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Fraudulent credit card charge followed by uneasy event

VacationForever

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I got an email alert of the large charge to my credit card from a large retail store a few days ago. I followed up with the credit card company immediately, got that card cancelled and re-issued. The number of online charges I have been making to so many new companies since SIP would mean that any of the stores could have compromised my credit card information.

Today, FedEx delivered a box from this retail store to a name which I do not recognize. I checked the value of the product and tied it back directly to the fraudulent credit card charge. I don't do business with this retail company but I went ahead to check if I have an account using my email address and I am relieved not to find an account. At least that meant that the fraudulent charge was not a result of a hack into my account with that company. It is most unnerving that the box came to my address.

I checked the name on the box and found someone of the same name living some 30 miles away. My guess is that the person thought she could have just come by to pick up the box when she got notified of delivery.

We live behind 2 security gates and my guess is that this crook did not realize that coming all the way to my home would be a little difficult although not impossible.

I contacted the credit card company on what to do with the box. The guy said he had never encountered such a situation. I guess that is because in the past, a fraudulent charge would have been carried out at the retail store and the person left with the goods on the spot. He checked back with his colleagues and he said I could call the retail store back to return it to them. I tried, their phone system was turned off. I got on chat, queue number 547. I waited for 30 minutes and it went down to queue number 465. I gave up and I will try again another day.

I still feel uneasy that the crook may show up at my doorstep any time now.
 

DaveNV

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That's quite a situation. I'd stay on it with the credit card company. If they have a direct Fraud number, maybe try calling that one?

Dave
 

Panina

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I got an email alert of the large charge to my credit card from a large retail store a few days ago. I followed up with the credit card company immediately, got that card cancelled and re-issued. The number of online charges I have been making to so many new companies since SIP would mean that any of the stores could have compromised my credit card information.

Today, FedEx delivered a box from this retail store to a name which I do not recognize. I checked the value of the product and tied it back directly to the fraudulent credit card charge. I don't do business with this retail company but I went ahead to check if I have an account using my email address and I am relieved not to find an account. At least that meant that the fraudulent charge was not a result of a hack into my account with that company. It is most unnerving that the box came to my address.

I checked the name on the box and found someone of the same name living some 30 miles away. My guess is that the person thought she could have just come by to pick up the box when she got notified of delivery.

We live behind 2 security gates and my guess is that this crook did not realize that coming all the way to my home would be a little difficult although not impossible.

I contacted the credit card company on what to do with the box. The guy said he had never encountered such a situation. I guess that is because in the past, a fraudulent charge would have been carried out at the retail store and the person left with the goods on the spot. He checked back with his colleagues and he said I could call the retail store back to return it to them. I tried, their phone system was turned off. I got on chat, queue number 547. I waited for 30 minutes and it went down to queue number 465. I gave up and I will try again another day.

I still feel uneasy that the crook may show up at my doorstep any time now.
I had something like this happen to me a few months ago when I was I vacation. The initial order was to be sent to another address. I only found out because the sport’s company called me to verify delivery address because it was an expensive part to use with a gun.

So they cancelled the order and I called my credit card company and got the card cancelled.

The next morning I get a call from the same sports company. Overnight another order was put in, same card number, same order but delivery to my home address. The customer service rep knew not to process but called me as a courtesy. They would not give me the name or address of original order but would tell me that address was within driving distance. So seems these crooks know how to play the system.

The crook will not show up if they didn’t already. As far as sending back, email the company and asked them to do a pickup from your home.
 

davidvel

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I got an email alert of the large charge to my credit card from a large retail store a few days ago. I followed up with the credit card company immediately, got that card cancelled and re-issued. The number of online charges I have been making to so many new companies since SIP would mean that any of the stores could have compromised my credit card information.

Today, FedEx delivered a box from this retail store to a name which I do not recognize. I checked the value of the product and tied it back directly to the fraudulent credit card charge. I don't do business with this retail company but I went ahead to check if I have an account using my email address and I am relieved not to find an account. At least that meant that the fraudulent charge was not a result of a hack into my account with that company. It is most unnerving that the box came to my address.

I checked the name on the box and found someone of the same name living some 30 miles away. My guess is that the person thought she could have just come by to pick up the box when she got notified of delivery.

We live behind 2 security gates and my guess is that this crook did not realize that coming all the way to my home would be a little difficult although not impossible.

