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.

The other annoying thing about all of this is banks reliance on call centers and robo dialers when they try to contact you about possibly fraudulent activity.

I use nomorobo, very effective at dealing with telemarketers and other unsolicited calls but has the bad side effect of blocking my banks as well.

That's bit me on the ass on a couple of occasions.

Someone just tried to hit me hard.. $3310 at BestBuy, $150 at Bytesquad? $109 at Papa Johns.... $323 at Autozon


Who the Eff would buy $109 worth of anything at Papa Johns?...

All were denied but my card was cancelled :mad:

I bought gas in NY near my hometown, literally seconds before someone tried to buy a bunch of Electronics from Best Buy, and some crap from Papa Johns... In Minnesota!!

I do work in some sketchy areas in Crooklyn, and NYC... but this is the second time this year someone harvested my card info..

Really need a RFID chip card...

That's what alerted me... someone called me saying they are from So and So, and represent CapitalOne Bank.... The woman tried to get a bunch of info from me, and I told her the call was over and hung up....about 10 minutes later I got a text telling me me debit card is cancelled due to suspicious activity...


So I then call the bank, and we reviewed the suspicious charges... and determined which were fraudulent...

I pissed me off a bit that a third party representing a bank got involved..

Dunno about the mega banks, but I suspect many use a 3rd party cc/debit service provider...my CU has for a long time.

So my credit card company has a policy that if a charge comes in on the account that is not from my usual trading area they refuse the charge. That means that if someone in Hungary tries to buy a washer & dryer with my card number (actually happened) they don't get to scam me or the CC company.

The down side was the CC company didn't tell me this till I was trying to buy $600 worth of tools a couple years ago in North Dakota. Good thing I had cash.

So I have to call them if I'm doing a road trip to let them know. Like yesterday. After giving them my cvc number and the correct answer to a couple security questions I told them where I was going and when I'd be home the girl offered me a free increase of my credit limit. I told her jokingly unless I could buy a new truck with my card I wasn't interested. She said "Oh, we can do that"

Imagine being able to spend $60,000 at once with only 22% interest. :)

My kid got hit. His CC phoned him and asked if he was buying a washer & dryer in Hungary. They denied the transaction.

Got an interesting email from Discover the other day.

We were out at dinner last week with another couple.

Came time to pay the bill I tossed my card in and they tossed in cash.

I took care of the tip since it was 3 of us and 2 of them so the tip appeared extremely generous compared to the charge.

Discover sent me an email asking me if that was what I had actually tipped.

I thought that was cool of them to verify.

I was hit Tuesday. The particular CC is allied with an Airline and that is the ONLY place it is used. Hasn't been used in 6 months. And I've received a new card in the past 6 months. It means either CHASE was hacked or UNITED was hacked.

I'm sent a new CC about once a year for security reasons.

My AmEx card is only used for flights and I was just sent an email that a new card is on the way and to discard the old one.

Please don't put this in the racist bin - I'm just stating a fact.

I used to work for a credit card company and helped out in a few fraud investigations. We found 19 out of 20 credit card frauds were done by Chinese restaurants.

No biggie, It's the same advice that a Vietnamese/ethnic Chinese friend gave.

A few years back I received a fraud call from Am Ex; some dirt bag had bought Yankee tickets with my card number. I told them it was not me. They gave me the number of the place that sold the tickets and I called them directly to discuss. He was a great guy..no nonsense New Yorker.
He gave me the phone number the scum bag gave him when he bought the tickets...well, you know where this was heading. I harassed the scum bag for days by calling him all times of the day and night. Told him I was coming for him, watching him, etc. I had a ball doing this until he finally had his phone disconnected.
Am Ex took care of everything and I had a new card within 24 hours of the initial phone call from them. I realize it is going to happen again in the future but there is not a lot anyone can do to stop a thief...harassing them does feel really good though.

My United Club card was hacked about 2 months after I got it, the teller at a Walmart in Katy flagged it because they had used the card number and CCV and such, but put it on a generic card, and the teller knew the Club card was a steel card...

The nice thing about Chase and their higher end cards is they contact you immediately via several methods, and don't just cancel the card. Both of my high end Chase cards were hacked, both were blocked before the charges hit, and both were replaced in my hands within 24 hours. When I call, I have a person answer immediately, not a robot.

Mike, this was also the Presidents club card.

I've had the same experience. My number has been stolen 3 times this year. First two I believe were probably from some database, and someone made a fake card. Denied at the first transaction. The last time (over the weekend), I think a server at a restaurant stole it. I go out to eat a lot. They made on on-line purchase for a trip in Europe for $600. Wasn't flagged, and not unusual for me. It was the 2nd one for $400 that flagged it, and an e-mail was sent to me. Called up, flagged both transactions, and they were removed in 3 days. New card arrived the following day of my call, overnighted.

That said, my Chase card gets hacked 5 times since I've had it, and my Citibank card once in 23 years. I use them both fairly equally, except Chase mostly at restaurants.

^^^^Couldn't they send cops to the airport to arrest them?


Sent via Jedi mind trick.

It was for a cruise in Amsterdam. Probably didn't happen yet, plus..overseas.

They likely sell for pennies on the dollar and won't actually use themselves.

About two hours ago I received a call from my CC company. Someone tried to do something on Facebook for 125.00 using my card number. Seeing that I am not on Facebook the CC company denied the attempted charge. So they closed my account and will be sending me another card. I wish these scammers would get real jobs :mad: .

I like my bank (credit union)--USAA. They've turned my card off on me a couple times because I've forgotten to let them know I was travelling. Easy to fix, though. 5 minute phone call and the card's back on. They've stopped a couple fraudulent purchases in their tracks and immediately made me aware (immediately as in called me at 10pm at night to let me know what was up). A couple months ago, I took the family on a road trip up to Utah from SE Arizona. We stopped off in Flagstaff (which is still in Arizona) to get gas. Within minutes of pumping the gas, the bank called, texted AND emailed me to confirm it was me making the purchase. They're vigilant, and I love 'em for it.

I have a USAA Platinum card. I get the same service you mention. They really try HARD to provide service. They have my limit set at a silly high number for whatever reason.

A few years ago I had a CC that was my secondary "backup" card that I only used once every 6 months to keep it active. They sent me a letter changing the agreement. They were going to start charging a fee for the honor of doing business with them. I called them up and told them I would not accept that change in my agreement. The lady used a snotty tone and said I would have to pay the card off immediately and it would be canceled and I could hear lots of key strokes on her end. She said your current balance is... um zero. I said I agree. I will shred the card now. My credit union was happy to issue me a no fee card.