A warning when putting a credit card down for room charges!!

[Chuck S]

i recently booked 2 night stay at AKL though hotel.com, the site took CC details but said that the full payment would be made at the hotel.
I then tried to book theatre tickets online and my card was refused- i used a different CC and it went through.

The next day i got a call from my CC company asking me about a payment for £143 to 'EAI' that that they wanted to confirm. It was a payment in $.
I explained about booking the AKL but siad i didn't expect money to be taken. I said i'd contact hotel.com and confirm.

I emalid the company twice and then called and got though to a central house( diff name) who took my details and confirmed the booking but said that no money had been taken and if it did the charge would appear under hotel.com.

i called the CC back and explained.
They gave me a few more details and said that the money had gone to 'Bunavisa disney land'( something like that??) and she couldn't tell me the exact amount(£) as it depended on the exchange rate.

I have emailed hotel.com twice more and so far had no responce?.
My CC suggested waiting for my bill to arrive and then reporting it to them if i was still concern that the payment was false.

i have never had a fake charge on my CC before so feel concerned.

i'm confused as the amount would be roughly right( dep on excahnge rate and charges) to one night AKL acc. Should i call AKL directly, not sure they will even have my reservation?
i am tempted to cancel with hotel.com and then book directly with disney but am concerned about cancelling as so far i haven't recive any reply for the hotel.com.

Any advice would be great.
Thank you
Ruth

Interesting. It is possible that it is a legitimate charge, there are a lot of Disney operating arms that use "Buena Vista" as part of their name. Unfortunately, there are also some unscrupulous companies that use "Buena Vista" in their names to imply ties to Disney. I'm wondering if EAI is an international credit card processing company that Disney uses for international reservations?

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

Just to put a few minds to ease...

When you place a credit card on file, and the CM swipes the card into the system, the number is encrypted and masked. It is impossible to get that number again.

 

[ericamanda01]

About 8 years ago I was on a trip to see family in MI. I had a layover in Houston and thought I would call my dad who lived locally. I used my AT&T credit card which was also a calling card. When I got back from my trip AT&T called me to ask about some charges in Mexico. It turns out that people were being video taped at the pay phones and their credit card info was zoomed in on. I am so paranoid when it comes to credit cards now, DH and I only have one and we rarely use it.

PS We use our debit card for all our vacations. We have set up an account that is just for vacations and online purchases. Having worked in a bank helping those who have ID theft taught me to seperate everything.

 

[tlbwriter]

Brygida: Branded debit cards offer the same protections for consumers as true credit cards. Granted, the loss of your checking account funds would cause a short term problem, but the funds would be restored once you contacted the issuing bank, just as with a true credit card investigation.

It's my understanding that it does NOT happen as soon as you contact the bank. It can take days or weeks for the funds to be restored. And that's assuming everything works as it should. When my CC # was stolen, it took several weeks to get a replacement card - partly because such things simply take time, and partly because there was miscommunication between myself, my bank, and the card issuer. No big deal if it was your credit card - you simply don't pay those charges. VERY big deal if the money is already taken from your checking account, and possibly your savings account as well.

 

[dcgrumpy]

We had someone get ahold of our debit card number and charge about $1000 before we caught it. We called the bank and the money was back in our account the next business day.


ETA
the person who used the card lived a couple of blocks away. we assume they work somewhere local where we used our card.

 

[Brygida]

I feel the anxiety created by this whole thread... it is really unnecessary.

This is just a part of life nowadays. Just do common sense things. To recap:

1. Use your credit card (not a debit card) online, over phone, etc. It is less hastle for many reasons to make things right again when a credit card is stolen, then when a debit card is.

2. Have more than one credit card available when you travel. If you need to cancel one you can use the other.

3. Use your debit card to withdraw cash from ATM's, supermarkets. It saves on fees.

4. Keep more than one credit card or loan (but not too many!) which you pay off each month, to build your credit rating. (Or you lose out on the best interest rates).

5. And the best thing to prevent/catch identify theft is to check your credit report every 4 months. This is now available (since Sep 2005) for free, by law, in all US states, as explained on the Federal Trade Commission website. Go to www.ftc.gov and click on free credit reports. It is now very easy and quick to now check your report online. I've done it.

 

[WillCAD]

5. And the best thing to prevent/catch identify theft is to check your credit report every 4 months. This is now available (since Sep 2005) for free, by law, in all US states, as explained on the Federal Trade Commission website. Go to www.ftc.gov and click on free credit reports. It is now very easy and quick to now check your report online. I've done it.

That's every four months now, and in all 50 states? It used to be once per year, and it was a state law so it wasn't available free in all 50 states.

I'm happy to hear that a federal law was put into place for this. I have always felt that your credit report is personal info about you that you are entitled to see, for free, but the law was not always on my side about that.

 

[Brygida]

That's every four months now, and in all 50 states? It used to be once per year, and it was a state law so it wasn't available free in all 50 states.

I'm happy to hear that a federal law was put into place for this. I have always felt that your credit report is personal info about you that you are entitled to see, for free, but the law was not always on my side about that.

Maybe I should have clarified that. You are allowed one every year from each of the 3 credit reporting bureaus. The advice being to stagger them, so that you are getting 1 every 4 months.

 

[tlbwriter]

We had someone get ahold of our debit card number and charge about $1000 before we caught it. We called the bank and the money was back in our account the next business day.

With my luck, I would have discovered the loss Thursday evening as I was buying groceries. I would have called the bank Friday. And Monday would have been a bank holiday, meaning I would have been without money (and groceries) until at least Tuesday!

