Credit card cloned

[Earstou]

Ughh, I know I've read on here before about how people have had their credit cards used fraudulently and now it's happened to us! As we were walking out the door to go to church Sunday morning, Visa called to ask if we had used our card in Georgia that morning. They closed our account and took those charges off. Yesterday we checked our account and found about 6 more charges from Friday that had just posted.
We both still have our cards, so someone cloned it (the term Visa used), probably a wait person who took our card out of our sight to run it for our meal. Friends tell us that someone who has a credit card reader on a smart phone can clone our card.
So, I guess from now one we use gift cards or cash at places like this.

 

[RitaE]

I realize it is kind of scary to have that happen but it sounds like the fraud protection policies worked exactly like they are supposed to work. It was detected quickly, you were notified, and the charges promptly removed with no liability on your part.

So really, I wouldn't use that as a reason to quit using credit cards altogether.

 

[swilshire]

I'm with the previous poster. This has happened to us two or three times in the last decade, but I certainly wouldn't give up my credit cards because of it. We've never lost a penny of our own money. It has just been a slight annoyance.

We keep more than one credit card for several reasons, but it's handy if they cancel one because of fraud prevention. It's also handy for the times that fraud prevention is wrong and it's really me trying to make the charges. Much easier to present a different card if one is declined and then call them at my convenience.

Sheila

 

[Earstou]

First off, I never said I was stopping use altogether. Please read a post thoroughly before responding!

Secondly, I had online orders being processed that I've had to deal with. I only have one credit card, by design, thus I have to wait till my new one arrives to do anything more about those orders.

Some of the charges were taken care of, but time was spent yesterday taking care of the rest of the charges. So more than just a slight annoyance.

Really, the point of my post was to share with others how very easy it is to clone credit cards now with the widespread availability of card readers for smart phones.

 

[yoopermom]

Our bank just called this am because my DH's business debit card was also cloned. They caught it because someone made a bunch of one dollar transactions around our dinky little town, so she said it was pretty obvious. The bank cancelled the charges, deactivated the card, and is sending him a new one. He'll go back to using it like normal (mostly gas and fast food purchases). I think it's just one of the prices you pay for using plastic these days...

Terri

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) It is FAR SAFER to use the credit card than
. . . a debit card
. . . a gift card
2) With a credit card, all charges can be disputed.
. . . you pay nothing
. . . your accounts are debited nothing
. . . you have physically lost nothing
3) With a debit card or gift card
. . . everything in them can be drained instantly
. . . you *might* get all the cash back - - - in 7-10-20 days
. . . in the mean time, you have no cash in checking account
. . . in the mean time, you might have no cash in savings accoiunt
. . . in the mean time, you could be bouncing checks
. . . in the mean time, your credit could suffer from late payments

NOTE: Debit card and gift cards are not as secure as credit cards.
We avoid them like-the-plague. Credit cards are truly safer, especially
when the card is stolen or when it is cloned.

 

[AmberHeartsDisney]

You wouldn't believe how many card get cloned from just you shopping at store's. Its so easy to add a reader to a gas pump its not funny. Amex used to have little chips in their cards and that is what people with smart phones were using. Now some Visa and Mastercards have them too.

 

[nilseks]

My Discover was cloned about a year ago. Discover was AWESOME about the whole thing--took care of everything in 15 minutes, patched me in on a phone call with the police (because it was a very large purchase in person at the Apple Store, so there was video footage and the police needed to ask me a few questions), and sent out new cards overnight.

I'm sure other credit card companies handle these types of things just as well, but I *LOVED* the fantastic customer service from Discover, so now they get all my credit card business.

 

[DizzyStitch]

Just as I read this I decided to go check my statement. I had ordered Brave from Amazon this morning. Low and behold there was a 200.00 charge from Macys.com on my pending transactions. It came in right behind my Amazon charge this morning. So new card, reset auto payments and keep a good eye on it again. This just after a caregiver stole and filled a percocet prescription from my mother. Ugh!!!!

 

[yoopermom]

1) It is FAR SAFER to use the credit card than
. . . a debit card
.[/I]

I purposely go to a gas station where the pump reader asks if a card is to be read as debit or credit, then I press credit (even though it's a debit in all actuality). Does this make it any safer, or am I deluding myself?

Terri

 

[Judique]

Ughh, I know I've read on here before about how people have had their credit cards used fraudulently and now it's happened to us! As we were walking out the door to go to church Sunday morning, Visa called to ask if we had used our card in Georgia that morning. They closed our account and took those charges off. Yesterday we checked our account and found about 6 more charges from Friday that had just posted.
We both still have our cards, so someone cloned it (the term Visa used), probably a wait person who took our card out of our sight to run it for our meal. Friends tell us that someone who has a credit card reader on a smart phone can clone our card.
So, I guess from now one we use gift cards or cash at places like this.

I can relate to your feelings since this just happened to me.

Navy Federal caught it.

First the crook put through 4-5 small transactions - 10$ each.

Then they tried for a few hundred.

The next one was for thousands.

All were reversed as they were online purchases so once NFCU contacted the sellers, the merchandise did not get shipped.

I had to start a report on NFCU's instructions. But within a few days once the transactions were voided out, I did not have to do anything. If any of the transactions had remained cleared, I would have had to file a dispute.

Now for the good part - the card had only been used once in over a year.
I regularly use an Amex card to collect hotel points.

Guess where it was used? At the Department of Motor Vehicles here in Maryland, when I paid for some tags. The DMV does not accept Amex so I had to carry in an alternate card.

NFCU told me that my number could have been stolen in any of several ways - scanned through my purse, (I did regularly carry it around), or possibly harvested by an employee in their offices who could have seen a seldom used card with a fairly large credit limit available.

