Credit Card Fraud Alert!!! (Unauthorized charges from SKYPE.NET)

[Towncrier]

As I was paying this month's Disney Visa bill online, I noticed a couple of odd charges from a place called SKYPE.NET

They weren't large charges, but I could not recall ordering anything online from them. So I checked their website and they appear to be some sort of telecommunications company. Odd. I don't remember authorizing anyone to start automatically taking money out of my CC account. I did a google search and discovered that SKYPE.NET has started making unauthorized charges to bank accounts, debit cards, and credit cards. Yikes. I called the security department at Visa and they are going to cancel my card and reissue a new one. In the meantime, I have to let all the companies that automatically charge my CC that they have to use a different number. What a pain.

My word of advice to everyone is to DOUBLE check your credit/debit card statements this month and look for a charge for around $30 made on October 19th and posted on November 3rd.

 

[Rajah]

Yikes! Thanks for the warning!

 

[Ted and Holly]

Did you give Skype your CC number or did they get it elsewhere?

Asking because I have used the Skype program. I do not remember being asked for a CC number. I sure would not have given it to them. If they have it, the obtained it illegally.

Thanks,
Ted

 

[Towncrier]

I had never even heard of SKYPE before today. If they got my credit card number, it wasn't from either myself or my wife. I haven't a clue how they got my number.

 

[WDWHound]

This is strange. Skype is a legit company. I have been reading about them for quite awhile. They have been partnering with Siemens lately to offer free telephony services. They don't seem like the sort of company that would get involved in this sort of thing.

 

[WDWHound]

Ah, I think I have figured it out. SKYPE. sells cheap phone time using voice over IP technology. My guess is some hacker used your card to buy minutes from SKYPE.

 

[Ted and Holly]

Originally posted by WDWHound
Ah, I think I have figured it out. SKYPE. sells cheap phone time using voice over IP technology. My guess is some hacker used your card to buy minutes from SKYPE.

I think you nailed it.

Gotta love that hound's nose.

Ted

 

[mickeyfan1]

It is possible that sopmeone transposed the CC number and it ended up on your account in error. Hopefully that is all that happened. As far as the rip off report, I read it and there is a huge red flag, the girl says she called her bank to report the fraudulent charge and they told her to call SKYPE.NET? Hardly likely, unless she is dealing with a fly by night bank, they CC issuer will always do dispute resolution. THey may go as far as cancelling the account, and reissuing a new card, but tell the customer to call the vendor? I dount it.

However, it is never a bad idea to look at your credit card statements on a regular basis.

 

[mtblujeans]

THANK YOU! I am going to go check my account online right now....

 

[nativetxn]

OH MY! I will pay close attention to my credit card statements. How frustrating.

 

[Towncrier]

And of course SKYPE.NET is going to report my failure to pay them on my credit report. Bank One said that they would take care of sending a letter to the credit reporting agencies to explain my situation.

But you are probably right. Someone is using my CC to buy minutes so that they can talk for free. I find it interesting that I've found at least two other people online who have had similar problems with SkyPE.NET. I wonder what I have in common with them? I guess I'll never know where my CC # got stolen from.

 

[Ted and Holly]

So, if you "paid" for them, can you get where the calls originalted and were placed to? I mean, they were "yours", right?

Seems it might help.

Ted

 

[christineann]

Also look for charges for a company named Boost Cable out of California. My debit card number was stolen when I used it at a local restaurant. I check my account almost daily, found the charge within 48 hours, and called Boost. The guy at Boost told me I should cancel my debit card right away, because about half their business comes from stolen numbers. I told Boost that I wanted information about the cell phone that the minutes were bought for so I could turn it over to the local police department, and they refused because it would take too much manpower to track all of their disputed charges down! They also told me it would take three weeks to refund my $50. Fortunately for me, I work for a law firm, and I was able to get my money back within a week.