Just exactly how does some D-bag steal my CC #?
 

still cleaning up the aftermath of my credit card getting scammed.

FIRST: it blew my mind my CC company alerted me that i was getting taken. just how do they (the credit card company) know it wasnt me buying clothing at a distant store? i dont get it..it seemed innocuous enough. just some sub $200 attempt at a department store..same company i bought some shirts from..but different location i have never been in.

but something sent out the alarms, and i am happy for it.

Second: what is the mechanism for the actual theft? i rarely let my card out of my sight. and does the thief have a clone of my card or what?

i cancelled my few cards all at once, and asked for new accounts. just in case someone got to my wallet. if i wasnt house shopping, i would freeze my credit.

mofo's!! i feel dirty. and i hate how the CC company now needs to divert resources to investigate this. and not a single one of the fraud agents spoke clearly and without deep accents..i put fraud alerts on a few legit purchases..hahahha..straightened those out last night. one i felt really bad about..the agent could not pronounce California dept of fish and wildlife..haha..she actually said.."looks like this was in Texas" or something like that. it was like that "who's on first?" routine for a while there.

First off, the CC companies couldn't give 2 shytes for their losses. I was more involved in finding out email addresses and phone #'s of the guy who stole my credit info. They didn't end up caring so I just gave up.

Too bad you can't freeze your credit. Unfortunately with Experian (and the others) they can charge $10 everytime you unfreeze your credit for 24 hrs. Good luck, hope you nipped it in the bud.

They might have accessed your cc info and personal info on the "Deep Web". That is bought and sold as a "commodity", in large blocks of info. Just make sure you change passwords for your accounts. Especially if you have the same password on Ebay, Paypal, etc.

Cliff, they detected it 'cause they knew that frilly dress didn't match your recent shoes purchase :D.

Three weeks ago, I received a phone message that over the previous weekend, three $6-800 purchases were attempted (in CA)....and gave me the option of "OK'ing" them or cancelling my card. 2nd time that's happened over the past ten years....1st time they just automatically cancelled it on a gas purchase in IN. The CC companies monitor, 'cause they'll eat the losses :D. Cost of doing business these days....I doubt my card was ever compromised physically (just guessing the # on "some" purchases....I dunno???). I've also had my credit frozen for at least ten years at all three agencies....doesn't cost a cent (at least here in NC), and unfreezing it for a purchase is easy too (anymore). EVERYONE should do this imo....

I have that happened. Someone decided to charge up 5k with the stereo equip twice in Kansas all within two days. CC co. called because they think it was unusual. I have no idea how they got my number. I don't use my personal CC for anything else but gas and food. Maybe they got me at the restaurant when they tool my card.

I used my card at a gas station once in Banff and key in the wrong zip code. next thing I know, they shut it down. That was a PITA in a foreign country and you CC is shut down.

You a T-Mobile customer?

They were the most recently hacked.

Retailers need to quit their addiction to data collection and retention - especially for brick-and-mortar transactions. Once your transaction has been processed, they have no business keeping the info; it's just a liability at that point. It's like leaving your car at the shop, and the mechanic takes it to LA for the weekend.

Continuity / subscription customers are a gold mine.

Never gonna happen.

I've had my credit or debit card numbers stolen about once a year. So aggravating.

I get an email whenever my cards are used for a transaction that is not face to face. So I usually discover and report the fraud to the company within hours of the first purchase. Last time the thief spent about $4,500 in that time. The card company always reimburses me, no trouble, except that having your card cancelled is a pain. Especially if you're traveling.

I really, really wish we had chip and PIN cards. The USA is going to chip and signature, which doesn't seem as secure.

Apparently the retailer will now bear the cost of fraud, if they haven't installed chip reading equipment. This doesn't address online purchases, though.

There are many ways to steal a card number. Database breaches. Keypad sniffers. The waiter can write down your card number and CCV code (the three digit number on the back of the card). I've taken to scratching off that CCV number.

