credit card fraud

[denverpilot]

IIRC, you can change the PIN for mag-stripe cards that verify online. The chipped cards imbed the PIN in the chip, which makes them suitable for offline terminals (true in Europe). There are also accomodations in Europe for disabled/handicapped folks who can't type a PIN. Almost all ATM cards in the US will allow you to change PIN upon request - my bank mandated that I do so after receiving the card.

None of mine allow it. Two credit unions, two banks... One national, one local.

By far the bank with the highest tech savvy and systems is the local bank. Poking at their website reveals they have some very sharp folks there.

The worst are the banks that rely on Adobe Flash logins, arguably some of the buggiest and most insecure and constantly update crap, that the IT world has ever seen. One bank and one CU use that, and having personally known the one CU's top server admin until they quit over not being able to properly secure things (not kidding...), doing much online with that place bugs me. I'll probably close that account this year.

Unfortunately that's the place that had the best wire transfer between banks setup for the monthly payments to the airplane's LLC account.

Always something...

Agree that card tech is awful in the U.S. compared to Europe.

 

[RogerT]

Actually I got a new card today from Chase because someone made a charge to mine that I noticed when I checked online. I suspect the $50 charge they ran thru was a test. It's happened to me before. I suspect it's being scanned when I use the card at restaurants. That's the only time it ever leaves my hand.

RT

USAA called me a few days ago to ask me about suspected fraudulent charges on my credit card. The card was cancelled immediately. I give USAA high marks for flagging suspected fraud. They FedExed me new cards. But still, this seems to happen once every year or two. I do buy stuff online, but I don't know from where the number is getting pilfered.

Does this happen routinely to others as well?

 

[JimG.]

Actually I got a new card today from Chase because someone made a charge to mine that I noticed when I checked online. I suspect the $50 charge they ran thru was a test. It's happened to me before. I suspect it's being scanned when I use the card at restaurants. That's the only time it ever leaves my hand.

RT

Either that, or more likely at the gas pump.

 

[wsuffa]

Be interesting to see who the cops catch...

They won't care. Card thieves are small fry. On one of my misadventures (one that cost AmEx about $30,000), the Miami cops caught some folks using the card(s) - it was a ring involving folks in NYC. The DA declined to prosecute.

As long as that kind of stuff happens, fraud will not stop.

 

[JimG.]

They won't care. Card thieves are small fry. On one of my misadventures (one that cost AmEx about $30,000), the Miami cops caught some folks using the card(s) - it was a ring involving folks in NYC. The DA declined to prosecute.

As long as that kind of stuff happens, fraud will not stop.

10 years ago, I was a victim of identity fraud.

I switched banks and had my mail stolen shortly after when I was out of town.

They got my credit card and my login information to a home equity line of credit.

In 3 days they ran up $65,000.

Fortunately, a hotel clerk in a nearby town got suspicious when they checked in and called the police.

They got arrested.

I got to talk to a postal inspector who was investigating and leading the case against them, and he told me I was small potatoes compared to everyone they have hit.

on top of that… they were part of a fairly sizable drug smuggling ring.

He said they had enough evidence to put them away for decades

 

[RJM62]

I got a call from a sheriff somewhere down south once (South Carolina, maybe?) who told me he'd arrested someone for using my Chevron credit card. The perp was filling up strangers' cars using my card and taking cash in exchange, telling them some sob story or another. The clerk got suspicious and called the sheriff.

The guy with my card turned out to be my then brother-in-law, who had stolen my spare card. Chevron (or whatever bank issued their cards) pressed charges against him, but they were rolled into the charge for the stolen car he was driving and the several pounds of weed in the trunk.

(My liability was zero, of course.)

-Rich

 

[N747JB]

My home FBO changed fuel brands a couple months ago from Chevron to Phillips 66, since I leave a card at the desk, I needed a new card. So, I apply to P66 for a card and they send it a couple weeks later, actually I asked for 2 cards one for the FBO and one for me to use if I happen upon a Phillips 66 while traveling. When the cards came I got 6 cards! Two for each airplane, with a $25,000 credit limit and two for Clay Lacy Aviation with a $250K limit!! Good thing they sent them to an honest customer, a guy could have done some traveling for a couple days!

 

[imQ]

I found out my second favorite mode of travel sets off the fraud alert every time I go on a long cross country. Riding the motorcycle means a fuel stop every 150 miles. I would get declined by the third stop. Now I call a few days before each trip. Easily worth the effort after how well they handled one fraudulent transaction.

 

[gismo]

B of A just sent me a letter that they are going to change my credit card number in a couple of weeks due to potential fraud. I remember reading a news item about customers' card numbers being hacked at several companies, so maybe it has something to do with that.

BoA replaced one of the two cards I have with them although both were used at Target during the period when their POS terminals were compromised. So far nothing's happened with the one that they didn't replace.

And the only CC fraud I've experienced (and discovered) was a pair of cash withdrawals at a bank in Alabama for $800 each. That did occur on a card which was exposed at Target but the fraud attempt occurred a couple weeks before the period that Target said they were vulnerable.

 

[gismo]

(My liability was zero, of course.)

You mean they never figured out where the weed came from?

 

[CT4ME]

It doesn't require on-line purchases.

Ditto that. Folks, these days, almost always assume online/Internet activity is the culprit. Wrong. They think nothing of handing their card to a potential heroin addicted waiter, who disappears with the card for 10 minutes. After they have the card the just need to note the numbers or, better yet, have one of those swiper things connected to their smart phone to capture all the data in one swipe.