Credit card fraud... a first for me...

18 years ago

Thank goodness I am in the habit of checking my statement against my receipts. Last week I discovered a purchase of about $400 I didn't recognize and neither did DH. I immediately called the c.c. company and they canceled the number and sent new cards. I often use this card for online purchases, and the unauthorized charge was also made online. I suppose there is a connection there, and now I am worried about using the card this way again, but I love the convenience of online shopping, so I will probably continue. They investigated and a few days later I got a refund. I need to call them to find out if they know where this originated so I at least can avoid that particular store or vendor.

How common is this?

Elisabeth

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (16)

evatx
18 years ago
I've never had that happen, but I think it's fairly common. All it takes is one unscrupulous person getting hold of the account number. I'm glad you found the charge and got it taken care of quickly.
socks
18 years ago
I think we've had an incorrect charge or two over the years, but nothing on the internet. Good for you for watching your bill. If I were you, I would continue shopping on the internet. Just watch your vendors to make sure they seem legitimate. Anything through Amazon would be safe, of course.

I use e-bay and pay pal, but they do make me nervous. From time to time I get fraudulent e-mails from jerks posing as paypal and e-bay wanting me to "verify" my account information. I don't know how they get my e-mail address, how they know I use e-bay and paypal, and that bothers me a little. Also, e-bay and pay pal are not easy to reach on the phone if there is a problem.
Related Discussions
Ugh, credit card fraud
Q
Comments (20)
I received this in an email today. Will we *ever* be safe? ;o) Dear Cardmember , Recently, Citi was notified of a system breach at Epsilon, a third-party vendor that provides marketing services to a number of companies, including Citi. The information obtained was limited to the customer name and email address of some credit card customers. No account information or other information was compromised and therefore there is no reason to re-issue a new card. Because e-mail addresses can be used for "phishing" attacks, we want to remind our customers of the following: Citi Cards uses an Email Security Zone in all of our email to help you recognize that the email was sent by us. Customers should check the Email Security Zone to verify that the email you received is from Citi and reduce the risk of personal information being "phished." To help you recognize that the email was sent by Citi we will always include the following in the Email Security Zone in the top headline portion of all our emails: Your first name and last name Last four digits of your Citi card account number And recently to increase security, we have added your Ã¢ÂÂmember sinceÃ¢ÂÂ date located on the front of your card, where available. More information about phishing is available here: learn more Important steps that you can take to protect your security online: Don't provide your Online User ID or password in an e-mail. Don't reply to e-mails that require you to enter personal information directly into an e-mail or URL. Don't reply to or follow links in e-mails threatening to close your account if you do not take the immediate action of providing any personal information. We may send you an email regarding your account requesting you contact us via phone. It is not recommended to use your e-mail address as a login ID or password. If you suspect that youÃ¢ÂÂve received a fraudulent e-mail message, please forward it to us. Forward suspicious e-mails to: spoof@citicorp.com If you have any questions or concerns about emails that you may receive that look suspicious, we encourage you to contact Citi Customer Service at the phone number on the back of your card.
...See More
a warning about using credit union-issued credit cards
Q
Comments (5)
I am a merchant who accepts credit cards. On this end it's pretty cut and dry. I get a notice of a chargeback and I must produce my copy of the credit card receipt with their signature on it. It must be either imprinted or through a terminal. With online sales I must produce the hard copy of the order. I have 5 business days to either send or fax my copy proving the charge, or the money is automatically deducted from my bank. Plus a $25 fee. I get chargebacks because I'm an artist who does art and craft fairs throughout the northeast and there are times people in say, New Jersey see a charge from a company they never heard of in Vermont. "I've never been to Vermont!" So they challenge. I produce the receipt and a note they made a purchase at such and such craft fair, and it's done. Go to your credit Union in person and talk to someone who can actually help you. Have someone with some authority help you. You're finding out phone tag doesn't work. Go up the chain of command at the CU to get things done. You have 24 months from the date of the alleged charge to challenge it. The merchant has 5 business days to answer.
...See More
Credit Card Fraud - stupid thief?
Q
Comments (6)
It's a great idea to check all your credit or banking accounts online every day or two. It makes it much harder for anyone to use your existing accts past the first time. Kids like to order stuff with parent's cards because they might have easy access to them and the computer. If they can catch the mail and you don't know that something was delivered, they'll deny it forever. If an outsider stole your card, it's not likely, but possible that things would be mailed to your own address unless it's a neighbor's kid who thought they could pull it off. There is much good info to be found in mailboxes. Just think, when you write a check with your address, phone number, checking acct number, and possibly driver's license number, and put it in an envelope with a credit card bill, with your account number, place it in your mailbox for pickup, and send up a red flag for all the world to know that's it's likely they'll find some good stuff if they grab your mail. Outgoing mail should be mailed at the post office or handed to the carrier. If this were me, I would get online and check my credit reports right away. You can't know if any other accts. have been opened in your name without checking there. It's a good idea to go to your local police station with the evidence, and have them write a police report on this theft. If someone has your identity and commits a larger crime or skips out on bail, you can be arrested for it. The burden is then yours to prove that it wasn't you. This theft can get much more serious than a few videos showing up in the mailbox. Here's the website of Clark Howard. He's on top of all sorts of money scams and has a lot of useful info for anyone with a fraud type problem. He's a radio and television consumer advocate and doesn't charge for any help. Most of the needed info is right on the website. Hope some of this helps. Linda Here is a link that might be useful: Clark Howard's website
...See More
Credit Card Fraud - happened to us
Q
Comments (16)
OJ, Canada might be different than Minnesota but here, the store does not get charged for a fraudulent purchase and I'm guessing that would be nationwide. Once the store gets an approval code for the card purchase (and the sale isn't normally complete until the approval these days) the purchase then goes through and the card company is now liable, not the retailer (except of course for the card fee). That's why I often took a card over a check. Challenging a charge these days is more difficult. Used to be people would get buyer's remorse on a custom purchase and try to challenge a charge. Doesn't work like that anymore which is good. Those charges go against the profits, much of which is the 20% or more interest that some fools pay. There was also a check approving company who would give a code and if the check bounced, they paid for it. That was rather expensive though so it's not real popular. And checks aren't real popular around here anymore anyway. I had my card stopped while I was out of town because of suspicious activity and got a call from them once asking if I had bought a computer from a large discount retailer who shall remain nameless (so some grouch won't go nutzo!) They replaced the card the first time. I wonder how much of the scam is coming from inside the card companies themselves. I can't believe that they do intense background checks on their phone support folks. Most of the time and in both of my cases there was no loss to anyone but me (for my inconvenience - fortunately I had cash to cover the hotel) since card purchases need to be approved up front now. In the old days of carbon impressions and sending them in to be processed there was quite a delay and more trouble for everyone involved.
...See More
grittymitts
18 years ago
One of our CC companies called tii see if we'd made almost $2000. purchases @ 2 diff. businesses. NO. One was just under #1400. at a Gold Hallmark Store- of all places! (Lladro figurines I guess.) Other was Dell. CC security said they would deny credit...but refused to give me much info- did say they didn't report it to police nor would they prosecute. What?????