So I don't really know how it happened, just know it made me feel very uneasy.

 

[troane522]

I purposely go to a gas station where the pump reader asks if a card is to be read as debit or credit, then I press credit (even though it's a debit in all actuality). Does this make it any safer, or am I deluding myself?

Terri

It doesn't make it safer at all. Pressing debit versus credit generally only determines when funds will be withdrawn. If it is a debit card and someone steals the info and uses it you are out of that money until it gets straightened out, the bank decides to give it back, etc.

 

[JB2K]

Ughh, I know I've read on here before about how people have had their credit cards used fraudulently and now it's happened to us! As we were walking out the door to go to church Sunday morning, Visa called to ask if we had used our card in Georgia that morning. They closed our account and took those charges off. Yesterday we checked our account and found about 6 more charges from Friday that had just posted.
We both still have our cards, so someone cloned it (the term Visa used), probably a wait person who took our card out of our sight to run it for our meal. Friends tell us that someone who has a credit card reader on a smart phone can clone our card.
So, I guess from now one we use gift cards or cash at places like this.

Absolutely -- even before the advent of smartphones, about 10 years ago, I paid for lunch/tip using my everyday debit card -- a few days later, the charge posted with lunch, plus a $25 tip!

As I personally knew the owner of the establishment, I took the issue to him and learned I was one of a handful who had their tips "inflated" by that particular waitress.

Needless to say, said waitress was soon looking for a new job.

My lessons learned were:

• When dining at a non-chain restaurant, cash is king
  
• When dining at well-known chains, use one of their gift cards for payment
  
• When dining at either -- always tip with cash, and...
  
• ...never, ever let your plastic go out of sight!

 

[reginaastralis]

My parents have had this happen to them more than once. They have seriously bad luck in the credit card department ... I don't know what it is about them, but they keep getting popped. Twice, for sure, it was do to skimming or cloning. Another time it was something online. My mom has had her purse stolen ... TWICE.

But that was my point. The second time my mom had her purse stolen, she was mainly using cash since she'd been burned so many times. She had a couple of hundred dollars in her purse (I don't know why, but she did) and when her purse was stolen, all of it was gone. The charges the thieves did on her cards (which she was carrying, just not using as much) were reversed, but that money is gone forever.

And, I'm not saying it doesn't happen .. but I was a server for YEARS (13 to be exact) and I never saw anyone clone a card. I know I didn't have time, personally, to even think about doing something like that. I'm not saying other people wouldn't ... it's just not as easy as would think. The most common thing I saw were people writing in tips when a table didn't tip them ... but that got them fired, so I only saw it three times in 13 years.

 

[JB2K]

I purposely go to a gas station where the pump reader asks if a card is to be read as debit or credit, then I press credit (even though it's a debit in all actuality). Does this make it any safer, or am I deluding myself?

Terri

Not really -- as most of today's PIN-based debit cards double using MC/Visa's global processing networks (if the MC/Visa logos are on the front of the card).

The only real difference in credit/debit at the gas pump is you may not get a ridiculously large hold placed on your account if you choose "debit".

Best way to play it safe is to look for a seal on the pump with a serial number (this means the card readers haven't been tampered-with). You are most likely to see these at many large regional/national convenience/grocery chains around the country.

 

[scard192]

Even more unsettling, my Chase Amazon credit card was used to make an online purchase at Forever21.com and shipped to CA. I have never used that credit card anywhere except at Amazaon and the card has never left my house; its in a drawer in my desk at home. Chase declined the charge and notified me. That credit card is the one I would have thought was most safe from faudulent charges.

 

[Zerosinthecloset]

I had my Chase Rapid Rewards Visa compromised a month or so ago, and Chase caught it pretty quick. While I was talking to the customer service person, I mentioned that I had been thinking about calling to ask for a new CC number, and if it was permitted. She said it happens all the time...some people call every year or two and they oblige them with new credit cards/numbers.

Not sure if it affects credit score/reports, though.

 

[bettymae1121]

I've been using credit cards since about '95 and have only had fraudulent charges once. I've had it happen a few other times where the bank/card issuer says my account may have been compromised on their end (or a merchant's) so they want to replace it as a precaution.

The one time I had fraudulent charges I didn't owe a thing, the card company took care of everything.

That said, it never fails to happen just before I really need the card in question for something. The one time my bank wanted to replace my debit card it was just a few days before I was to leave on an out of town trip and I need it for travel!

Now a days I only use credit for everything. I do have a debit card but only use it for the rare cash withdrawl. I have two cards, one Amex I use for everything I can for the points, and a back up Visa for places that don't take Amex or as backup incase something happens to my Amex card.

 

[beansmom]

First off, I never said I was stopping use altogether. Please read a post thoroughly before responding!

Secondly, I had online orders being processed that I've had to deal with. I only have one credit card, by design, thus I have to wait till my new one arrives to do anything more about those orders.

Some of the charges were taken care of, but time was spent yesterday taking care of the rest of the charges. So more than just a slight annoyance.

Really, the point of my post was to share with others how very easy it is to clone credit cards now with the widespread availability of card readers for smart phones.

i think your response is snarky. you DID say you would stop using anything but gift cards or cash 'in places like this'...whatever 'those' places are.

cards get compromised...it's as simple as that and, as a PP noted, you are protected with a credit card but not so much with a debit card..and, of course, nobody EVER gets cash lifted from them.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

I purposely go to a gas station where the pump reader asks if a card is to be read as debit or credit, then I press credit (even though it's a debit in all actuality). Does this make it any safer, or am I deluding myself. Terri

1) Maybe it will help.
2) I say *maybe* because in some states there is more.
3) In Florida, you must input your zip code for a charge card.
4) This would help, since credit cards do not have zip codes encoded.
5) But, in other states or instances, no added help.