I contacted the credit card company on what to do with the box. The guy said he had never encountered such a situation. I guess that is because in the past, a fraudulent charge would have been carried out at the retail store and the person left with the goods on the spot. He checked back with his colleagues and he said I could call the retail store back to return it to them. I tried, their phone system was turned off. I got on chat, queue number 547. I waited for 30 minutes and it went down to queue number 465. I gave up and I will try again another day.

I still feel uneasy that the crook may show up at my doorstep any time now.
You should contact your local authorities. They have a lot of extra time on their hands these days. Maybe they can put a tracker in the box and leave it on your porch.
 

Panina

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You should contact your local authorities. They have a lot of extra time on their hands these days. Maybe they can put a tracker in the box and leave it on your porch.
I was told this happens all the time. I doubt the authorities would do anything. I was also told the To address might not be the crooks address, it could be an innocent 3rd party.
 

VacationForever

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I was told this happens all the time. I doubt the authorities would do anything. I was also told the To address might not be the crooks address, it could be an innocent 3rd party.
I am the innocent party. The "To" address is my address.
 

Panina

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I am the innocent party. The "To" address is my address.
When you said “I checked the name on the box and found someone of the same name living some 30 miles away. My guess is that the person thought she could have just come by to pick up the box when she got notified of delivery.”,

I doubt that is the person that did the fraud. It was probably a name to throw you off if they didn’t get the box in time off your porch.
 

VacationForever

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When you said “I checked the name on the box and found someone of the same name living some 30 miles away. My guess is that the person thought she could have just come by to pick up the box when she got notified of delivery.”,

I doubt that is the person that did the fraud. It was probably a name to throw you off if they didn’t get the box in time off your porch.
Correct. True. The name on the box is someone living 30 miles away. It is hard to get to my home because of a security gate - easily go through with tailgating and then a combination code to the building. Also, we have security cameras in the building. Not impossible.
 

bbodb1

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I got an email alert of the large charge to my credit card from a large retail store a few days ago. I followed up with the credit card company immediately, got that card cancelled and re-issued. The number of online charges I have been making to so many new companies since SIP would mean that any of the stores could have compromised my credit card information.

Today, FedEx delivered a box from this retail store to a name which I do not recognize. I checked the value of the product and tied it back directly to the fraudulent credit card charge. I don't do business with this retail company but I went ahead to check if I have an account using my email address and I am relieved not to find an account. At least that meant that the fraudulent charge was not a result of a hack into my account with that company. It is most unnerving that the box came to my address.

I checked the name on the box and found someone of the same name living some 30 miles away. My guess is that the person thought she could have just come by to pick up the box when she got notified of delivery.

We live behind 2 security gates and my guess is that this crook did not realize that coming all the way to my home would be a little difficult although not impossible.

I contacted the credit card company on what to do with the box. The guy said he had never encountered such a situation. I guess that is because in the past, a fraudulent charge would have been carried out at the retail store and the person left with the goods on the spot. He checked back with his colleagues and he said I could call the retail store back to return it to them. I tried, their phone system was turned off. I got on chat, queue number 547. I waited for 30 minutes and it went down to queue number 465. I gave up and I will try again another day.

I still feel uneasy that the crook may show up at my doorstep any time now.
Claymore mines....
 

DaveNV

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That's the (Fraud) department which I have been dealing with.

Ok. It would seem that if you were caller 547, there is an awful lot of fraud going on right now!

Dave
 

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Eventually Amazon will need their own law enforcement department.
 

VacationForever

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Ok. It would seem that if you were caller 547, there is an awful lot of fraud going on right now!

Dave
This is the departmental store which I was trying to call to return the shipment. I had spoken to the credit card fraud department twice, once to report the fraudulent activity and today to tell them that a box had been dropped off in front of my home and what the heck did they want me to do with it.
 

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You should contact your local authorities. They have a lot of extra time on their hands these days. Maybe they can put a tracker in the box and leave it on your porch.

Why on earth do you think they have extra time on their hands? I literally LOL when I read that.

I am not saying OP shouldn’t contact authorities but I hate to break it to you but the “authorities “ are not SIP and neither are the criminals.

:doh:
 

VacationForever

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My take is that it is up to the credit card company to chase down which syndicate is behind this. From my experience, they just don't go after individual case. Too bad.
 

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Eventually Amazon will need their own law enforcement department.
I was actually thinking the opposite - Amazon will become the sole focus of a law enforcement entity.
But they are getting uncomfortably large...
 

