Fradulent CC charges

[famous556]

Hello all, not sure if this is the right section but it seems the most appropriate.

I wanted to post here about a credit/debit card scam/fraud which I have been affected by.

I was reviewing my bank statement today online, and noticed a charge which I couldn't account for. To avoid any potential virus/fraud to members here I will not directly post the website which is listed with the charge. But I was charged $5.66 from a web-based company in Wisconsin which I have never even visited. I am very careful about using my debit card online for purchases, but I do use it frequently for online order motorcycle parts, gadgets, etc. Of course I have cancelled my card, and I will contact my bank in the morning as soon as they open.

The reason I am posting this information here is because the only places which I have recently used my debit card online are motorcycle related websites.

I will not yet post the websites I have used because I have no reason to believe that either of them caused a breach in my information. It is likely a coincidence but I have recently used my card online at two motorcycle websites that I have never shopped at before except within the last week. If the mods see no problem with it, I will post the sites I have used so others can be cautious when using them, but at this point I see no correlation between the motorcycle mail order sites and the fradulent charge. I will post up any other relevant information I find after I visit with my bank tomorrow.

So to sum up, CHECK YOUR CC/Debit card statements frequently! Check your online bank statements frequently. I am lucky in that I discovered this just minutes after the charge was made, the visa customer service person who cancelled my card said that these small charges are usually a test to see if the card is still active, and then the big charges start getting placed in rapid sucession until the cardholder or bank notices, sometimes to the tune of thousands of $$.

Sorry about the rambling, but I'm grumpy about the charges even if they are only $6. Its the principal and the violation that bothers me.

BE CAREFUL!

 

[callmegandhi]

Damn I would have gotten away with it if it weren't for those pesky kids! :spank:

 

[VEGASRIDER]

I'm use cash on just about everything. Any online purchases I use a prepaid debit card that you buy from any store, and it's only good for the amount you load. Once it gone, I throw it away or buy another card. If I have just a few dollars and cents remaining, I purchase fuel for the exact amount remaining to balance it out to zero. Yes, it cost about $5 per card, but the account is meaningless once I have used up the amount.

 

[Kazza]

I use PayPal ONLY online - that way I'm protected :thumbup:

 

[famous556]

Well from what I understand from talking to family who have had similar problems, the bank will make it right... But it's still a pain to have to deal with.

 

[Redback]

That's no good mate there are so many traps out there like Kazza i use paypal only way to go

 

[04fizzer]

I went through that once. Fortunately, the bank saw something fishy and called me. It still took about a month to get it sorted out.

Then there was the time someone bought a digital camera online from a store in Jersey and shipped it to a house in TX, all while I was on my honeymoon in Mexico. That took even longer to get sorted out.

 

[Fackam]

I use PayPal ONLY online - that way I'm protected :thumbup:

Agreed. I also have a pre-paid credit card that I add cash to. Paypal pulls from the card and that card does not contain any factual information about me.

 

[Tailgate]

I had it happen to me, too. It was AmEx and about $4,000.00 in fraud. they racked up huge bills in Disneyland, IHOP, etc. Company took it all off, issued me a new card. Credit cards are the safest but you gotta report fraud within 90 days or so. AmEx picked up on it before I even realized it.

 

[ChevyFazer]

Watch your statements real close because normally they will make abou 2-5 real small charges from differnt states of web based companys and then boom wipe you clean.

Sent from my R800x using Tapatalk

 

[04fizzer]

Watch your statements real close because normally they will make abou 2-5 real small charges from differnt states of web based companys and then boom wipe you clean.

Sent from my R800x using Tapatalk

That's what happened to me. There were a bunch of <$5 charges, including Playstation Network, and even some identity theft protection thing.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

Becareful, there is a big difference betweeen a CC and a Debit Card. A debit card usaully takes much longer to fix, meaning you will not get your funds reimbursed right away.

 

[famous556]

Ok, so I saw the bank today, they refunded the charge to me. We tried to find out anything we could about the company but couldn't find anything out that I didn't already know from searching google. I have filed information with the Nebraska and Wisconsin attorney general's offices and will follow up with them if they need anything else.

 

[Tailgate]

Becareful, there is a big difference betweeen a CC and a Debit Card. A debit card usaully takes much longer to fix, meaning you will not get your funds reimbursed right away.

Yes! And, with credit cards you have all kinds of protection because you can do a chargeback with any dispute/bankruptcy filing, etc. Example: you buy furniture to be later delivered and the store suddenly files bankruptcy. Debit card: SOL. Credit Card: No problem---you have protection.