New Ways of STEALING.....Information to Protect yourself--

[jkhanson]

I received an email that opened my eyes about how much we have to be aware of so our Credit Card information isn't stolen.
It is a little long, so I am making multiple posts.  We really have to be careful these days.

PART 1:

New ways of Stealing - VERY IMPORTANT
        
SCENE 1.
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..
Hmm, '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 -
a whooping 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 big one!
============================

[jkhanson]

PART 2:  New Ways of STEALING

SCENE 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!
==========================

[jkhanson]

Part 3:  New Ways of Stealing

    SCENE 3:
    Yesterday 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, 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
    is 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 cancelled
    that card as I was walking out of the pizza
    parlor..
    All I am saying is, be aware of your
    surroundings at all times.
    Whenever you are using your credit card
    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.
    FORWARD THIS TO AS MANY PEOPLE
         AS YOU CAN THINK OF. LET'S GET THE
         WORD OUT! JUST BE AWARE
    Never let your card out of your
    sight.....check and check again!

  
               In God We Trust,
       All others Pay Cash !!

[Lusie]

OH WOW!! Thaks for sharing. The last two never would hve thought the last two but if you use the card on net there is no one there to verify that it is really you.

[mrstina08]

I really appreciate you sharing this information. You are exactly right because my husband and I go out to eat alot and the majority of time we are using our bank card. I  have never thought about someone switching cards but Thanks to you I will be watchful and on my guard!!!

[atvgirl1]

You have to be very careful using your card we had a restraunt were i live that would run your credit card and then wright down the numbers and information and was selling it for people to use.

[Elizabethar]

Thank's alot for sharing all this, I will watch more on who and what's going on around me when using any of my cards.

[Oryon20]

I will never use a credit card at a restaurant, for two reasons, really.  First, I hate the idea of them taking the card with them.  I can't see what they are doing with it while they are gone.  The second reason is, my sister-in-law used to be a waitress.  She told my wife and I that at her restaurant, there were a few waitstaff members who lost jobs because they were overtipping themselves.  I guess when you pay by card, after they return the card and receipt to your table, they leave the transaction open until they see if you are also tipping on your card.  Well, staff members would then fill in amounts which didn't match what the customer wrote... ie. they'd enter $20.00, but the customer wrote $8.00.  They'd mostly get away with it because most people don't scrutinize their bills that well when they come, and once the bill came, couldn't remember what the total at the restaurant was anyway, as they also most likely trashed their receipt.

[sweatytree]

We just need to do a better job of controlling our credit cards....

[jkhanson]

I will never use a credit card at a restaurant, for two reasons, really.  First, I hate the idea of them taking the card with them.  I can't see what they are doing with it while they are gone.  The second reason is, my sister-in-law used to be a waitress.  She told my wife and I that at her restaurant, there were a few waitstaff members who lost jobs because they were overtipping themselves.  I guess when you pay by card, after they return the card and receipt to your table, they leave the transaction open until they see if you are also tipping on your card.  Well, staff members would then fill in amounts which didn't match what the customer wrote... ie. they'd enter $20.00, but the customer wrote $8.00.  They'd mostly get away with it because most people don't scrutinize their bills that well when they come, and once the bill came, couldn't remember what the total at the restaurant was anyway, as they also most likely trashed their receipt.

Wow.  I never thought that people could be so sneaky and dishonest.  My husband always pays for meals by credit card.  You are so so right when you say we don't scrutinize the bills closely when the statement arrives.

Thanks for your information!

[Oryon20]

You are so so right when you say we don't scrutinize the bills closely when the statement arrives.

It's so true.  I was guilty of being kind of a slacker in regards to poring over the statements each month.  But, a few years ago, I saw a couple charges that just seemed very odd.  They weren't for large amounts ($5.00 each), but I couldn't figure out for the life of me what they were.  After doing some digging online, I found it was a monthly subscription fee to some company which was supposed to provide a wide range of coupons, discounts, promotions, etc.  (Funny how I never saw any of this).  My wife had either inadvertently checked or not unchecked a box signing up for it when she made a purchase at an online retailer.  We found out the retailer, called the company which was charging the monthly fees, and luckily had everything canceled and the fees credited. 

So, ALWAYS scrutinize bills each month, and if something just seems odd, dig deeper into it!

[anubabs]

Wow unbelievable! It's true the pizza place incident actually happened to me once, I ordered over the phone for delivery n gave them my credit card number like I always did, to my surprise the following day I got a call from my card company asking to approve some irregular transactions I made online the previous day of about $4,000. I was lucky because I was able to decline them. I went to the pizza shop to make a complaint n the manager said they have been looking for proof to use against the guy n called the police.

[samiole32]

This is horrible, I think my husband now right, He try to get cash from the ATM then pay with cash ofcourse he use his card but most of the time he try to get cash before he pay and he like to pay by cash I never knew why and I was thinking what is the problem of swapping the card instead of getting cash and go with the change in your pocket. After I did read this I think he was right

[sdenimandlace1]

I always try to do cash at resturant and if I cann't I take my card myself to check out.  We have Sonic here that you do your card and if my payment does not take and the offer to take card inside, I say I'm sorry and return their food since they did not tell me the machine did not take my payment.

[ik969]

thats why i barely use my credit cards, i try to have cash in hand when i know that im going to make  a purchase