Got credit card number stolen

Hey guys, just wanted to say watch out because I just got my credit card number stolen somehow. I have absolutely no idea how because supposedly, the charges were being made in some zipcode that started with a 1 and I am in a zipcode that starts with a 7. This person who got a hold of my number is somewhere really far away and was charging it at gas stations and liquor stores as well as game stores. Not online stores which is kinda boggling my mine. Do those stores just allow you to type in a credit card number or something and not question it? Well either way my limit was maxed out and now I have closed my credit account. Just a warning to check your statements regularly for unauthorized purchases and be careful with your info.

thats strange, they must be pros because to use a credit card at actual stores, you need a "real" card. They must have found a way to put your info onto the mag strip on a fake card.

On second thought, it may be an employee or group of people who work there who punched in the number thats the only way I can think of them getting away with that, because other than that, the store would have no evidence the card was actually there, and the store gets screwed once the card is found to be stolen and I couldnt emagine a store taking a purchase that way.

I also thought it was strange as well, hopefully I won't be held accountable for the transactions that took place.

My card was comprimised last December. Call your Bank fraud division and get action started immediately. My card was a Visa and they have been very good at dealing with this. To this day, my fraud case is still open and little by little it is getting remedied, and I have almost had all the money credited back to my account. It is a real PITA, but you have to stick with it.

+1 on checking your charges****DAILY*****

Did you use a home wireless phone for a credit card transaction (analog vs digital)? Use your Credit Card with a pay phone? Have your card out where it could be photographed with a cell phone camera?

My mother-in-law's card was just used by one of those $4.95 per month "web services" company. Called the phone number provided by the CC billing company and all you get is a generic voice mail greeting.

There were a few reports on the web (if you searched the phone number) that came up as others have being scammed up to a year ago--but the CC Company says there are no red flags on the company--but they could not tell her more because it was "under investigation". But, they also told her that they generally don't investigate such small charges.

This was a card she had not used in a year, yet within 5 days of using it at a major car repair facility (pure electronic billing), the charge appeared.

Just canceled the account and starting over. Fortunately, nothing else happened.

-Bill

I have had my number stolen twice. One time was after making a purchase through an yahoo store and then someone signed up for a couple porn sites and ordered a $200 pair or shoes. The show company lied to my bank and claimed they refunded my money so I never got it back.
Second time I stopped on the way home to do a little bit of Christmas shopping and then checked my account and saw other charges that were not mine. Whomever was using my card number had copied it and was traveling north along the same highway I was going south on and we were shopping at pretty much the same time. Later a gas station owner was arrested for making copies of cards and we had stopped at the gas station previously so I think those were related. Freakin K mart said my card was swiped and even though I was standing right there they refused to refund the $300. First they said they don't need to ask for ID unless it was a big purchase, then they said it was a new cashier when I asked how much more than $300 do they consider a big purchase, the cashier had never asked for ID. I asked them for security camera records and everything so we could give them to the police before they got overwritten and they refused to help. So I wrote their corporate a letter and have never shopped there again.

One of the oldest CC scams is to re-program the mag strip.

It used to be pretty common for B&M stores to check the CC number embossed against what was on the mag strip, but I have noticed that that isn't done, too much.

--dan

johnny13oi said:

Just a warning to check your statements regularly for unauthorized purchases and be careful with your info.

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I second that. Last month I was scanning my CC statement, noticed a transaction for about $30 to RINGCENTRAL, INC. I had never heard of them before. I disputed the charge and American Express refunded my money the next day.

Still not sure how they got my info. I do not physically give that card to anyone, and I never order via phone.

I will never make a purchase over the phone or anything of that sort. Just don't trust that kind of stuff. But yeah I check my statements typically daily.

These days you also have to be careful of what you throw away. I bought a shredder 3 years ago. All my CC offers, statements and the like get shredded before going into the trash.

will said:

These days you also have to be careful of what you throw away. I bought a shredder 3 years ago. All my CC offers, statements and the like get shredded before going into the trash.

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Yeah I am extra cautious about that too .. nothing goes in the trash with my name on it without being shredded. Good advice nonetheless.

Last time I checked, when I look at a card I only get to verify the last four digits of the card on my point-of-sale system..

I did work at a place once where there was the ability to manually type in a credit card number..

Just a note. Online purchases are generally very secure UNLESS you purchase from an unknown vendor. There are only a few places I purchase from even if it means paying a little more. Also, make sure your browser is up-to-date and they use very strong encryption.

Mine was swiped early this year. I think it was a gas station that didn't have pay at the pump. I left the card with the teller. someone could have copied it easily if it was left out. It was used at an online Tarot card site to test it, a common practice the lady there told me as she refunded my card. Then later someone in Canada tried to key in manually a $200 transaction inside a gas station. My bank killed it immediately. I found out later that day as I could not even log onto my account.

Once before my company card was snitched at a restaurant. A stripe reader that sends data to a PDA or a cell phone camera is all that is needed. Some card processor printers still put your full name and card number on the paper strip too. Someone at a restaurant can just read it after you leave!

It should be a capital crime, IMO.

There is a law in place for a while (California or Federal?) that requires all store electronic receipts to print only the last 4 numbers (or so?) of the card to avoid theft by receipt.

-Bill

I had it happen last Dec, I placed a order online for a product that turned out to be back ordered for a extended time so I called a customer service rep. I have ordered countless times from this company located in California.

6 days later at 6:45am central time I get a phone call from the fraud detection office at the credit card company asking if I authorized a number of transactions in California in the past hour.

The rep was sorry that she had to wake me, buy I was already up so it was not a problem. We looked at my transaction history to verify what was valid and what should be classified as fraud.

Within 1 hour 45 min the individuals managed to charge $1950 to my card. First transactions where for small amounts testing the number. Then they charged several western union international money transfers to the Philippines. Also included was a funds transfer to a inmate account at the LA county jail.

They also had my home address as I received the receipts for the money orders, the name used was different enough but similar enough to pass verification. I was surprised at the fee's Western union charges for that service!

Being it was in the Christmas mail rush it took almost 3 weeks for a new card to arrive. Long term, it took over 3 months to get my credit card statement back into shape with the correct balance.

Since then anytime I make a purchase by phone, I use a onetime credit card number generated off my online account.

Some Point Of Sale systems make the clerk enter in the last 4 of the card as a verification step.

johnny13oi said:

Yeah I am extra cautious about that too .. nothing goes in the trash with my name on it without being shredded. Good advice nonetheless.

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Likewise...best money you can spend is on a shredder


CFU

BB said:

There is a law in place for a while (California or Federal?) that requires all store electronic receipts to print only the last 4 numbers (or so?) of the card to avoid theft by receipt.

-Bill

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I still see a few that don't because they are using older machines. I think they only require it for new machines (which I am pretty sure get swapped out periodically)

johnny: that sucks. i hope you didnt have to pay for all those charges.

verbie said:

johnny: that sucks. i hope you didnt have to pay for all those charges.

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yeah .. i also hope i dont have to ... we'll see how it goes.