Online Credit Card Fraud Alert. Again! This Time from South Korea.

Gene

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I've been using credit cards for over 40 years with no problems. That is until the last 3-4 months or so. 99% of my online CC purchases are here on CPF. About 3-4 months ago, I got hit with my first fraudulent CC charges in all these years and I finally found out they were from internet porno sites and I have NEVER visited a porno site, EVER!

Of course I had to cancel my Visa card which I had been using for over 30 years with the same number. I reported the fraud to the authorities and received a new card with new number from my CC company.

Now this month I get a whole new slew of bogus charges on my new card and they are listed only as "online charges". Luckily, my CC company contacted me before they sent this month's bill and said all of the fraudulent charges originated out of South Korea. They of course are rejecting all of these charges but it's getting out of hand online.

Now in just a few months, I'm having to cancel my card for the second time. Anyone else having constant problems with fraudulent online charges? I just wanted to alert everyone about this.

My CC company said I should only buy from online dealers who use very secure payment services like PayPal.
 

tiktok 22

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Gene,

get a copy of your credit report. They could have personal information and opening new cards in your name.
 

this_is_nascar

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Gene said:
... and I finally found out they were from internet porno sites and I have NEVER visited a porno site, EVER!

Yea, right. The 1st step in recovering from your sickness is admitting you have the problem. :nana:

Seriously, sorry to hear about this Gene.
 

357

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Gene said:
I've been using credit cards for over 40 years with no problems. That is until the last 3-4 months or so. 99% of my online CC purchases are here on CPF. About 3-4 months ago, I got hit with my first fraudulent CC charges in all these years and I finally found out they were from internet porno sites and I have NEVER visited a porno site, EVER!

Of course I had to cancel my Visa card which I had been using for over 30 years with the same number. I reported the fraud to the authorities and received a new card with new number from my CC company.

Now this month I get a whole new slew of bogus charges on my new card and they are listed only as "online charges". Luckily, my CC company contacted me before they sent this month's bill and said all of the fraudulent charges originated out of South Korea. They of course are rejecting all of these charges but it's getting out of hand online.

Now in just a few months, I'm having to cancel my card for the second time. Anyone else having constant problems with fraudulent online charges? I just wanted to alert everyone about this.

My CC company said I should only buy from online dealers who use very secure payment services like PayPal.

You checking for spyware on your computer? Keyloggers and such.

I'm wondering if all your keystrokes you type are being sent out without your knowledge. This would explain why your card numbers are known in Korea when you only put your cards in to legit sites.

Get a good firewall and spyware program, and check to be sure the crooks are not opening up new accounts in your name.
 

PoliceScannerMan

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Is the Norton Internet Security/Firewall/Antivirus a good deterent? Man this is making me paranoid!

Sorry to hear about some jerkoff, literally, ripping an honest guy like you off. :rant:
 

357

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PoliceScannerMan said:
Is the Norton Internet Security/Firewall/Antivirus a good deterent? Man this is making me paranoid!

Sorry to hear about some jerkoff, literally, ripping an honest guy like you off. :rant:

No firewall/spyware scanners are deterents. The creeps will keep trying (a real deterent makes them think twice). Having say this, a firewall and anti-spyware programs makes it a lot harder for them to steal your information. I recommend Zone Alarm Pro for Firewall.

Your Norton software will make it a lot harder for your identity to be stolen online, provided that you ALWAYS use it and be sure that your seetings are set as high as possible. Because spyware is so prevelent and dangerous, I recommend doubling (or tripling up) on these anti-spyware programs. I currently run several anti-spyware programs, becuase each one has its strengths and flaws. They each catch slightly different threats.

For anti-spyware, I recommend:

Spysweeper
Counterspy
Spyware Doctor

Also keep in mind there is many other ways your identity can be stolen (other than online), such as failing to shred documents, and one of the most common ways are inside jobs (a crooked employee at legit company).
 
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LumenHound

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Have you used both the old card and the new card at the same local business?

It's possible the info on the magnetic stripe of your old card was copied by a hidden card scanner the first time and again with the second new card.
The data recorded on the card can be sent anywhere in the world and fake duplicate cards can be made faster than you can shake a stick.

A Gas Bar or someplace similar that has only one employee on duty who may not be paid top wages is often where credit card skimming happens.
Places that have high cashier employee turnover can easily fall prey to these kinds of scam artists also. They get hired, set up the second card reader for a week or 2, then quit and move on with what they really wanted in the first place, your card data.

Never let your card out of your sight, even for a second, if you have to hand it to a clerk or attendant by the register.
 

Gene

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Hey Ray,
I truthfully have NEVER been on a porno site but the only "porno" I ever visit is when I read one your posts! :)

Yes, I have firewall/spyware protection on my computer but as 357 stated and this thread shows, that is NO guarantee against fraud.

I really do watch things closely when using my card in a brick and mortar store. My CC company said they can tell me if charges on my card are "swiped" or not. They alerted me because all these fraudulent charges were made online. Again, my CC company said to NEVER buy online unless I use PP or something similar that is proven and secure.

I know some people have reported some bad experiences with PayPal but I have never had even ONE bad instance and I have been using PP for over 8 years now. I'm never making another transaction online unless the merchant or private individual accepts PP. If they don't, I'll send a check or a money order.
 

Gene

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Oh yeah, I forgot to say all these charges were made on my CC that I received with the new number about 3 months ago that replaced my other card that I had for over 30 years with no problems. I haven't used the new cards yet as they are still in transist.

Again, it's interesting that my CC company said that all the fraudulent charges originated from Korea and they all were done in the last week. I STRESS that I'm not making any implications against our Korean dealers here as I haven't bought anything online from them in months. I received great service from them and anyway, I paid them through Paypal. The fraudulent charges were for vitamins, teeth whiteners and a bunch of crap like that.
 

Lunal_Tic

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Some card companies have "virtual" numbers to be used online. I think they are generated once for each transaction that way you never use your real number. I've thought about trying it out but have been too lazy to check further. Looks like maybe I should. :green:

-LT
 

xtalman

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Lunal_Tic said:
Some card companies have "virtual" numbers to be used online. I think they are generated once for each transaction that way you never use your real number. I've thought about trying it out but have been too lazy to check further. Looks like maybe I should. :green:

-LT

Discover and Citibank for sure have these one-time use numbers.
 

cyberhobo

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If you're using IE6 make sure in Tools/Internet Options/Advanced - "Do not save encrypted pages to disk" is checked. Many trogan's access the IE cache and exploit it in many ways.
 

357

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Another thought, if someone is stealing your incoming and outgoing snail mail. Most companies put card numbers on your invoices.
 

Gene

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Thanks for all the tips guys but all I can say is that if this is happening to me, it can happen to ANYONE! The internet has become a scary place.

I have a friend down in Central Calif. who teaches an internet course. He's been harping to me for a couple of years not to disclose ANY information online. He only purchases from brick and mortar stores. I always told him I only frequented "safe sites". Nothing online is safe anymore.

I will continue to carefully buy and sell but ONLY with check, money order or PayPal. No more giving my credit card numbers to sites who don't accept PayPal. My CC company, (who is in no way connected to PP), advised me to do the same. They also said internet fraud has risen beyond belief in the past year or so.

Like I said, I am as careful as any of you and I never thought this could happen to me. I would advise any of you, (no matter what you may think of their politics or whatever), to start using a secure payment site like PayPal or similar.
 
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