Credit Card Theft

[Comp]

So, last night I logged into my online banking. I notice a charge on my credit card that I did not make. I called the CC company and we 3 way call the vendor. The vendor confirms that someone else used my card and the money will be credited back to my account. I am not really familiar with identity and electronic credit theft ( I assume this because the physical card never leaves my wallet.)

So, INGO, what steps do you take to protect your credit and identity. I asked if they suggested to change account numbers but they said no. So, I am thinking about calling them in a few days and report it missing for a new account number. Does that affect your credit? Can you think of any other steps I should take?

P.S. The kicker to this whole situation is the vendor was one of those 1800 credit score checkers you see plastered all over the TV.

 

[Woodsman]

You can call the credit reporting agencies and place a fraud alert on your card. I think it's good for 90-120 days. I feel your pain as I've had this happen earlier this year. Somehow, someone got just enough information and tried to open 3-4 accounts. All but one balked at it. The one that did provide an open account was Macy's. The asshat run up the bill to within $10 of the limit. The next month the bill shows up in my mailbox. WTH!

After calling Macy's, they said some of the information was not right on the account. So me being me, asking WTH did you open the account for then? Complete silence. This has been a royal PITA.

And I'm very careful with any paper statements too. Just once I would like to introduce myself...

 

[AngryRooster]

Exact same thing here. It was also from one of those credit places. PM sent to OP.

 

[ISHOOTHST'S]

Someone got my cc paypal number and used it in NEW DEHLI!!!!! Paypal issued a refund within 3 days pending the form i sent them. I hadnt used my pp card in over a month and both were in my wallet. Cancelled the card online and had new one sent within a week. It shook me but all came out well.

 

[tedbower]

Same here , 500.00 charge at a walmart in chicago. Went to use my card on a saturday and it didn't work the bank ( harris ) had suspected something and shut it down, the pisser of it no one notified me they just shut down my card.I go walking in the bank monday morning and found out what happened , I no longer bank with harris. Got my money back within a couple days just pissed me off they shut me down without any notification.

 

[Bucko]

So, last night I logged into my online banking. I notice a charge on my credit card that I did not make. I called the CC company and we 3 way call the vendor. The vendor confirms that someone else used my card and the money will be credited back to my account. I am not really familiar with identity and electronic credit theft ( I assume this because the physical card never leaves my wallet.)

So, INGO, what steps do you take to protect your credit and identity. I asked if they suggested to change account numbers but they said no. So, I am thinking about calling them in a few days and report it missing for a new account number. Does that affect your credit? Can you think of any other steps I should take?

P.S. The kicker to this whole situation is the vendor was one of those 1800 credit score checkers you see plastered all over the TV.

Wow. This exact same thing just happened with me. I discovered it Sunday night reviewing my CC account, called and had it corrected monday. The company name was listed as MNI credit report.

I used some googlefu, and found this apparently is a pretty common problem.

Google

Fortunately the CC company got me on a 3 way call as well with the credit report company and it was cleared up in under 5 minutes.

 

[indyartisan]

Makes me wonder how many people don"t notice or follow up on getting the charges corrected.

 

[MrsGungho]

Credit Union noticed charges in France on our business card. Stopped the charge and called us. We confirmed we were not in France. they canceled the card on the spot and issued a new one the next business day.

get a new number or something. who knows who has it now.

 

[Comp]

MNI credit report.

So, you are the third person to say that and counting mine that makes four of us. I bet obama is on to the ingo and is trying to ruin our credit so we can't get obamacarE?

 

[gmercer308]

Had this happen to me this summer as well. I was on vacation visiting the Carolina's and I got a phone call from my credit card company asking about some charges. I thought it was because I was out of state and they saw some of my gas purchases, but it was not the case. It was a charge made online to some foreign country that I can't remember now. And I didn't even have access to internet the whole vacation. So, my CC company asked if I needed the card till I got home and I didn't so she said destroy it and there will be a new one in my mailbox when I get home. I think that I pay for some kind of protection on it because when things get red flagged to them they call me right away and ask if I was the one who made the purchase.

Hope all works out for you.

 

[eldirector]

Both my Discover and Visa cards need prior approval for purchases over $500. They will call to verify anything over that amount, or I can call first. They both also call if the see any "suspicious" purchases. this includes:
- several small ones at the same place close together
- large purchases more than a few states away
- purchases made on the same day, but geographically far apart

We have "caught" several scammers thanks to the above. Someone had tried to buy a bunch of groceries in California using a duplicate of my Discover card. Several $30 purchases out of my home state threw a red flag, and they called me to confirm. The charges were reversed without a problem.