As for online passwords, remembering them all is a nightmare. I use the Dashlane app.

Your CC ? Pah.. they probably also have your social security number....

I really recommend that unless you need to open a lot of cards this year, or buy a house or a car, you freeze your credit. $10 with each of the 3 credit rating agencies. You get a pin and yes you must pay to unfreeze and refreeze but if you plan it right, shouldn't be too much of a hassle - it protects from new accounts being opened in your name, does not affect existing ones.

Also contact the IRS and request a PIN from them too... 1 Million people each year get their returns filed for them by thieves (asking for your refund)... If it has not happened to you yet, wait a year or 2. I promise you it will, even the IRS got hacked ! Nip all that stuff in the bud ! If you research the identity theft sites, you will also find a link to STOP all those unsolicited credit card offers in the mail, that anyone can steal from your mailbox !

Trust me, it's worth the small hassle to avoid the big ones...

Chip n Pin is here, well the chip part at least.

Got my first replacement card a couple of months ago.

My local retailers have the new readers.

Have been using the chip portion for a couple of weeks now.

Gas stations are a huge source for CC fraud. Scammers will put a skimmer on/inside the pump and let it collect countless CC numbers. Then they will either clone cards to use and point-of-sale locations, or sell the numbers on the black market.
So, if you see a pump with the security tape/seal broken on the front panel, don't use it (and tell the attendant).

The first time I had my CC number stolen was a mystery. Someone charged a Blockbuster rental in a city I have never visited. That one I was required me to file a police report and that meant figuring out the address of "Blockbuster Store #15" in a city I have never been to. Google saved me that time.

One other time a waiter at a local restaurant was snapping a photo of all the cards he handled and he was actually caught.

I have never lost a penny of money, just my time. It is a pain to call the several companies that hit my CC on a regular basis for services.

When any unusual charge outside of my normal buying pattern hits the CC card company sends me a text message. They must have one strange profile on my buying habits. I am the treasure for our local PCA region. We had a pizza party for new members and all members were invited. It grew out of hand because the man in charge of the event just did not use common sense. I had a $850 pizza bill that night. It went right through with my CC company and the club reimbursed me. Now I "get" to be the one to determine the amount of pizza ordered for club events.

My CC card company actually called me once. I said yea right I don't believe it is you. She said that is good, please call us back at the number on the back of the card and ask for her extension. I did and she answered. I said OK, I believe! They had stopped a purchase for many thousands of dollars of scuba gear in Spain. She wanted to verify that I was not in Spain. I assured her I was still at work and to not authorize the purchase. A new card came VIA FedEx a couple of days later.

When on vacation I always carry a "spare" credit card in case my main card is compromised. I also always have my debit card on me.

From what I understand the new CC with the chip will make card number theft very difficult for local purchases and they expect most fraud to move to on-line purchases.

I'm trying to use PayPal online instead of giving card info. I don't really know how much more or less secure that is.

Why would some loser with a free pass to buy almost anything use it for a movie rental? What an doofus!
I've had my CC hacked several times and it's always for a some small amount of money...usually less than a hundred bucks. I don't get it...why risk getting busted for chump change. Go big, or go home.
I have chip cards now, and I'm hoping they'll be at least a little safer than the old ones. Unfortunately, I mostly use my CCs for on-line purchases so I'm probably still vulnerable to being hacked, unless I'm buying from a vendor that uses PayPal.

Typically, CC theives will "test" your card by using it for a small, innoccuous purchase to see if it works, or if it gets turned off right away. If they get that small sale through without a hitch, then they try for the bigger hit.

I'm glad the CC companies are watching for bogus purchases.

But it has caused problems in the aviation community- Pilots buy gas, and a few hours later, buy more gas several hundred miles away, and the CC is declined!

Two gas purchases in different states will flag the charge as fraudulent. Grrr.....

Not if you tell your bank in advance that you're travelling

On an aviation website I'm on, there are several cases of pilots telling the bank in advance, and still the card is declined.

The common advice is to carry multiple cards.