Later learned a part time night clerk at the motel where we stayed from Mon. to Fri. each week during DH's radiation treatments had stolen our number and several others.

Suzi
bunglogrl
18 years ago
The bank caught fraud on my debit card just a few minutes after I purchased something on Amazon. It was such a small amount (less than $20) that I likely wouldn't have noticed the unauthorized online purchase until the end of the month.

The bank was very nice about calling and emailing me right after it happened, but it is frustrating that they don't share very much info. They did tell me that fraudsters sometimes start with a small amount to 'test' the card number. I'm still wondering how someone got the number from Amazon. I also wonder if a CC is safer than a debit card for online purchases, or if I should look into getting one of those special online shopping CC numbers assigned to the card.

Waiting 7 business days for new cards was a pain since I use my ATM card for everything! When I called the bank to complain they said they would have overnighted the new cards ... for a small fee ... if I'd asked. Overnight mail should be automatic in that situation, imo.
tami_ohio
18 years ago
I'm sorry that happened, and glad that you caught it right away. I do use my regular cc online, usually only thru paypal. However, I do have a suggestion, if you are uncomfortable doing so now. Go to your bank, or somewhere that sells the credit card type gift cards. They should be reloadable. That way, you only have a specific amt. available to anyone who tries to steal the #.

Tami
JoanMN
18 years ago
In April, in FL, that happened to me. A $1,040 charge for a resort in Singapore.
While I was on the phone with Chase, they told me to cut the card up right the and sent me a new one.
I joined Lifelock that same day!
JoanMN
sheilajoyce_gw
18 years ago
I understand debit cards are even more dicey to have when it comes to fradulent use of your cards. Don't understand why, but have read warnings.
donna_loomis
18 years ago
A couple of months ago WAMU called me to ask about an unusual purchase. Thank goodness they caught it so quickly. I check balances and such online and checked after they called. None of the purchases had gone through yet, but there was a pending debit for just under $700 to a company that builds websites, and a $100 purchase of clothing for skateboarders. What tipped them off wasn't the fact that I'm 53 and don't skateboard, LOL, but there was also a charge for one penny and another for one dollar to a charity. They said that this was how it started. Don't know how they got my info, but they did the penny and dollar charges just to see if there was money in the account. Then they went shopping. I was practically hysterical, but sadly for the thieves, the bank paid a check I had written (which they normally wouldn't do if the debit was pending) and there wasn't enough money left to get the webpage and skater clothing. It all worked out, but left me feeling very vulnerable.
Indy_Anna
18 years ago
We have MBNA credit cards that have been stolen (online) two or three times. Each time, MBNA picked up on it first. They called me at work, cancelled the card, and overnighted us new ones. I didn't have to request anything nor pay for it. Once we were leaving on vacation the next day, and they made sure we had the new cards before we left. We've had accounts with them for eight years now and have no intent to change.

