Stolen Credit card

[TheresaM]

Hi everyone, the board gets filled up so fast and I did not see a response to the lady who recently had her CC stolen, online. Was it a security site that it was stolen from? What site was it? I have honestly only bought a few things, online for this reason. I would appreciate any insight on this subject. Thanks - Theresa

[sneezles]

Theresa
I'm guessing you're referring to my loss of my number online. I have only purchased from what I thought were secure sites...Amazon, Barnes&Nobles, Old Navy, just to name a few. Found out that both my Visa and MC #'s were being used online and I have never used the Visa! So I doubt it was from an online site but I'm not going to shop online anymore, which is really a loss since I live soooo far from EVERYTHING!!!! I will be checking into one of those Smart cards, I think they are from AmEx. I have been shopping online for about three years and this was a very recent occurance. Most people I talk to haven't had any such bad luck!

[LGBurns]

sneezles and TheresaM: I'm no expert but from everything I've heard using your card on-line from a secure site is probably safer than other mail-order uses of your credit card. If you think about it, how much control do you have over the person you give your cc number to over the phone (or the person who reads it off the form you send in). At least on-line a person has to actually hack into a site and break through a firewall to get your card number. Sneezles, since you didn't use your Visa on line, it sounds like someone got your card number through another source (as you said). Anyway, my opinion is credit cards are easy to access in many ways (which is why cc companies don't charge you for purchases made when your number has been stolen), and I don't think the internet is particularly more vulnerable than other cases.

[mommywannabe]

My husband and I had something similar happen about six months ago. We figured out that someone had taken our mail while we were out of town for a long weekend. Our new debit cards and my Corporate AMEX card statment were both stolen. The bank called to tell us we had $0 in our account, which tipped us off about the debit card. I found it interesting that the bank didn't have a good answer about how the theif activated the cards. I've since discovered that some cards only require you to call and enter in your zip code to activate your card (rather than part of your SSN)...how dumb is that; the zip is on the envelope the card was sent in & anybody can activate it! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/frown.gif
About a month later, my husband received a package in the mail from QVC containing a necklace. He didn't order it & we finally figured out (through many painful phone calls to QVC) that someone had used my Corporate AMEX with my husband's name and had them ship to our home address. Not the most intelligent choice of ship-to addresses!

Through all of this I discovered that the banks & credit cards are pretty easy to deal with.

[Ralph]

I whole-heartedly agree w/LGBurns comments.
Knock on wood, I've never had a problem on-line, though some strange charges (only a few dollars) showed up a while back on a card I NEVER use (it's just for emergencies). The CC company said that someone likely just RANDOMLY typed in a 16-digit number which HAPPENED to be mine! They IMMEDIATELY deactivated the card & graciously removed the charges, reissuing me a new card & number. They promised FULL prosecution of the offender if found (after all, they've got the lawyers!).
Sneezles, check w/the card companies for a possible similar explanation, & don't deprive yourself of the e-tailing experience just because of a few jerks!

[sneezles]

Ralph
Fortunately the MC is covered by the fradulant charges coverage they offer. However, since it is a debit card first, we have to file paperwork to reclaim it ($500) and the Visa is a debit card for a different account and I'm sort of p. o. because there were four charges for $99 debitted in the same day and the bank took no notice of it!!!
Just thought I'd play it safe with the new one, knowing where I've used it and could maybe track it better if it happens with this one.

[TheresaM]

Everyone, thanks for the insight. I will continue to slowly and cautiously shop online. I do agree there are several ways to obtain CC numbers, besides online. But since it is the holiday season and I do need a few more things, if I find them online I will just have to decide whether to order them online or not. - Theresa

[ginny177]

One of our most vulnerable places is the mail - particularly for those of us who have private mailboxes. All our financial accounts are vulnerable to stolen numbers & identities, including brokerage accounts and store charge accounts. If a thief can obtain a copy of your bank account number, they're in gold ! They can operate for quite a while before being detected. It's an age old scam - practiced long before e-shopping. Just be as careful of security as you are able & hope you're not the target.
This is from one formerly in banking.
Sorry not to offer happier news.

