Credit card thieves deliver costly lesson

Chicago Southtown-Star ^ | December 3, 2010 | Fran Eaton

[KeyLargo]

Credit card thieves deliver costly lesson

December 3, 2010

By Fran Eaton

I wish this column was just a public service announcement on being careful about your credit cards during the Christmas shopping season, but it isn't. This week I was victimized by a thief while my credit card remained safe in my wallet in my purse.

Or, rather, I thought it was safe.

It wasn't until I got a call from a slightly irritated husband asking why our card was declined when he tried to use it for a purchase that I had reason to double-check our account. I was stunned to see purchases being made at local Speedways, the Crestwood Target, and the AMC theater in Schererville, Ind. Neither of us had been to any of those locations on those days. We'd been visiting family out of state.

Immediately I called the bank and canceled the card. Looking at the transactions, it became clear that a credit card had been made with my number and information. Nothing had been bought online. All was in-person. Except, it wasn't me making the purchases.

The next day, I went to MB Financial on Cicero Avenue. I was relieved that the customer service people were experienced in handling the situation.

"This happens a lot," personal banker Lara Roskos told me. "Especially around this time of the year, and in a year when so many people are having a rough time."

"How in the world does this happen?" I said. "I'm careful about where my wallet is. I don't leave my card lying around and I'm really careful about destroying any papers before putting them in the trash."

"There are people who sell good credit card numbers on the Internet," she said. "There are skimming machines on gas pumps that even the station owners don't realize have been attached. And I don't let my credit card out of my sight when I'm shopping."

But even then you have to trust waiters when your card is taken away at restaurants.

"A new scam is cashiers using their cell phones to take photos of the fronts and backs of your card, and using those numbers to create fraudulent cards," she said.

I then signed affidavits on each of the unauthorized transactions that had taken place while we were out of town, and bank manager Majde Mundi assured me our funds would reappear in our account within 10 to 14 days.

That was all good to hear, but I wondered, what would happen to the creep who went to the movies on my card?

"Frankly, it's hard to track these guys down," Mundi said. "We'll start an investigation and notify the different vendors, but chances are they'll just absorb the loss. This type of criminal activity has become factored into the cost of business."

In other words, the hundreds of dollars stolen from my account will be a Christmas gift to the culprits. That just couldn't be, I thought.

That was until I filed a report at the local police station.

"Frankly, we'll take this, but we won't be doing anything about it because none of these transactions happened in Oak Forest businesses," Sgt. Argelio Lopez told me. "If I were you, I'd go to Crestwood, Markham, Alsip and the other towns where the card was used and file reports there. It would be up to them to investigate. Wish we could help you more."

I asked the sergeant what people should do to avoid this happening to them.

"I'd use cash more if I were you," he said. "I tell my wife not to buy anything on the Internet."

Here he was telling me this on Cyber Monday, a day when Internet Christmas shopping surpassed all previous records. Can you imagine the heyday Internet thieves could have with all those card numbers?

So, on to the public service announcement.

How many times did you use your credit card or your debit card today? Where did you use it? Did it ever leave your sight? If so, you might want to keep an eye on your account over the next couple of weeks just to make sure that only those purchases are the ones coming up on your account.

The convenience of credit and debit cards will make most of us lackadaisical as our lives fill in with more and more busyness during the holidays. But take a lesson from my experience - protect your credit cards.

More than 10 million Americans fall victim to identity theft schemes, according to a recent Better Business Bureau report. It has been the No. 1 complaint to the Federal Trade Commission for the past five years.

Up until this week, I sympathized with those poor 10 million people, but I wasn't one of them. I thought I was careful enough to avoid those dilemmas. But I was wrong. It happened to me. Now I'll be anal about keeping my credit card within my sight and determining to use cash a little more often, especially at fast-food places where temporary workers are more common. It's nothing personal, it's just that I've learned my lesson.

A recent National Foundation for Credit Counseling online poll revealed that a majority of Americans fear identity theft.

"That is a healthy fear to have, if it leads them to take action," said Bob Ensinger, the foundation's chief operating officer.

I guess my fear is a healthy one. I'm taking action. It's much better to be on the offense than the defense. I'd suggest the same for you as we all do our best to have a lovely holiday season.

And just one comment to that person who enjoyed a movie, a shopping spree at Target and gas from a Markham Speedway on me: "Happy Holidays."

You could have asked.

