Credit Card # Compromised

[tawilke46]

Just a head's up for everyone. My Visa card was compromised on Dec 9, 2011. On that day I ordered Posi-Taps from Amazon.com from a outfit called Racer Parts Wholesale.
I also ordered a Fuzeblock from Fuzeblocks.com. I believe the card # was stolen at the Racer Parts Wholesale outfit. Illegal items purchased on the card were a Dell computer, and several hundred dollars of video games for a total of about $1,400. Which would indicate to me a young individual, maybe into gaming and racing bikes?
I trust the folks at Fuzeblock, so I don't think they were responsible.

 

[elizilla]

When you buy things off Amazon, you pay them and they pay the other merchant. The other merchant doesn't get your credit card.

I've had my credit card numbers stolen twice now. Both times the bank took care of it, with little trouble to me and no dollars out of my pocket. The system is working like it's supposed to - the banks are the only ones who can really do anything about fraud, so they bear the cost. They make a cost/benefit decision about what sort of protections are worth doing. I just make a point of doing all my shopping with a credit card, not a debit card, because that way when (not if) this stuff happens, I don't have to fight to get my money back - the fight is kept exclusively to bills I haven't paid yet.

 

[tawilke46]

Then I have a beef with Amazon.
I was unaware of how it worked.
Katherine, you sure have a vast knowledge of a lot of different subjects.
Two thumbs up!!
Thanks

 

[Warren]

The issue with the debit card is not if they will reimburse you but how long you will be out your money until they do. Some people are living on a fine line and can not afford to be without access to their money especially if they are having bills paid from their debit account. I also only use a credit card.

 

[tawilke46]

My mistake on how Amazon operates.
I used a credit card, not a debit card. All I know is $1,400 in purchases, not made by me, were made on or after the 9th of Dec. Which was right after my Amazon purchases. Amazon gives customers a 100% satisfaction guarantee. I will get things straight with Amazon and apologize to Racer Parts Wholesale.
My credit card bank called me today to alert me to these purchases which appeared fradulent. Otherwise I would not have found out about them until my statement came in. They told me I am not liable for the charges and they are being removed from my account.
May never know who made the charges. Anyway all is good now.
Thanks for responses as usual.

 

[vc_slim]

I was defrauded for over $14000 in less than a month. Was a hassle going back thru the charges but in the end it got cleared up. I kept the points though for my troubles. Never heard if they every caught the perps. Lesson learned, always check the activity on your cards. Which reminds me, I'm headed to that site next.

 

[elizilla]

The issue with the debit card is not if they will reimburse you but how long you will be out your money until they do. Some people are living on a fine line and can not afford to be without access to their money especially if they are having bills paid from their debit account. I also only use a credit card.

Exactly. And it doesn't matter how virtuous you are, or how solvent - thieves can empty a big bank account just as fast as they can empty a small one, using the debit card number. You'll get the money back, but being penniless without warning is a nuisance even if it's just for a day or two. And having to clean up the mess after it ricochets through your automated utility payments and mortgage, accumulating fees with other entities besides the original bank, would add even more complexity and hassle. So I am much more cautious about where I use that card.

As for chasing the fraud yourself, I wouldn't waste any time complaining to merchants. The credit card number could have gotten stolen long before you made those transactions, and Amazon isn't going to be very interested in discussing it with you. It's best left for the bank to take it up with whatever merchant they think is a likely suspect. The bank can find patterns based on all the frauds coming in, and pick out merchants that are careless or criminal, and sanction those merchants much better than you can.

My two credit card fraud incidents? The first one, someone bought things off iTunes, and then they spent a couple hundred bucks at some store I never heard of that the bank's database had listed as a seller of prescription eyeglasses in New York. The second one, someone used my number to pay their Magic Jack bill. The bank gave me a new card number, each time, and took the bad charges off my bill. I assume they back-charged the merchants. It seems like all these purchases might have offered clues the merchants could use to chase down the actual thieves, but no one told me if they did.

 

[Coyote Chris]

I get e-mails from my CC Bank when big purchases are made. My wife and I got a call in the middle of the night from a financial institution asking us if we were trying to wire money to Bulgaria and the Caribean?
I think someone used a hand scanner at a restaurant on my wife's card.
While there are any number of ways of someone getting your number, I dont give my card to waiters/waitresses where they take it out of my sight, and if someone is using a cell phone next to me in line at a store,
I make sure they cant photograph my card. But there are bogus scanners at machines everywhere and hand swipers and crooks can hack into commerical sites and get your number. Checking on line every few days is the way to go.

 

[ARKNT]

My Visa was had an attempt at fraud back in the end of November. The purchase was refused at the store (some kind of arcade) and I received a phone call to verify. They canceled the card and issued a replacement.
I don't like it when this happens because it reminds me how vulnerable we are but it was handled very well and did not cause me much problem yet.
The system is certainly not perfect but usually does quite well.

Brad

 

[charlie b]

After having our debit card hacked we decided on some very specific ways to deal with how we purchase things.

We only use our debit card in person. We use it a lot and since then have not had it hacked.

We use a credit card for our business and it gets used on line a lot. It has been hacked 4 or 5 times in as many years. We cancel the cards and have new ones sent to us. We aren't out any money and at least once we know the person was arrested (not sure what happened after that).

For other charges we use an American Express card. I've had an AMEX for over 40 years and NEVER (I say as I knock on wood) had one hacked, even with extensive online use and use on travel. Actually, AMEX calls us frequently when I go on travel due to out of pattern charges.

Good luck on your settlement.

 

[Coyote Chris]

I do basically what you do, but why wont some places take AMEX? My doctors office wont.....
I am hearing stories that in Europe the credit cards have microchips to help with hacking, or some such reason....is this true?

 

[Phil Tarman]

The reason some places won't take AMEX cards is a percentage point or so higher merchant's fee. I think some cards here have microchips, but most merchants card readers aren't equipped to detect them.

 

[Chuck 500]

Had mine hacked too, a month or so back. Noticed it hen I went to purchase an e-book and the purchase wouldn't go through. I called the issuer (USAA BTW) and they had noticed unusual activity and blocked the card. We went through all the charges and they reversed the fraudulent charges. They issued a new card in days.

 

[JQL]

I do basically what you do, but why wont some places take AMEX? My doctors office wont.....
I am hearing stories that in Europe the credit cards have microchips to help with hacking, or some such reason....is this true?

In Europe we do have a chip on our Credit and Debit cards. It does make them more difficult to clone but, not impossible.

Where, or course, the chip system falls down is with on-line purchases. My Bank requires each on-line transaction to be confirmed. This is done by sending me an SMS (Text) code which I have to enter into the verification window (Verified by VISA etc.) of the secure transaction.

 

[RedLdr1]

Where, or course, the chip system falls down is with on-line purchases. My Bank requires each on-line transaction to be confirmed. This is done by sending me an SMS (Text) code which I have to enter into the verification window (Verified by VISA etc.) of the secure transaction.

A minor "hassle" I wouldn't mind having to help deal with fraud. Here the best they do is ask for the cards security code to "prove" it is in your possession...not really effective...:rolleyes1:

 

[charlie b]

Yes, AMEX fees are a bit higher. But, I like that most places we travel to do take them.

I'd love the verification system to be used on my cards and the chip as well.

I do not like the RFID in current form since it is easily hacked.

Sent from my DROID2