WELL!..... it happened!

[wiseoldtech]

Today, upon checking my online bank account, I saw two "purchases" that didn't add up.
Not a whole helluva lot mind you, but it IS fraud/theft.
Both purchases are from two stores in Orlando Florida.
I've "never" been to Orlando.... duh.
So I called my bank, got the money replaced, and had to shut down my debit card.
I'll get a new one shortly, minor inconvenience.

I hope the creep enjoyed dining at the Orlando I-Hop, and shopping for junk at the Dollar General in Orlando.

I also located the phone numbers and locations of both stores - and a nice call tommorrow to alert them, as will the fraud department of my bank.

Matter of time till they wind up getting caught.

 

[mountainman bob]

Yah, unfortunately I wouldn’t get my hopes up about anyone being apprehended.

I’ve been down this road a half dozen times and never has anyone shown enough follow through to get results.......I think it’s just cheaper for the banks to accept and deal with than investigate.

 

[scottjoplin]

Did the bank tell you how it had happened?

 

[nenad88]

Send them FBI

 

[Michael Chua]

I had this happened to me a couple of times.

On both occasions, it was after I filled up gas.

I think a skimmer was used at the pumps.

I pay cash nowadays. Saves me all the trouble.

 

[tubesguy]

Same. Gas purchase (with debit card) and then charges in excess of $500. I've had good luck since with using the debit card as a credit card, but for everyday use I've found that many places still take cash.

 

[carlthess40]

I have BOA bank, I’ve had this problem many many time, and yes I live near Orlando,
Everything has been for a gas station. I always check the pump for one of those scanners and have never seen one
Anyway, BOA has these new cards that the 3 numbers in the back change every 4 hours
So after the 4 hours the card basically changes. It’s still in the testing stages for now and only a few people have the card.
It’s been working great for us, when we buy something online or over the phone, and they ask for the 3 numbers in the back of the card. The sale goes though, and every 4 hours those numbers keep changing. I live it, it’s been work great
Hopefully they will start to replace everyone’s cards with these new ones

 

[wiseoldtech]

Did the bank tell you how it had happened?

As I stated, I was home, going over my online banking statement.
Those two entries, togther, entered in on Feb 20th from stores in Orlando, were quite obvious.
And since I live in Philadelphia Pa, and have never been to Orlando, it was obvious.
So natually, I immediately called my bank.


Being entered on Monday the 20th, I would think the purchases were made over the weekend of Saturday Feb 8th or Sunday the 9th.

 

[scottjoplin]

I understand what you said, did they tell you how/why/wherefore it happened, their system hacked, your card skimmed etc?

 

[wiseoldtech]

I understand what you said, did they tell you how/why/wherefore it happened, their system hacked, your card skimmed etc?

No, I do not know yet how this happened, however I'm sure the bank's investigation will determine more information eventually.
I only contacted them last night...

As careful as I am with using my debit card, one never knows....

 

[scottjoplin]

I see thanks. I've not had any problem with my debit card, but it's been a long time since I've used it to buy petrol. I don't do internet banking, don't like the idea of it from a security point of view.

 

[Refugee1]

I use a credit card that you have to put money on before you use it.
This allows me to manage the risk and if the account gets robbed they still refund me.

 

[Signal lost]

There is an app that will detect skimmers. You can read about it here at Sparkfun.

 

[gpauk]

I just use a credit card, offers a lot or protection. Never use a debit card though, too risky.
Did some work for credit card company once, potentially a huge anti fraud contract. We put together a really good solution - then they told us, "sorry, we won't buy this. we put out tenders now and again as we have to be seen to do something. But in reality we don't care about fraud. The losses are noise level to our transaction volume"....

 

[Cal Weldon]

Not sure how it works in all countries but here in the great while north, if a purchase is noted as uncharacteristic, it is halted at the point of sale and you are contacted via text and email. Thank goodness Visa recently noted five attempted purchases of over $2000 each, on the other side of the country. Yes I required a new card but did not have to worry about anything else. Now I always alert them when I am making a large purchase or am heading out of town.

First time it happened to me, I was in a big box store buying a couple TV's. They stopped it and I had to call them to prove my identification. They said sorry Mr. Weldon but we have no record of you ever having shopped in this store and you were buying not one but two televisions.

 

[wiseoldtech]

I have to wonder about some of those people you are behind, in line at the store.... and they are attempting to use a "card" that keeps being denied, holding up the line....
I'll bet they are trying to use a stolen card.


What I'd like to know is HOW my pin number/card info was hacked, as careful as I am with using it.
And odd, that weekend of February 8th, 9th, I used my card here in Phila Pa. , while the crook was using it the same time in Orlando Fla.
Shouldn't that alert the bank/ Visa?
I mean, I can't be in both places at the same time!

 

[PRR]

...if a purchase is noted as uncharacteristic, it is halted at the point of sale and you are contacted via text and email....

Yes to your $2k rip-off. However our bank, after 3 days, called us on a busy Sunday morning about a $10 payment I made to a website in Belgium. If they knew me, and went to the website, they wudda said "Ahhh!"; but they don't and they didn't. And the call coming out of the blue about "Dr. Ir. Stéphane Pigeon" confused us.

...yes I know the $10 dip is sometimes the prelude to a bigger ripoff.....

..holding up the line.... I'll bet they are trying to use a stolen card.
...I used my card here in Phila Pa. , while the crook was using it the same time in Orlando Fla. I mean, I can't be in both places at the same time!

The elderly couple ahead of me in the supermarket today, took 3 minutes to pay, clearly did not remember a PIN or something.

And thanks to internet buying it can be hard to tell where you really are. Husband and wife can use the same-number card, but while you are buying snow-shovels in Philly she's down South with her latin lover.

 

[chris719]

Matter of time till they wind up getting caught.

I doubt they will be caught. In fact, they probably won't even expend much effort trying. Unless the fraud is in the 5 figure range it's not really worth it.

If it was your debit card, I suggest you never use your debit card for anything but getting cash out of an ATM. Use a credit card and pay it off each month in full. The fraud protection is usually stronger, no pin to enter, you earn points, and you don't have to worry about your funds being tied up.

 

[davidsrsb]

Somebody used my Malaysian issued charge card for an Internet meds purchase in the USA, delivery to an address in the USA. As I had never used the card, you would have expected it to trigger some customer not present alarms.
I got a routine message from my bank, which I get for most transactions.

 

[Refugee1]

They got into A credit rating checking agency called Equifax here in UK.
What they did was to set up a resellers account that billed thousands of domestic customers with monthly traders subscriptions and pocketed the commission.
Getting the regular payments off the card account took a lot of time on the customer service line.
The incident was in the national news a few weeks later.