Credit Card number stolen

[DrQ]

Well it has finally happened, my go to Credit Card was used for fraudulent purchases starting on the 4th of July.

I download the transactions into Quicken daily, but as they were in a pending state, I didn't notice until I received a fraud alert from the bank on the 7th. They are all online transactions and they are all originating in Dallas so I think that a server took a photo of my CC and either sold the number or used it directly. Since the transactions were online, I suspect that it was someone who copied the card because most online transactions require the CCV which I don't think is available from an online hack and the transactions are local.

One of the more interesting charges is a company out of Utah that seems to process rent payments via credit cards with seemingly low verification standards as the phone number that is reported on the bank charge has a bad pedigree:

Cost trap 8018775491 - 44 Ratings

Phone number 8018775491 from Utah tagged as Cost trap 14 times: Not a call, charge showed up with this p... 15455 searches on tellows, the online anti-spam community

www.tellows.com

I wonder how many transactions a year these jeezers do versus the fraudulent charges to avoid an automatic rejection from the bank.

 

[Ken555]

Sorry for the trouble, and welcome to the club.

 

[Talent312]

Yeah, welcome to the club.
We've had numbers used various places over the years.
Its a PIA to deal with, but it's all part of modern living.

 

[GT75]

You could use virtual CC numbers should your CC support that.

 

[emeryjre]

I keep thinking "server" as a computer server of some kind

Do you mean a waiter/waitress type "server"

 

[DrQ]

I keep thinking "server" as a computer server of some kind

Do you mean a waiter/waitress type "server"

Bingo! I mean waitstaff.

You could use virtual CC numbers should your CC support that.

Only if we eat virtual food at a virtual restaurant

 

[claraj]

One of my credit cards was compromised 2 weeks ago and I only ever used it twice - to renew my Global Entry and purchase theater tickets. All was done online. While I was on a beautiful trip at Marco Island, I received an alert of fraudulent purchases in Panama on this card that I don't even carry with me.

 

[clifffaith]

Years ago we knew it had to be a waiter who stole our number while in Dallas. Surprisingly they were able to buy plane tickets leaving from DFW and apparently used their real names or wouldn’t have been able to board. They enjoyed pizza at the airport too! We became aware when paperwork came in the mail from AA with the flight details several days after their trip to Seattle.

 

[melissy123]

My ID was stolen to open up a line of credit at IKEA and then the person used it to buy about $880 for furniture to be delivered to them. I only found out when I received the IKEA bill that was sent to my address (in Del Mar). I called up IKEA and found out the furniture had been delivered to Solana Beach. I had an address in Solana Beach to give to the police but they were not interested.

 

[PigsDad]

Yeah, welcome to the club.
We've had numbers used various places over the years.
Its a PIA to deal with, but it's all part of modern living.

The times I've had fraudulent activity on one of my credit cards, I found it not to be a PIA at all. One simple phone call (and the CC company usually noticed and called me first) and it was taken care of. They send out a new CC and that was it. Not too painful, IMO.

Kurt

 

[Talent312]

The times I've had fraudulent activity on one of my credit cards, I found it not to be a PIA at all. One simple phone call (and the CC company usually noticed and called me first) and it was taken care of. They send out a new CC and that was it. Not too painful, IMO.

Perhaps painful was not the right word, but rather, annoying.
If you use the card for automatic monthly charges, the issuer may port the charges to the new card, but you still need to contact the merchants who were authorized to make the charges.

 

[Ken555]

Perhaps painful was not the right work, but rather, annoying.
If you use the card for automatic monthly charges, the issuer may port the charges to the new card, but you still need to contact the merchants who were authorized to make the charges.

^^THIS

 

[moonstone]

The times I've had fraudulent activity on one of my credit cards, I found it not to be a PIA at all. One simple phone call (and the CC company usually noticed and called me first) and it was taken care of. They send out a new CC and that was it. Not too painful, IMO.

Kurt

DH had his Mastercard compromised (used to buy a big TV in another part of Ontario hours away) last month. He got the purchase notification right away and called Mastercard. By the time he actually got to speak with a real person there were 2 more purchases made. We have no idea how they got his number since the card has never left his hand or wallet up here and he doesn't shop online with that card. Since he used the card that afternoon to buy gas and groceries in Orillia ON the Mastercard folks knew he couldn't have been in another city hours away at the same time. They cancelled the card and made arrangements to send him a new one. It was a huge PIA since we have lots of auto-pays set up on that card. We had to use my card (we wanted the AirMiles) until the new one came, then he had to call all the companies that we had auto-pay set up with and give them the new number. We forgot our home alarm company and got a notice last week that the payment couldn't be processed, so then he had to call them too.

The woman at Mastercard said sometimes the people who steal the number dont use it for many weeks or months so then it is hard to figure out how they got it. We wondered if the number had been copied when we were in Florida since so many restaurants still take your card away to process it, unlike here where they bring a pay machine to your table, but then why a purchase in Canada and not the USA?


~Diane

 

[chapjim]

As bad as this is, it's worse to lose your whole wallet, which happened to me maybe twenty-five years ago while I was umpiring a baseball game at a HS field in a sketchy part of town. It was a "smash and grab" -- smash the driver's window and grab my pants from the front seat. In a way, it was good that it was a smash and grab because I had a .45 caliber SIG Sauer in the center console. I had my car keys and my phone. Called the county police and sat and waited. The police car stopped about 50 yards away and sat there for about ten minutes. Finally he approached and he asked who I was, what happened, and what was missing. I told him my wallet was gone. He asked if that was where I had my concealed carry permit (yes, it was). He dusted for prints but admitted the chances of ever catching anyone was pretty small. (He was right.)

