Credit Card Fraud
 

We had a credit card problem some years ago, the fraud was committed in a very clever way. My husband's credit card showed two charges of $14.99 per month, he asked if they were my charges, I never ever use this particular card, so no they were not my charges. Then he looked back and found that we had been charged $14.99 twice a month on this same card for the past three months. I got onto the internet and found that they were one and same online "Vegas Fun" company! Turns out their way of doing business was to keep the charges under $15.00 because people rarely question small amounts on their bill. Since this time we check everything on the bill!

The bank made good on the problem, but where a "Fun" company got our number we have absolutely no idea.

Happened to me in Scotland last June, over $3.000 charged to my card!! master card caught it straight away

I was visiting TV in April and May. On April 14, I had a debit on my debit card for $14.95 from FreeCreditReport.com. I didn't immediately investigate, thinking that at some point I must have clicked on the wrong thing on the computer, and ordered something. (I later found I shouldn't have questioned myself.) Then the debit appeared again in May. Once I got home in June, I called FreeCreditReport and reported the fraudulent charges. They looked within their system and asked me if I knew "Jennifer" since the charges were to provide "Jennifer" with monthly credit reports. Got credited for those charges, and had my debit card number blocked for FreeCreditReport services.

Then in June, there was a $100 debit from Amazon.com for a gift card. Also, a $1 debit from RIRhapsody music service. I caught these the same day the debits appeared and had the money credited to my account. Since, I've closed the debit card and received a new one. Henceforth, I won't be using the debit card for anything but cash withdrawls at ATM's. Unfortunate, because it is so handy. Will instead use charge cards since they offer better protections for reimbursement from fraudulent activities.

I don't know where the debit card info was stolen. I can tell you, however, that up until the time fraudulent activity happened, I had only used the card at two locations in TV ... Walmart's and the Pharmacy counter in the Publix Colony Plaza location. Of course, I can't prove either of these sources as the link to the fraudulent activity. Just want to add my cautions to the rest of the peeps here. I know the card wasn't "scanned" because I keep the cards in special envelopes to protect from scanning (see Identity Stronghold - #1 Manufacturer of RFID Blocking Wallets, Sleeves and Badge Holders).

My credit card recently showed a charge of about$800 in Michigan which I have not visited in 10 years.i only use this card to charge restaurant meals mostly in the Villages. Those are the only facilities where your charge card actually leaves your presence as the wait staff leaves with your bill.
Be careful

When several people that I know well and completely respect said that this has happened here, especially the OP...... on this old thread revived today, we took heed.

We now pay cash for meals here.

I think njbchbum also gave excellent advice as well.

As many of you know I am a huge sceptic but when I know the posters well and know they are NOT alarmists, I trust their advice and thank them for their heads up.

We do try to watch out for each other here.

I had an American Express card compromised by someone who loaded up on iTunes music. Fortunately, AMEX ate the charges and now I get an immediate text message anytime my card has a charge made to it without the card actually being present, including when I do that myself.

If it did happen at a restaurant the person will eventually get caught.

Since they were successful and not caught, they will no doubt do it again. Multiple incidents will give the credit card company the ability to triangulate the different incidents and eventually identify who did it.

If it happened to me and I suspected that I had good reason to believe it occurred at a particular business. I would contact the Head Restaurant Manager and tell them about it. Sometimes those places have cameras setup and may have filmed something... provide them with the date and time. The receipt should have codes for the wait staff and whoever rang it up!

But, you might also consider that the credit card information may have been compromised in other ways or at another business, perhaps through some other source (prior internet purchase).

After finding out that some one in Chicago had used my Social Security number for nine years without my knowledge--A bank manager told me the name and I followed through and got the companies that gave him credit to cancel all his credit cards etc: He was also arrested--As I was born in Chicago te same year he was our Social Secruity number were one number apart--He had gone bankrupt almost 10 years before using his Social Security number and the police in Chicago advised me that the chances were he would walk away from his debts of $91M using my Social Security number leaving me holding the bag! He would then revert back to his own SS number and start over! please also remember it is a felony to have two people using the same Social Security number and the credit reporting companys did not care until my report and now they must due a check to see who legaly owns that Social Security number--It is a good idea when requesting your credit reports to ask that the reporting company to make sure no one else is using your Social Security number!
The cost to me to take care of this matter was well over $2000.00 and three months of work, as well as air tickets to Chicago to sign paper work with the Police department to have him arrested!
Before we moved to the Villages in December of 2011 from Palos Verdes California I paid off and closed all of my credit cards, opened two savings accounts and two debit cards for personal use--in one of the debit card accounts I transfer money as need into that account avoiding problems with credit card fraud! I also check both bank accounts on line every day
Susan

A quick message about your Medicare numbers/SMS numbers. There is a ring that started in Tampa and is now throughout the US. They are stealing your SS number through your doctor's office. They are paying people in the offices big amounts of money to give out list of Medicare numbers that just happens to be your SS number with a letter. Then they file a false income tax to get your tax return. When you go to file you are rejected because you already filed. This was on Rock Center last night but they failed to mention that they were getting the SS numbers through doctors offices. Make sure your doctors office has your Medicare numbers secure. It just happened to a friend of mine and he was telling us about it Thursday. He had mentioned that he went to a couple of regent care places and to see a couple of doctors. Doesn't know where they got his info but the attorney general and IRS are investigating. He will now have to go through a bunch of trouble and expense.

In 1988 I was having som testing done. I looked up on the computer screen and listed were my name, address, date of birth social security number and name of health carrier. i complained bitterly for the longest time. Advance to 2013 and that same information is displayed everywhere in the medical community. The fix isn't a rocket scientist regime

Credit card number stolen
 

My credit card was also compromised here in the Villages... I did not eat at Bravo's.... so it happened somewhere else... I had several late bills that were on automatic pay as the bank shut my card down... This really upset me and caused quite a bit of stress. I wish we could find out where this is happening.

I rarely used the card myself, but then I used it at Applebees. Bank notified me right away of the extra charge from a mysterious place. Was issued a new card. Just happened a week ago, had to wait a few days for a new card.

There are 2 different laws that protect us, The Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA) and the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA). This site explains your liability for both credit and debit cards. Lost or Stolen Credit, ATM, and Debit Cards | Consumer Information

We pay cash for almost everything and check our bank account on line daily. We keep a small amount of money in the account for our debit card and do not have overdraft protection, that way it someone does get the number and tries to charge more than $10 it will not go through. When we are going to use our debit card for larger shopping we go online, transfer the money we will need for the shopping into the debit account and if we don't use all of it we transfer the extra back out when we get home. There are readers out there that can electronically read your credit / debit card information right through your wallet / purse without you ever using or removing the card so it possible for your card to be compromised without you even using the card.

I don't like to pay cash for anything. I like the double miles I get per dollar on my Cap One Visa, so I charge as much as I can. Yes, the card has been compromised twice, but we were not liable for any of it, and Capital One called us immediately and sent us new cards next day air.

In European restaurants, your card never leaves your sight. The server brings a card reader to your table, and it reads prints out a receipt there for you to sign. Also, European credit cards have chips in them that are much more secure and harder to steal than our magnetic strips. All this technology is available to the US credit card companies and restaurants, but they will not spend the money on it.