[KeyLargo]

FRAN EATON

Fran Eaton is a free lance journalist and political consultant

[azhenfud]

Another precaution: NEVER present ANY card in a checkout line where another “customer” has their cell phone in hand.

[BobL]

Using the cards is great (at least if you pay them off right away), but the skimming stuff is pretty nasty. I sometimes walk to the cashier and pay there, when eating out (if possible). For gas stations, it’s actually easy to protect yourself - simply look at some of the other pumps and if readers don’t all look the same drive away (it’s really unlikey they’re skimming more than one pump).

[quintr]

bookmark for later

[Moonman62]

"I'd use cash more if I were you," he said. "I tell my wife not to buy anything on the Internet."

The Internet is probably the safest place to use it. The examples given in the article involved restaurants and gas stations.

[gitmo]

I was on a trip out of town, and right before driving back hom I stopped to eat. I gave the cashier my credit card, got it back, and began my trip home. Several hundred miles later I stopped for gas and my credit card was reported stolen. When I looked at it, I realized it wasn’t my card. The cashier had swapped cards on me.

[mimi from mi]

There is really scary technology out there now where a thief only has to get close to you to pick up your credit card number. Watch the following video on electronic pickpocketing:

http://www.wreg.com/videobeta/?watchId=8ba6f8fc-90a2-4711-90ea-1884ec348310

[BobL]

“The Internet is probably the safest place to use it. The examples given in the article involved restaurants and gas stations. “

I was thinking the same. For sure with large sites, like Amazon. Fly by nighters...not so sure. But it’s pretty easy to tell. If the site has a large selection and all of its links work - it’s almost always safe. It’s just too much work and money for the bad guys to bother with.

[AppyPappy]

This happened to us. The culprit: A bank employee. She stole a pile of CC info and sold it. Stealing data is the most common way to get CC info. The kicker? It wasn’t the first time she had done it. The other bank refused to prosecute so she was able to go work for another bank.

[catnipman]

Another security tip:

Memorize and then scrape off the 3-digit ccid/cvv on the back of the card, and then if stolen, at least it can’t be used in most places on the Internet.

For the life of me, I don’t understand why this is printed on the card in the first place, instead of being printed on an enclosed note when the card is issued.

[dhs12345]

Always check your statement for two reasons:

1. you can look for fraudulent charges. The credit card company won't catch everything.

2. once the charge has cleared with the credit card company, it may be difficult to reverse the charge. You have the leverage of the bill not being paid yet. More motivation for all involved to track down the perp if the charge hasn't cleared yet.

[wildbill]

While it wouldn’t completely stop credit card fraud, having a picture on the card would stop the thieves from using them in person.

You’d think with billions of dollars at stake the credit card companies would issue these cards for free if the owner provided a picture—but as far as I know the companies are charging a fee to issue a picture card although it would save them millions of dollars.

Go figure.

[dhs12345]

Credit Cards are really the safest. And there is huge motivation for the CC companies to nip a fraud in the bud. They are liable.

DON’T USE A DEBIT CARD.

[BobL]

Agree - I’ve said that here too. I don’t even have a debit card, and can’t figure out why people have no problem giving others direct access to their checking accounts.

[dhs12345]

And there is virtually no float. So if it is a false charge, it is almost impossible to stop it.

[upchuck]

Thank you for posting the entire article.

[TribalPrincess2U]

While it wouldn’t completely stop credit card fraud, having a picture on the card would stop the thieves from using them in person.

Evidently the credit card companies make more than enough money to cover all the fraud, otherwise they would have better safe guards by now.

Most cashiers could care less who the card belongs to. Some barely look at it or ask for ID. Only eye scanning would help in person to person transactions. Then they would come up with a way to capture your pupils.

Never thought to look at my card to see if it was the same one I handed the cashier, I sure will now.

[UCFRoadWarrior]

The Internet is probably the safest place to use it. The examples given in the article involved restaurants and gas stations.

---

Your credit card number can be stolen off the Internet....someone on the other is processing the transaction. Also, its easy for the crooks to intercept Wi-Fi and wireless transmissions....even when encrypted

[TribalPrincess2U]

What would one look for at a gas station pump?

[ReverendJames]

How does making a fake credit card work when you present it in person as the writer states her number information was stolen. It’s very rare to see a seller using a click-clack machine, POS (point of sale) uses the magnetic stripe to read the card so how was it used in all those stores without the magnetic stripe?