[junietoo]

sneezles: VISA has the SmartCard techology as well (I think First Union is issuing such a card. You can find out by just doing a simple Yahoo search.) I looked into it briefly and got the feeling that merchants may not be geared up to accept the techology as yet. When I have more time, I'll study up on it and report back -- unless others on this board already know the score?

[sneezles]

Thanks, junie, will do the search. As I'm having e-tail withdrawal!!

[LGBurns]

Rather than credit card numbers (which are at least protected by the credit card companies), the thing I most worry about being stolen is my social security number. Someone stole my friend's social security number and used it to open a phone number on the other side of town. She didn't find out until the person had racked up $800 in charges and the phone company contacted her at her real phone number to threaten to cut it off! The phone company did forgive the bill, but there isn't much that can be done because the Social Security office won't let you change numbers. She now has a service that notifies her everytime she applies for credit in any way, so she knows if someone is using her identity. I can't remember the name of the service but I think she said it isn't very expensive.

[lorilei]

Quite honestly, you put a lot of trust in any merchant while using your credit card -- even in a regular retail store.

A number of years ago when I worked in retail, there was a huge scandal in a nearby store because an associate was copying down credit card numbers from customers cards and using them to order pizza, catalog products and Internet items. Since no identification was required for any of these transactions, it took months before the associate was caught and prosecuted.

Nothing in this world is completely secure -- so, it really is a matter of using personal discretion and responsibility when dealing with things like this. I often feel more comfortable using my cc at a secure site online than using my debit card in a store -- seems backwards, I know. But it's all a matter of what lies within each person's comfort zone.

One thing I would caution against altogether is using a debit/credit card online. Debit cards do not offer the same security as a regular credit card and often it is difficult (if not impossible) to receive a credit for mis-charged items.

[Leanne]

I've had credit card numbers stolen at restaraunts, & had my ssn stolen too - no idea how they got it, but with only that bit of information (got my name & address & birthday wrong) they were able to take out some substantial loans (over 6000$). It's been a HUGE hassle for years now.

Anyway, AMEX has one time credit card numbers you can use for purchases on line. They're one-time use numbers - so if they're stolen, it doesn't matter. My husband has just started using them. I think you can get them from their website.

[This message has been edited by Leanne (edited 12-06-2000).]

[Leanne]

I have the fraud alert on - it's supposed to work for 7 years. It was "off" or ignored almost immediately. People at department stores just ignore it if they want to get you a credit card right then.(I tested some stores on this - every place I tried gave it to me. Getting a cell phone was the only time it was not ignored.) All it takes is a ssn & you have credit instantly & easily. This is why I have had problems for years.

[Abby]

I got this number from a co-worker to call to have your name taken off of all the lists for pre-approved credit cards, etc. It is 1-888-567-8688. It works pretty well. I think it will exclude your name from lists that come from the three major credit bureaus - Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union.

[Gail]

Lori, LG Burns and Leanne have raised points I was going to make myself. It's frightening to think how very vulnerable our credit and finances really are. I've had so many people tell me "I NEVER give my credit card number over the phone. What if someone steals it." But in reality, you run that same risk any time you use a credit card. All it takes is one unscrupulous person-- be it a restaurant, your local Walmart or the place you rent videos. There are SOOO many ways to access one's financial information and credit accounts. No matter how cautious you may be, you may still be targeted. In the past twenty years, we've had credit cards cloned, credit card numbers stolen and a cell phone cloned. It's nice that in all cases we weren't held liable, but it's disturbing that these crimes continue to escalate and in many cases the perpetrators are never caught.

Thanks Abby and Susan Joy for the useful info. Although there's certainly no way to curtail these illegal practices completely, I'm all for putting in as many rockblocks as possible!

[RobinC]

Here is another perspective on using credit cards on the internet.

My BF and I run a business on our web site. We have a secure server that encrypts the credit card information our customers submit to us.

Whenever you order anything on-line, make sure that the lock icon on your browser is highlighted/closed. This means you a submiting your credit card information to a secure server and your information will be encrypted when sent to the host server. If it is not encrypted, the data you transmitted can be read by a third party. It is amazing how many e-tail business do not operate a secure server.

