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03-18-2002, 06:07 PM
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Identiy Theft!!! Beware!!!!
I just got slammed this weekend. My card number was stolen and used at hotels and pizza places. It is not fraud It is IDENTITY THEFT because they did not have the actual card. I have no idea how they got the number. But everyone please be careful. I know I have put my number outthere sometimes thinking that the sight is secure but who knows if it \really is. If you have that gut feeling dont give your number.
BE CAREFULL>> When I filed a report the police said that it is so comon. Keep those recipts and watch what you are doing.............     
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03-18-2002, 08:14 PM
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wow that sucks....I always use the same card to shop online, it has a 200.00 limit so if someone got the number they would be very disappointed LOL...as soon as I charge something I pay it right off so there is always room on it every month for more but not enough where someone could have a good time if it was stolen.
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03-18-2002, 08:26 PM
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I just got off the phone with my credit card company, the same thing just happened to me. Someone got ahold of my credit card number (not the card) and was using it on gambling websites. The customer service rep said this has become a huge problem, there are rings of people doing this. He advised me to always shred receipts, many still have the full credit card number and expiration date on them. They have also found ways to get the number off of sites you've shopped at. Fortunately, the card was flagged rather quickly and I was called. What an invasion and a terrible inconvenience.
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03-18-2002, 09:35 PM
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Kappy and Lil Red -
In an effort to track this down, maybe you two can get together and see if you shopped at any of the same on line places....
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03-19-2002, 04:08 PM
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Having this done to you is absolutely, positively HORRIFIC!
Something along this line happened to FISH recently too! What the heck is going on? Someone must of found an opening somewhere. Wish we all positively knew how and where these thiefs get this information.
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03-19-2002, 04:16 PM
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littlred: I hope everything works out for you, too. The credit card co. said I won't be liable for any of the charges, but it's still a huge inconvenience and it's very scary. I think Freeisforme! has a good idea, maybe we should compare where we have shopped online recently.
Everyone, be careful!!!
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03-19-2002, 04:41 PM
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Maybe it would be good idea to compare what free stuff you both signed up for too. I sometimes don't trust some of those sites - get the eebie jeebies on some of them.
This may sound strange but I sometimes think people specifically create some of those sites for the sole purpose of obtaining information. That's just my gut feeling and perhaps a woman's intuition.
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03-19-2002, 04:54 PM
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Join the club, I've had this happen 3 times now. 2 times were on last months bill and the other was the January bill!
Oh actually, I guess you could consider last months bill as 3 times, one company (if that's what you want to call it), billed my card twice. I know I shouldn't have called them (they had their phone # on my bill), but I just had to because it was eating me up wondering what this company was. It was a company that bills for other companies. Then there was another one on that bill that didn't have a phone number, that's when I contacted the credit card company and they're taking care of it. The worst part of it was that the credit card number that the 1st company used was an old number (my card got upgraded a year ago January, and when they do that they reissued me a new card with a new number), so they accepted the old card number and rolled it over onto my new card number -- so, I have no idea where/how they could have got my credit card number. Luckily my card company closed the acct. and reissued me a new number. To make it worse, I thought it would have something to do with the sites I bought stuff on lately, but it wasn't. I had used my credit union card for shopping on here, and as I said the one company that had the phone number actually used my old card number!!! I'm done whining now, but wanted you all to know, you're not alone! Thanks for listening.
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03-19-2002, 06:25 PM
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Interestingly enough I just got an e-mail from my bank with an article about identity theft.
Here's a link to a very useful site, complete with phone numbers, etc. I hope you never need it, but if you do: http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/fraud/idtheft.html
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03-19-2002, 10:58 PM
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Happened to me a while back too, and I learned a hard lesson...don't your your Visa or Mastercard "debit" card online! If you use a card that is linked to your bank account, you can be liable for all the charges, whereas if you use a "credit" card, you are only responsible for the first $50.
I am so paranoid now that I use my PayPal Mastercard debit card to shop online...when I am ready to make a purchase, I only deposit the *exact* amount of the total into my PayPal account. That way any unauthorized card use will be denied for lack of funds (plus I get that whopping 1.5% cashback, LOL)
__________________
~Shana~ 
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03-20-2002, 10:31 AM
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Some good tips have already been given, but let me add a few:
* try to get a creditcard that you can check online, and even file disputes online. This allows you to monitor the card on a daily basis (I usually do it 2 times a day) and monitor for abuse. * If you qualify, try to get the american express card that allows you to generate a 1 time use CC #, this is the best security you can have. I believe Visa is implementing a similar system, not sure when it will be ready. * NEVER NEVER NEVER give out your CC# when signing up for a free product or service, even if it is only to verify your age (This includes the free magazine subscriptions). * NEVER NEVER NEVER give out your SSN, if you have to do it for a credit card application, make sure it is a company with a good reputation, and if possible, apply offline. * When shopping (even with reliable stores), do NOT store your cc# online (amazon.com , bestbuy, all of them allow you to do this, and usually do automatically by default). While they might claim the transactions are secure, all it takes is for some 15year old to hack their database, and go on his/her own shopping spree (which has happened several times). * Don't store your CC#'s on your harddrive (text files, gator , roboform type programs). These are the ones I can think of right now, if there is more, I will add them later. dan
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03-20-2002, 11:17 AM
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Thanks for all that good and useful information, etron. It's great to get some scoop from a well-seasoned user and technician.