But, now what? I had no driver's license so I couldn't prove my identity. I had no money and no way of getting any money, no ATM card, no credit card. As it turned out, a local Virginia DMV office in a mall was still open so I went there and told the agent what had happened. I had a couple of business cards but they don't establish identity. She asked if I had a passport. I did but it was in my office fifteen or so miles away. Finally, she asked how many vehicles I had registered in Virginia and what were they. Kids were still at home then so I think we had five cars at the time. I started reeling off year, make, and model. She was looking back and forth at the screen and at me so she knew who I was. She told me to step over there and have my picture taken. I told her she didn't have to do that and thanked her profusely. With a driver's license, I could start on all the other things.

 

[PigsDad]

Perhaps painful was not the right work, but rather, annoying.
If you use the card for automatic monthly charges, the issuer may port the charges to the new card, but you still need to contact the merchants who were authorized to make the charges.

Hmm. I've never had to re-do any automatic monthly charges, as the CC just ported automatically (all handled behind the scenes). The CC information on file with those companies just continued to work until the original credit card was about to expire; only then did I needed to enter the new number in, not just update the expiration date. I guess I could have chosen to update with all of those companies, but I didn't and everything was fine. Sometimes laziness pays off?

And just to add, I have had a CC compromised at least a half dozen times over the years, so this was not a one-off experience.

Kurt

 

[DrQ]

Hmm. I've never had to re-do any automatic monthly charges, as the CC just ported automatically (all handled behind the scenes). The CC information on file with those companies just continued to work until the original credit card was about to expire; only then did I needed to enter the new number in, not just update the expiration date. I guess I could have chosen to update with all of those companies, but I didn't and everything was fine. Sometimes laziness pays off?

The bank stated in the email that any digital wallets containing the compromised card would be updated with the new card number. That is what happened with my Amazon account. Unfortunately, my points are frozen until they back out the fraudulent charges.

I still have merchants that have the card on file, which I assume I will have to update.

 

[Ken555]

he used the card that afternoon to buy gas and groceries

Gas stations were notorious as the source of credit card duplication. It happened to me at one many years ago, and from what I hear anecdotally it still continues. It’s quite likely that was where your card was copied, then sold online and used thousands of miles away.

Something similar happened to an atm card I used while I was in Italy years ago. I received a call from my bank at midnight local time regarding suspicious charges outside Seattle on the same day I was in Italy. It’s times like that when I’m glad I have two checking accounts and two atms I may use while traveling, since the bank immediately canceled the card I was carrying.

 

[TolmiePeak]

My ID was stolen to open up a line of credit at IKEA and then the person used it to buy about $880 for furniture to be delivered to them. I only found out when I received the IKEA bill that was sent to my address (in Del Mar). I called up IKEA and found out the furniture had been delivered to Solana Beach. I had an address in Solana Beach to give to the police but they were not interested.

The police aren't interested because the bank and store fraud prevention / detection is so weak the cops don't think they should be using public resources to police something the banks should do themselves.

 

[x3 skier]

I’ve had credit cards compromised probably five times over the years. Never lost a penny and no problems getting new ones or updating autopay. IIRC, they caught one bozo when he kept trying to use a cancelled card.

 

[Snazzylass]

The police aren't interested because the bank and store fraud prevention / detection is so weak the cops don't think they should be using public resources to police something the banks should do themselves.

It probably depends on how shorthanded the police dept is. My small town Barney Fifes back in IN would be all over it. On the other hand, my son in a big city described how theft is a low priority due to not enough police having to focus on more serious crimes, sadly.

 

[1Kflyerguy]

Hmm. I've never had to re-do any automatic monthly charges, as the CC just ported automatically (all handled behind the scenes). The CC information on file with those companies just continued to work until the original credit card was about to expire; only then did I needed to enter the new number in, not just update the expiration date. I guess I could have chosen to update with all of those companies, but I didn't and everything was fine. Sometimes laziness pays off?

And just to add, I have had a CC compromised at least a half dozen times over the years, so this was not a one-off experience.

Kurt

That has mostly been my experience as well. What did not update automatically has been bills or subscriptions that only charge periodically, like an annual subscriptions. I have had a few of those fail over the years. Depending on how many credit cards you have, those can be harder to remember which card is used for what.

And of course you need to update the payment method on any websites with payment methods,

 

[TolmiePeak]

It probably depends on how shorthanded the police dept is. My small town Barney Fifes back in IN would be all over it. On the other hand, my son in a big city described how theft is a low priority due to not enough police having to focus on more serious crimes, sadly.

I am more concerned about the complete lack of security that allows the theft to happen. Just look what happens when you go into to a restaurant. The server takes your cards and does who knows what with it. Time for the restaurants move towards online payments where you don't have to show your credit card. Many restaurant here in Seattle have apps where you pay your bill. Far more secure.

 

[emeryjre]

Many restaurants have gone to payment methods that do not require the waitstaff to ever touch the credit card
Not all but many
I can not remember the last time the waitstaff handled my credit card
Let alone walked off with it

 

[WaikikiFirst]

Well, just another reason to not go into restaurants in the USofA. ... and buy almost all of your gas at costco
The other day I noticed that the phone # attached to our checking account wasn't ours. Strange, unless I have alzheimers and a really old phone # somehow got pulled out of the ether. But no unexpected activity in the account. Modern life. Lousy IT staffs. No wonder people need so many vacations

 

[SmithOp]

Lousy IT is right!

Recently I started getting email statements for prescription charges in Minnesota. It turned out to be someone with my same name and birth date, our account somehow got joined together. It took several long sessions with support to disconnect us. With a common name like Smith I'm used to people with the same name, but same birthday was freaky.