Got hit with credit card fraud!
 

First time ever, have been buying online for close to 20 years. I think somebody locally did it though because the credit card companies said the credit was applied for in store, maybe they swiped my card and somehow retrieved pertinent information. They signed up for 2 credit cards, in person, and immediately maxed them out. Game Stop and Kohl's.

I was very lucky to catch it, they screwed up.

They used old addresses of mine that I have not lived in in over a year. Fortunately, one of the addresses was my dads house. The second one was an old apartment. Social Security Number was transposed on one of the cards, which I thought was strange that it transposed number still worked.

The first one I found because my dad received the credit card and bill to his house. The second one I only found after joining Trans Union and running a credit report.

Trans Union seems to have some "credit lockdown" service. Has anyone ever tried something like that?

I've never been hit. My card has been shut down a few times by the bank, but they never came to me and said "someone made purchases".

You guys dont have/use SMS notification in the US?

Basturds ...

That is sad. The stores had CCTV?

Put "Fraud Alert" on all 3 agencies ASAP Place a Fraud Alert | Consumer Information

It's free for victims of ID Thief - which you're obviously now. Go for at least of 1 year of monitoring/Fraud Alert

I done it twice in past 10 years - working like a charm.

I took my family out for a Thanksgiving Dinner a few years ago. Cousins up from the South so we had like 20 people at a Charlie Brown's steakhouse (hey, I was just happy it wasn't an Applebees or Olive Garden).

Anyway the waiter swiped my card and I found out the next day because I neurotically check my bank account daily. He joined ChristianMingle.com for $1 trial! LOL When I called the site's support they said thieves will often do this to test out if a card works then go off and max it out. Because I caught it the next morning they stopped all transactions. I also called the steakhouse to complain and they called the cops, who arrested the 20 year old shaggy dousche waiter (get a haircut hippie!).

Fun times. LOL So yeah, it happens. Glad you caught it!

Cards
 

My girlfriend has cards with almost unlimited buying power. She had me buy $5 with of jewelry findings on eBay and the next day Her card wouldn't work at the liquor store. They had put a hold on her card as the seller was in Hong Kong. But we didn't get notice.

Few years ago she sent me to Arizona to see my girlfriend from junior high. Had to route through Vegas. When I got back I checked her card to make sure there weren't any extra charges.
Someone had hit her card in Miami for almost $1000. One was a Macy's gift card. Several were for gas & pop. They must of had a counterfeit card.

You were very lucky to catch it at the beginning of the month after you were maxed out?
:1orglaugh

I've read enough :1orglaugh

No wonder why you were demodded!

Great, thanks for the link. Looking through this with Trans Union right now.

I was involved with a fraud case years ago where a waiter in NYC would snag credit card numbers and their information, sign up as an affiliate, and then bang credit cards through his affiliate link. By the time we detected the fraud, he had cash in hand and he was already gone. Eventually the FBI caught up with him.

hope it's not turning into a nightmare for ya man. ugh.

Ha, at first I thought you got arrested.

Years ago one of my cards got hit online by a lucky hacker with a list of that bank's credit card numbers and security codes to the tune of $7,800 the bank ate it.

I had one card burned locally, at Target 7 years ago, cloned or their POS terminal hacked. The fraud was a bit little over $1,100.

Now I only use debit cards on my "public accounts" that rarely have more than $1,500 in them that is exposed.

I had a fraudulent charge of $535 a few years ago -- my bank took an affidavit from me, replaced the card with a new one and in the end charged back the processor.

Just dispute the charges and complete the bank's affidavit -- they will issue you a new card and chargeback the merchant or processor(s). I imagine that the new cards' bank fraud department will close the account if fraudulently opened without much hassle.

Credit Card with Chips | Chip Card | Visa USA

I am opening bank accounts this week at a couple of Internet banks that have cards with these chips so I can use the cards outside of the USA where only these EMV -- which stands for Europay, MasterCard and Visa -- is a global standard for cards equipped with computer chips. They as Sloowly replacing credit cards with EMV chips at some US banks.

ebay sellers do not have access to credit card infos. Paypal handles those transactions directly.

You got hit with identity theft not credit card fraud

Tell the credit bureau to freeze your credit before they do damage

sorry to hear that buddy ...

I have a Hilton Rewards card never used before but I ordered it. It sat in my office for 12+ months and never did I activate it.
Someone in CA tried two purchases (face to face) with my card number. So they cloned my card somehow because I didn't lose it. Pretty clever thieves to be able to replicate the swipe strip.

I keep my credit reports frozen as a matter of course. If I want to apply for something, I unfreeze them.

I was part of the Anthem breech, and I doubt it is the last time that I'll have information stolen. So I'd rather keep things locked up.

I'm also signed up for all relevant electronic notification from my card companies. My Venture card will even send out notifications if they think the percentage of a tip is excessively high. I love that.

So far this guy has me on 4 credit cards and a T-Mobile plan!