 

[Ergens2]

I feel the anxiety created by this whole thread... it is really unnecessary.

My intention was not to create anxiety but to inform of a potential problem. When the security officer said it was an ongoing investigation I knew that anyone at that resort would want to know. I would hate for any of my DIS friends to have to go through this. Sorry if anyone has lost sleep over this! In my 65+ trip to WDW I have never had this happen. I hope this was just a fluke event and not a sign of things to come.

 

[pugdog]

You should never use a 'debit card' online, or over the phone. Debit cards should be used only when you want cash back (at an ATM, supermarket, etc). Otherwise, use a real 'credit card'. Debit cards do not have the same protections on it and they are usually tied into your savings/checking accounts. Bad news if they get stolen. Whereas your are never liable for any 'credit card' purchase not made by you.

A debit card with a Mastercard or Visa logo is still only a debit card.

Actually it varies by the bank that issued it. My bank has a $50 max that I am responeable for any charges that I didn't make.

 

[Brygida]

I am sorry you feel it was unnecessary. But not everyone in the world is very money smart. I was sharing a particular problem with my friends here on the DIS in the hopes that they will be a little better informed, not to create "anxiety". My mother is a banker and I am very money smart and yet it happend to me.

I did not mean your original post was unnecessary. I just thought that several of the ensuing *Oh! My! God!* posts were speeding towards an unnecessary pit of anxiety... Instead of calmly incorporating what you were sharing in their way of handling credit cards.

 

[Meggie Pooh]

About 6 months or so ago, I got a call from my credit union that my debit card had been red flagged by visa. Turns out that a shoe store data base had been hacked into, and my card was in the bunch. There had been about $1000 worth of charges made, all caught by my CU before they were ever even posted to my account. I never lost a dime, and I got a new card within 3 days, but have been very careful about using my debit card ever since. About 3 weeks ago the shoe store got around to letting me know that there had been a problem, I haven't shopped there since.

Visa also has prepaid cards that work just like a CC or debit card that I have used, and will continue to use on vacations. The card isn't tied to my personal information, and if I should happen to lose it, they will replace it (and the funds on it) by the next day!

 

[kellib36]

Hotel key cards do not contain personal information or credit card numbers. This is an Internet hoax that's been around for years. See Snopes -- http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/hotelkey.asp

I love snopes!!!!!! They are awesome!!!

 

[kellib36]

Cash Cards are a neat deal. My daughter went to Universal this summer with a family. We didn't want to give her cash...too easy to slip out of her wallet or pocket...so we gave her American Express Cash Cards.....we're thinking seriously about using these in the future...instead of cash, traveler's checks....credit cards....

We were looking into these for our trips in Jan, but I saw that they are only good at places that take AmEx cards. Not sure about a lot of areas, but around here, not many places take AmEx. I'll stick with traveler's checks, but they are a great idea for areas that most businesses take AmEx.

 

[LiteBrite]

To the person who asked about putting down cash for room charges, you can use cash or traveler's checks if you prefer not to carry a big wad of cash with you as you travel. I have done both, and when I checked out I was given the leftover balance back in cash, whether I had put down cash or traveler's checks.

 

[Alice Sr.]

Thanks for all the information. I think I will stop using my Debit card for on-line purchases and put cash down for room charges when we check in next month. I'm assuming they give you some kind of receipt for the money you deposited for the room key charge. I have never had a problem, do you think it's because I keep a low credit line on the few cards I do hold? My sister lets the cc companies raise her credit limit all the time, she has a $35K limit on a couple of cards - I think that is nuts. Thanks again for the the warning.

Alice

 

[Gymbomom]

I just have to tell the OP sorry this has happened to you....
I find this thread eye opening and disturbing. Wow, I guess for us that don't think like thieves really need stories like this to educate us.

We only have a mastercard debit card attached to our bank account. I sure wouldn't want to mess with that, because I know disputes with banks take longer to get your money back. So, I guess we will only bring traveler's checks and put them down $1,000 at a time on the room. I love being able to charge to the room and not hassle with traveler's checks, but no way am I risking it.

I do know using your credit cards at eating places is getting risky as well. They have those scanners and the waiters who are theives scan them. Also, you can have something as simple as the waiter double swipes your cc for an open ticket that someone paid cash for. Sure, you can get them to credit back at a later time, but what a hassle.

 

[Gymbomom]

We were looking into these for our trips in Jan, but I saw that they are only good at places that take AmEx cards. Not sure about a lot of areas, but around here, not many places take AmEx. I'll stick with traveler's checks, but they are a great idea for areas that most businesses take AmEx.

I have seen these, but when I checked into them, they seemed like a hefty service fee.

But, I might get one just for gas on our travels down....so I don't scan our card into the gas station.

 

[JobeeC]

About 8 years ago I was on a trip to see family in MI. I had a layover in Houston and thought I would call my dad who lived locally. I used my AT&T credit card which was also a calling card. When I got back from my trip AT&T called me to ask about some charges in Mexico. It turns out that people were being video taped at the pay phones and their credit card info was zoomed in on. I am so paranoid when it comes to credit cards now, DH and I only have one and we rarely use it.

PS We use our debit card for all our vacations. We have set up an account that is just for vacations and online purchases. Having worked in a bank helping those who have ID theft taught me to seperate everything.

my dad had the same exact thing happen at grand central a few years ago!
it's getting frightening out there!!!!!