Credit Card Scams - 3 Scenarios
3 scenarios to read if you have a credit card. What they won't think of next! Be sure to read 'Scenario 3'
SCENARIO 1: this is a new one.
People sure stay busy trying to cheat us, don't they?? A friend went to the local gym and placed his belongings in the locker. After the workout and a shower, he came out, saw the locker open and thought to himself, "Funny, I thought I locked the locker. Hmmmmmm." He
dressed and just flipped the wallet to make sure all was in order. Everything looked okay - all cards were in place.
A few weeks later his credit card bill came to a whopping bill of $14,000! He called the credit card company and started yelling at them, saying that he did not make the transactions. Customer care personnel verified that there was no mistake in the system and asked if his card had been stolen. "No," he said, but then took out his wallet, pulled out the credit card, &!#%$^#, and yep, you guessed it - a switch had been made.
An expired similar credit card from the same bank was in the wallet. The thief broke into his locker at the gym and switched cards. Verdict: The credit card issuer said since he did not report the card missing earlier, he would have to pay the amount owed to them. How much did he have to pay for items he did not buy? $9,000!
Why were there no calls made to verify the amount swiped? Small amounts rarely trigger a "warning bell" with some credit card companies. It just so happens that all the small amounts added up to one BIG one!
SCENARIO 2:
A man at a local restaurant paid for his meal with his credit card. The bill for the meal came, he signed it, and the waitress folded the receipt and passed the credit card along. Usually,
he would just take it and place it in his wallet or pocket. Funny enough, though, he actually took a look at the card and, lo and behold, it was the expired card of another person. He called the waitress and she looked perplexed. She took it back, apologized, and hurried back to the counter under the watchful eye of the man. All the waitress did while walking to the counter was wave the wrong expired card to the counter cashier, and the counter cashier immediately looked down and took out the real card. No exchange of words - nothing! She took it and came back to the man with an apology.
Verdict: Make sure the credit cards in your wallet are yours. Check the name on the card every time you sign for something and/or the card is taken away for even a short period of time. Many people just take back the credit card without even looking at it, "assuming" that it has to be theirs.
FOR YOUR OWN SAKE, DEVELOP THE HABIT OF CHECKING YOUR CREDIT CARD EACH TIME IT IS RETURNED TO YOU AFTER A TRANSACTION!
SCENARIO 3:
Yesterday (originator of this e-mail) I went into a pizza restaurant to pick up an order
that I had called in. I paid by using my Visa Check Card, which, of course, is linked directly to my checking account. The young man behind the counter took my card, swiped it, and then laid it on the counter as he waited for the approval, which is pretty standard procedure.
While he waited, he picked up his cell phone and started dialing. I noticed the phone because it is the same model I have, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Then I heard a click that sounded like my phone sounds when I take a picture. He then gave me back my card but kept the phone in his hand as if he was still pressing buttons.
Meanwhile, I'm thinking: I wonder what he was taking a picture of; oblivious to what was really going on.
It then dawned on me: the only thing there was my credit card, so now I'm paying close attention to what he is doing. He set his phone on the counter, leaving it open. About five seconds later, I heard the chime that tells you that the picture has been saved. Now I'm standing there struggling with the fact that this boy just took a picture of my credit card. Yes, he played it off well, because had we not had the same kind of phone, I probably would never have known what happened.
Needless to say, I immediately canceled that card as I was walking out of the pizza parlor.
Alll I am saying is be aware of your surroundings at all times. Whenever you are using your credit cards, take caution and don't be careless. Notice who is standing near you and what they are doing when you use your card. Be aware of phones because many have a camera phone these days. When you are in a restaurant and the waiter/waitress brings your card and receipt for you to sign, make sure you scratch the number off. Some restaurants are using only the last four digits but a lot of them are still putting the whole thing on there.
I have already been a victim of credit card fraud and it is not fun, believe me. The truth is that they can get you even when you are careful, but don't make it easy for them.
Hotel - Credit Card Type Room Keys
DON'T HAND THEM BACK when you check out - DESTROY THEM
Here's why from the California Bureau of Investigation:
"Southern California law enforcement professionals assigned to detect new threats to personal security issues, recently discovered what type of information is embedded in the credit card type hotel room keys used throughout the industry.