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Theft under $500 is a misdemeanor . So they can charge $500 till the cows come home and it’s petty theft not worth the trouble even if the total exceeds $500. Each charge stands alone most criminals use this loophole to their advantage.
I found this out 8 years ago when I fell for a phishing scam when I had my house refinanced. The perfect storm I call it. Since I had actually done what the phishing e mail stated. Some jerk drained 5k out of my account by the time I noticed $499 at a whack.

Chase gave me the money back but didn’t pursue the thief. Thank goodness it was Chase’s loss and not mine. Thank you Chase.
 

presley

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Did you run your credit report to make sure you don't have a new credit card? That's the first thing I would do. The next thing I'd do is return the package by writing: No one here by that name. And then, I wouldn't give it another thought.
 

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I did run a credit report yesterday. At least as of yesterday no new card and no new activity. I have also had my credit frozen about 18 months ago so it is very unlikely that another cc can be opened under my name.

I have heard of this scam before so I searched last night and found various ways as to how the scam works. The scammer would generate a UPS/FedEx return request, using scammer's address as the return address and get UPS/FedEx to pick up the package. The victim would usually just let the delivery guy pick it back up thinking that ok, return to sender so all is good without looking at the return label. Yesterday I was actually going to contact UPS/FedEx yesterday to pick up the package to return to sender. I then thought it through that there is no accountability with return to sender as the UPS/FedEx can also just keep the box for own use. On reading how this scam works, I am glad I didn't do this.

Armed with more information as to how the scam works, I will write to the retailer today and explain the situation and for them to send me a return label. The issue is that I don't want to be Face To Face with the UPS/FedEx person when the person picks it up so there is still a chance that while I leave the box out there, it ends up being picked up by the scammer or that the scammer intervenes and somehow got the instruction to UPS/FedEx to pickup and send it to their home. Unfortunately, on the retailer's website, it indicates that they won't respond to email for more than a week.

BTW, the value of the theft is greater than $500.
 
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Patri

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Do you know what's inside?
 

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I did run a credit report yesterday. At least as of yesterday no new card and no new activity. I have also had my credit frozen about 18 years ago so it is very unlikely that another cc can be opened under my name.

I have heard of this scam before so I searched last night and found various ways as to how the scam works. The scammer would generate a UPS/FedEx return request, using scammer's address as the return address and get UPS/FedEx to pick up the package. The victim would usually just let the delivery guy pick it back up thinking that ok, return to sender so all is good without looking at the return label. Yesterday I was actually going to contact UPS/FedEx yesterday to pick up the package to return to sender. I then thought it through that there is no accountability with return to sender as the UPS/FedEx can also just keep the box for own use. On reading how this scam works, I am glad I didn't do this.

Armed with more information as to how the scam works, I will write to the retailer today and explain the situation and for them to send me a return label. The issue is that I don't want to be Face To Face with the UPS/FedEx person when the person picks it up so there is still a chance that while I leave the box out there, it ends up being picked up by the scammer or that the scammer intervenes and somehow got the instruction to UPS/FedEx to pickup and send it to their home. Unfortunately, on the retailer's website, it indicates that they won't respond to email for more than a week.

BTW, the value of the theft is greater than $500.

that would leave me uneasy too.
I've had fraudulent charges on my CC but nothing like that
 

bbodb1

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I have heard of this scam before so I searched last night and found various ways as to how the scam works. The scammer would generate a UPS/FedEx return request, using scammer's address as the return address and get UPS/FedEx to pick up the package. The victim would usually just let the delivery guy pick it back up thinking that ok, return to sender so all is good without looking at the return label. Yesterday I was actually going to contact UPS/FedEx yesterday to pick up the package to return to sender. I then thought it through that there is no accountability with return to sender as the UPS/FedEx can also just keep the box for own use. On reading how this scam works, I am glad I didn't do this.

Armed with more information as to how the scam works, I will write to the retailer today and explain the situation and for them to send me a return label. The issue is that I don't want to be Face To Face with the UPS/FedEx person when the person picks it up so there is still a chance that while I leave the box out there, it ends up being picked up by the scammer or that the scammer intervenes and somehow got the instruction to UPS/FedEx to pickup and send it to their home. Unfortunately, on the retailer's website, it indicates that they won't respond to email for more than a week.

BTW, the value of the theft is greater than $500.
@VacationForever - I must be missing something here because in order to generate a return request, wouldn't a scammer need a valid order number and package?

Is this an example of the scenario you are referring to?
 

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VacationForever

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Do you know what's inside?
Yes, I opened up the outer box and found out what was inside. Let's say it is a very high end appliance which costs $650 and one which I would not pay out of my pocket, unless it is free... like what the thief was trying to get hold of.
 
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