On the other side of the coin, DH had a card stolen from 5/3 bank. We didn't even have an account there, so I don't know how someone got a card in his name. The card was opened in 2000, was never used and then stolen in 2006. Someone took it to Brazil and took out $2k of money from an ATM $200 at a time. It took us months to finalize that one - HOURS on the phone with them. They claimed that since we never used the card, they didn't know our spending patterns. DUH! Our spending pattern was that WE DIDN'T USE THE CARD! It was the most frustrating ordeal we've had in a long time. Then, they got all but one transaction erased. Why ONE remained, I don't know. But they charged us late fees on that one, and we had to fight about that too. What a mess.

But, MBNA is THE BEST when dealing with card fraud.
rosebudms
18 years ago
Socks, they don't have to know if you use PayPal or not.... we get e-mails about our PayPal account frequently, and we have never had such an account. They're probably just phishing.

I have had fradulent charges on one card twice... the first time was for something purchased in Saudi Arabia or somewhere...they called me to see if it was legitimate. Changed card number, sent new card. Recently, new charges in New york state on the new card. Same thing, new card, new number. I have not used it yet. Am wondering who stole the number. Will be very selective in choosing to use it again.
jannie
18 years ago
When my daughter started college, I gave her my credit card and said "Get a good computer". Several hours later, I got a call about someone buying a $2000 Mac Book. It was legit but I'm sure glad someone was out there watching!
kayjones
18 years ago
I went to lunch with a girlfriend a few years back - close friend, too. I checked my cc bill when I received it later in the month, and saw an airline ticket had been purchased - I didn't buy one - called the cc company, they investigated, found out my 'friend', Alice, had purchased the ticket. They didn't prosecute her, but did give me the credit for it. She had to reimburse the cc company.

She finally admitted that when I went to the rr to wash my hands, she got the number from my wallet - amazing friend, huh? From then on, I keep my card in my wallet and close to me, and a close eye on my cc statements. If I am just out and about, I don't carry my cc.
foggyj
18 years ago
I just got a cc to use for internet purchases only. I forgot to ask the bank to keep the available amount,low. I haven't received it yet. I'm always afraid to make purchases online. It seems to be getting easier to steal numbers.
gardenspice
18 years ago
Just because the fraudulent charge came from online, does not mean that the number was stolen during an online transaction. The number could have been stolen anywhere and simply used online.
Regardless: what a pain!
Thanks for the reminder to check statements with an eagle eye.
joyfulguy
18 years ago
Hi socks ... with 1,2,3,4 or 5 holes,

As someone said, they send to many email addresses: they have hundreds/thousands of email addresses, send out requests for bank/account info to all of them.

I have never used PayPal or eBay, but have received several requests for account information, purportedly from them.

Also from a variety of banks that I've never heard of.

Also from some that I have, including, supposedly, one where I have accounts.

I've replied to several asking whether they want me to forward the messages, including the option that I have at the bottom of the Yahoo page containing the offending message to click on "Full headers", to get full history of the trail that the message followed to get from them to me.

Some ask that I send them, many do not.

ole joyful
joyfulguy
18 years ago
Hi again socks 12345,

When I said that I've replied to some, I do not mean that I clicked on the link that they provided (which usually goes through at least one redirect to a different address than the one that they gave).

I did not click on the "Reply" at the top of the page where their message is, either.

I either do a search for the company that they claim to represent, or ask for website, e.g. www.fifththirdbank.com, or whatever the name is of the famous financial agency involved, then go to "Contact us" to send my message.

That way, I know that I'm going to the horse's mouth (not the other end).

Good luck with evading capture!

ole joyful

Credit card fraud... a first for me...

Comments (16)

evatx

socks

Related Discussions

grittymitts

bunglogrl

tami_ohio

JoanMN

sheilajoyce_gw

donna_loomis

Indy_Anna

rosebudms

jannie

kayjones

foggyj

gardenspice

joyfulguy

joyfulguy

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US