Although room keys differ from hotel to hotel, a key obtained from a well known hotel chain that was being used for a regional Identity Theft Presentation was found to contain the following the information:
a.. Customers (your) name
b.. Customers partial home address
c.. Hotel room number
d.. Check in date and check out date
e.. Customer's (your) credit card number and expiration date!
When you turn them in to the front desk your personal information is there for any employee to access by simply scanning the card in the hotel scanner
An employee can take a hand full of cards home and using a scanning device, access the information onto a laptop computer and go shopping at your expense.
Simply put, hotels do not erase the information on these cards until an employee re-issues the card to the next hotel guest. At that time, the new guest's information is electronically "overwritten" on the card and the previous guest's information is erased in the overwriting process. But until the card is rewritten for the next guest, it usually is kept in a drawer at the front desk with YOUR INFORMATION ON IT!!!!
The bottom line is:
Keep the cards, take them home with you, or destroy them.
NEVER leave them behind in the room or room wastebasket, and NEVER turn them in to the front desk when you check out of a room.
They will not charge you for the card (it's illegal) and you'll be sure you are not leaving a lot of valuable personal information on it that could be easily lifted off with any simple scanning device card reader.
For the same reason, if you arrive at the airport and discover you still have the card key in your pocket, do not toss it in an airport trash basket. Take it home and destroy it by cutting it up, especially through the electronic information strip!
Information courtesy of: Pasadena Police Department
1 comment:
I HAVE DISCOVERED A VERY USEFUL
WEBSITE: truthorfiction.com
Whenever I see something (usually a "warning" e-mail that is worrisome &/or questionable, I check there first.
I thought you'd be interested to see what they say about the hotel "credit card" style keys information (="FICTION"!!),
so I've attached a copy of their report (note that they usually append an example of the type of e-mail that is being circulated,
whether they judge it to be truth or fiction).
Have a look at their website sometime - you'll be amazed at the fabrications that people come up with !!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hotel Room Keys Have Your Personal Information on Them Including Credit Card Numbers - Fiction!
Summary of the eRumor:
A warning that key cards issued to hotel guests as room keys are being used for identity theft.
The story says that Southern California Law Enforcement professionals discovered that some hotel room keys include the guest's name, credit card information, and other data that could be used for identity theft.
The Truth:
Hotels and resorts are increasingly issuing credit card-looking "key cards" to guests instead of traditional metal keys for use in opening the doors to guest rooms.
That's increased security for guests since metal keys could be easily duplicated and most of them had the number of the room stamped on them making it easy for a stolen or lost key to be used for entry.
The key cards do not have any visible indication of what room they open.
They also have a magnetic strip on the back that can be programmed, for example, with the dates that the guest is going to use the room so that the key cannot be used after that unless it is programmed with fresh information.
Do hotel key cards have guests' personal information on them?
We surveyed several major hotels in California, Nevada, and Florida and the consensus was emphatic: No hotel key cards have any personal information on them, not even the guest's name.
There are some hotels, such as the Hard Rock and Portofino Hotels in Orlando, Florida, that have allow key cards to be used for purchases, but there is no identifying information on the key card.
The purchases are billed to the room number and added to the guests hotel charges.
One fraud detective we talked with said the eRumor may have been prompted by a police case from Southern California where investigators broke up a group of foreign credit card crooks.
They had a large number of stolen key cards from a particular hotel.
The police decided to scan them to see what was on them and they found credit card debit card numbers, not hotel room information.
The reason, according to the detective, is that the crooks can use a credit card scanning device to steal credit and debit card information, program it on to a hotel key card and use it just like the original card.
He said that there was a case in Fresno where a member of a foreign credit card fraud gang was an employee at a gas station.
He had made a device that would scan customers' credit and debit card info on to a hotel key card at the same time that the card was being used for a purchase.
[Last updated 10/19/03]
Note:they appended "A real example of the eRumor as it has appeared on the Internet" which was virtually identical to the one sent to you !!!
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