Many retailer who have on-line credit card approval never actually have access to your credit card number. What happens is you submit your credit card #, the data is encrypted and sent for approval to a merchant bank, the bank then returns an approval or decline. Your credit card info is then never stored with the merchant.

NEVER NEVER NEVER e-mail your credit card information. E-mail is not secure!!

I once asked a professor of mine how he felt about buying stuff over the internet. He said that he often gave his credit card to shady looking waiters at the local pubs who then disappeared into a back room, so sending his credit card information through a secure connection was probably safer.

I have ordered on-line for a few years. My BF and I operate a server out of our home and he is very knowlegeable about internet security issues. My final gut check is him. When he says something is not secure, I will not use it. He is still using our company debit card to order inventory over the internet, so I will still order over the internet too.

[SusanJoy]

Abby - Thanks for posting that phone number - I have a huge file of stuff all relating to this matter but it makes me so crazy to go through it!

Leanne - Sorry to hear that the fraud alert doesn't work very well. I'll have to be especially watchful. It makes me so angry to think that someone might be out there ruining my credit rating and I don't even know it!

[Beth]

Originally posted by LGBurns:
She now has a service that notifies her everytime she applies for credit in any way, so she knows if someone is using her identity.

We were contacted by a credit card co this summer and found that our gas card had been stolen and used for a few hundred dollars in purchases. All we had to do to clear it was sign and return an affidavit declaring that we had not made or authorized the charges. With that, we were sent the 800 numbers for the 3 major credit reporting companies. You can call and tell them that you had an account used fraudulently and request that they put a watch on the account and notify you anytime someone tries to open new credit. There is no charge for that, but you cannot open an instant account since you won't be at home when they call to get verification from you. Since credit reports are kept by social security numbers and names, any use of your SSN should also trigger it. I suspect that this service your friend has paid for has just done that for her and taken her money for something she could have gotten free.

[SusanJoy]

This is a HOT topic with me these days. We recently had a disasterous experience while trying to set up education trusts for our two daughters. The trust co. (TIAA-CREF) deposited our check into someone else's account, told us that they hadn't received any info from us - but our check had been cashed so we thought mail had been stolen and all our info was out in the world in bad hands. They also sent us someone else's application with all their banking info, and ssn's ! AAGH!

ANYWAYS - as a result I learned that you can contact all the major credit bureaus for a number of things. 1) is to put a "fraud alert" on your report - that is when they will notify you if anyone tries to open credit in your name using your ssn. I did all of this by phone and the service is free! 2) The other thing is you can call to have credit card applications that arrive in the mail - turned off! This is also through one of the credit bureaus. For up to two years. I don't have the info or phone numbers in front of me but will post later. 3)Get a copy of your credit report annually and correct info. and know what is going on with your accounts, etc.

FWIW - When I put our fraud alerts on with the credit bureaus one gal told me never to put sensitive outgoing mail in your home mail box - always bring it to a sealed mail box or the post office directly.

Susan

[Leanne]

Leanne - Sorry to hear that the fraud alert doesn't work very well. I'll have to be especially watchful.

I know - it's almost more frustrating to deal with the 3 agencies than dealing with the original fraud. Fraud alert hasn't worked - so if you have it - I would check up on it periodically. And, even though I have had repeated oral & written contact with all 3 agencies over the last few years, they still have wrong aliases, addresses, employers, etc. I would definitely check your credit regularly - it's free once a year & sometimes twice a year in most states.

[Don]

Another thing to be careful about is how you dispose of your garbage. A friend of mine's credit card number was stolen off a receipt that had been thrown away. Apparently, some thieves are willing to go through people's garbage in the hopes of finding a receipt or an old credit card bill. After hearing about that experience, I immediately went out and bought a shredder.

[LGBurns]

Beth, actually I think what you posted is what she did (I was just guessing that she paid for it).

Don's point is a good one and reminds me of something I saw on the news a few years ago. A secure place to dump your paper garbage is with a recycling center that locks its material up inside when it is not open. That way you are recycling and protecting your information. I also keep a black Sharpee on my desk and mark out all private information before I throw anything away (cheaper than a shredder).