ANNOYING new avenue is merchants building consumer profiles and selling the info. Yep, your card is tied to that. Then they get hacked because they're idiots not banks. Home Depot just had to amass such a database and off course they used the lowest bidder for IT...
I remember pointing out my displeasure with this practice and someone else who shall remain nameless (I forgot his name, that's why) told me that I'm paranoid. Something also to do with tinfoil I believe. A suppository might also have been mentioned.

 

[Panzerman]

The fraud people also call you, not just the credit card company. I would call the number on the back of my card to assure it actually was them. Anytime they are fishing for info it's usually a scam.
I had my bank ( wasn't really my bank) call and say I didn't have enough money to cover a automatic debit and would I like to connect my account to another to avoid a charge and which account would I like to use. I said I will just stop at the bank and found out the whole thing was a scam. Be careful when they call you, you don't know who they are.

 

[Vern_in_IL]

Always buy on credit, NEVER debit, and not one of those high cash back cards either!(your ripping off the merchants big league) MasterCard is more secure than Visa.(do not ask)

Chip cards are silly, since you can do transactions online. Do not flash card openly, cameras everywhere, check for security seals if inserting into any machine(skimmers)

 

[Garak]

How are chip cards silly?