They also placed a hold on my card while I was traveling in Canada. My wife tried to buy a painting (about $250 US), and they denied the card swipe. A few minutes later, my cell phone rang (they called the house first, then the next number on their list), and we verified our info. Walked back in and bought the painting.

I think we also have the "fraud alert" on our credit scores. I know we did when we bought the house, but I can't remember when they expire.

 

[The Keymaster]

There has been a rash of this going on in Porter County. Over 50 fraud reports in the last 2 weeks. They are still trying to collate the data to determine if a local merchant is involved.

 

[Tactical Dave]

So, last night I logged into my online banking. I notice a charge on my credit card that I did not make. I called the CC company and we 3 way call the vendor. The vendor confirms that someone else used my card and the money will be credited back to my account. I am not really familiar with identity and electronic credit theft ( I assume this because the physical card never leaves my wallet.)

So, INGO, what steps do you take to protect your credit and identity. I asked if they suggested to change account numbers but they said no. So, I am thinking about calling them in a few days and report it missing for a new account number. Does that affect your credit? Can you think of any other steps I should take?

P.S. The kicker to this whole situation is the vendor was one of those 1800 credit score checkers you see plastered all over the TV.

Not long ago my wife was trying to get a credit report...... not known to me even though you get one free one a year they wanted a card number so she gave it to them and they sent one that had the score and said we had to pay to get details........ a month or so later there is a hit on our account for like $12..... then another one a few days later..... come to find out the credit score company decided to charge our account a month or so later twice (keep in mind my wife never agreed to pay for anything)...... we got our money back.....


Like said above cancel that card and get a new one.

 

[88GT]

Makes me wonder how many people don"t notice or follow up on getting the charges corrected.

I'm betting more than 50%.

Not long ago my wife was trying to get a credit report...... not known to me even though you get one free one a year they wanted a card number so she gave it to them and they sent one that had the score and said we had to pay to get details........ a month or so later there is a hit on our account for like $12..... then another one a few days later..... come to find out the credit score company decided to charge our account a month or so later twice (keep in mind my wife never agreed to pay for anything)...... we got our money back.....


Like said above cancel that card and get a new one.

Doesn't sound like she went to the .gov-sponsored free report website.....or she didn't read the fine print. The former doesn't require a CC number for the reports and won't give you the score without one.

For those that have had this happen, are these credit cards or debit cards?

 

[Tactical Dave]

I'm betting more than 50%.



Doesn't sound like she went to the .gov-sponsored free report website.....or she didn't read the fine print. The former doesn't require a CC number for the reports and won't give you the score without one.

For those that have had this happen, are these credit cards or debit cards?

It was one of the big 3 credit score companies..... she had a hit on her report and was trying to find out about it... I can't remember the details but regardless charging a card a month or more later is a little messed up. It was also over the phone and she contaced them.

 

[cosermann]

A couple of tips, assuming you do normal stuff like shred any paper with your name on it (rather than throwing it out) and wipe electronic devices before disposing of them.

1. Always use a virtual account number for online purchases, never the actual number on your card. If your card holder doesn't provide this service, change card holders.

2. Place a security/credit freeze on your credit report. Free for Indiana residents (maybe other states by now also). See here:

In Indiana, how can I help stop someone from opening a fraudulent credit account in my name? - Knowledge Base

There's a process for unfreezing, like for when you want to finance a house, car, etc., then you refreeze.

 

[Bucko]

For those that have had this happen, are these credit cards or debit cards?

It was a credit card. The charge has been removed. I check my account every couple of days to make sure everything is right.

A couple of years ago, I was making a $2,000 purchase on newegg.com and my credit card company froze my account thinking it was a theft. After I called them to find out what was going on, then my account was unfrozen. A call would have been nice from my credit card company to notify me they were putting my account on hold status.

 

[VUPDblue]

About 3 years ago, my wife got a spoof email, claiming to be from our bank, and asking her to "click here to log in to your account to verify your security settings". A couple days later I get a call from the bank manager (fried of mine) asking if I was upset with them. I said I was not and why do you ask? He said, well you took all your money out. By "all your money" he meant all ALL ALL, every last penny from 2 accounts. The bank was great to work with and we got everything straightened out and all the money replaced but I was ready to track the scum down and try out the new woodsplitting maul I just got. We keep a pretty sharp eye on things now and don't EVER respond to emails from the bank.