As far as being able to check your cc transactions online, I recently seen where they have this option available where they send you an email notification on your preset criteria (can't remember what it's called). I set mine up for any transactions over $1.00. That way whenever anything is charged, they notify me by email. They even allow you to print out the dispute form (without the cc no. showing on the form). Then you just fill your no. in, answer some questions, and then mail it in. That one-time-use credit card number is an EXCELLENT idea. Be keeping a watchful eye out for that becoming available! Now I want to go and read the article Freeisforme found. Thanks Freeisforme!
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03-20-2002, 12:22 PM
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You are correct, several Credit Card providers already have that notification option, including Nextcard and GMCard. Works pretty well, and I have it setup using the minimum limit as you did ($1). I even have it set to notify me incase someone pays my card off behind my back
 Providian also allows you to immediatly dispute a charge online, which is pretty cool.
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03-20-2002, 07:00 PM
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Thank you for all of the information everyone!
This happend to me a few months ago with the cc that I have with work. I called the number listed on the cc bill and inquired about it. They told me that I signed up for a telephone savings plan for $40, which I didn't. Eventually my work was given a creidt, afer I filled out a whole bunch of paperwork.
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03-21-2002, 10:15 AM
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best wishes and you are not alone out there
I am not certain you are a victim of identity theft. It sounds like you are a victim of good old-fashioned credit card fraud. To use a credit card, all you need is a name, number, expiration date that will be accepted -- you do not need a complete identity.
I *do* think you are the victim of professionals because you say you still have your card, yet the thieves are staying in hotels -- where they have to present a credit card to get imprinted to check in. Printing up duplicate cards that will actually be accepted is generally the work of professionals. However, if you get a new account number and keep a check on your credit report from time to time, it may well be that you will never have a problem from these folks again. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you! If you are a victim of actual identity theft, the thieves would not be restricted just to using one credit card. With a knowledge of your name, address, phone number, and SSN, they could open new accounts, get many other credit cards, maybe even buy a house or a car or take out a home equity loan against YOUR house. If they also know your bank account number, they would attempt to drain your bank accounts, retirement accounts, brokerage accounts, etc. If you discover that these individuals are using your SSN, know your mom's maiden name, etc. it would definitely be time to put a "Fraud alert" on your bank and brokerage accounts. Although they are insured, it can take a very long time to get stolen funds replaced. The one thing a person is always advised to do to prevent being defrauded (and the one thing most people just won't do) is to NEVER accept a debit card. At least one "identity theft" advisor is telling people they shouldn't write checks either. I refuse all debit cards but I am "used to" writing checks so I suppose you should do as I say and not as I do. :-) Another thing you should do is check the balance in your bank and brokerage accounts (ALL of them!) every month just in case someone is up to funny business. The most tragic cases of identity theft occur when someone has been robbed. The thief sells your driver's license and information out of your wallet to someone who looks something like you. If this criminal should happen to get arrested, he will give your name and ID, and after he is bailed out, he disappears. Then YOU end up being arrested as a bail jumper and for whatever other crime. These cases can be impossible to clear up. One of my friends went through this for years although eventually the police did realize their mistake. I met another man where his brother did this to him and although I don't yet know the outcome, I don't see any way to clear his case up. I think he will end up being jailed for his brother's crime. The brother of course has now disappeared. So when I grumble about the $1000 charged to my card by kids, which Citibank decided not to prosecute, I guess I should remember that it could be a lot worse. If Citibank has $1000 to give away, I guess that's their prerogative although it galls me that someone can just steal our mail like that and walk away. Sigh!
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03-21-2002, 11:15 AM
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The police said it was identify theft because they used the number not the card itself. they did not have the card. they just had my info. It was a on the smaller scale of identity theft. If they had the actual card with them and used it then it would be concidered Fraud.
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03-26-2002, 09:16 AM
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fyi
well, looks like I am a victim myself. I got a $300+ authorization, cc company says it is for multiple phone/tv orders in the last few days, and I haven't even used it then (not to mention I haven't ordered anything at all from tv/phone). I don't understand why there is no red flag being set off at the CC company (most CC companies will call you if they see anything strange) since I am pretty sure the billing address isn't the same as the shipping address (why else would a crook order online with someone elses #), once I find out the address, I am going to make sure this guy regrets this
 I caught this by checking my online balance several times a day, so as you can tell, doing things like that works. On another note, citibank just introducted rotating numbers. https://www.accountonline.com/CB/int...tLearnMore.jsp Please do not use your visa checking card online at all, and try to avoid using it offline. I got lucky here since it was my online card, but I know people that got burnt since they do not offer the same type of protection (my bank takes 90 days, and it does work, but 90 days can be a long time).
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