So yesterday evening I get a call from my bank asking about my credit card usage. Not
trusting the caller, I called the bank. Sure enough, my credit card information had
been used at a Shell station in California for a $110 purchase. The actual card was
still in my billfold, so somehow they got the number.

How? I don't know. But the card is cancelled. Right when I'm about to order Christmas
presents. Pain in the ass. Luckily, the bank will get me a new card in two days.

So...watch yourself.
--

Ban idiots, not guns!

Happened to me last year at this time. Someone was using my debit card out in the western US.
At that time I was seldom using it except at ATMs but did buy gas on the edge of town then the local news reported that a number of similar victims had come to light around the same time. Took just over a week for the bank to reimburse my $ 400 something dollars.

On 12/8/2015 10:03 AM, True North wrote:

Happened to me last year at this time. Someone was using my debit card out in the western US.
At that time I was seldom using it except at ATMs but did buy gas on the edge of town then the local news reported that a number of similar victims had come to light around the same time. Took just over a week for the bank to reimburse my $ 400 something dollars.


I've read that the card scanners used at gas pumps, ATM's and other
locations are replaced with some jerk's scanner that looks like it's the
original. His collects all your card info.

On Tue, 8 Dec 2015 10:13:06 -0500, "Mr. Luddite" wrote:

On 12/8/2015 10:03 AM, True North wrote:

Happened to me last year at this time. Someone was using my debit card out in the western US.
At that time I was seldom using it except at ATMs but did buy gas on the edge of town then the local news reported that a number of similar victims had come to light around the same time. Took just over a week for the bank to reimburse my $ 400 something dollars.


I've read that the card scanners used at gas pumps, ATM's and other
locations are replaced with some jerk's scanner that looks like it's the
original. His collects all your card info.


A couple weeks before Christmas is *not* a good time for this to happen.

I tried, this morning, to go to my statement at the bank's site to see if I could
figure out where this may have happened. But, everything and anything to do with that
card has been removed from my account.

I was really surprised that the bank, Pentagon Federal, would have caught that
charge. Perhaps their computers are programmed to compare usage times and realized I
couldn't have used the card here and in California only a couple hours later.
--

Ban idiots, not guns!

On 12/8/2015 10:27 AM, John H. wrote:
On Tue, 8 Dec 2015 10:13:06 -0500, "Mr. Luddite" wrote:

On 12/8/2015 10:03 AM, True North wrote:

Happened to me last year at this time. Someone was using my debit card out in the western US.
At that time I was seldom using it except at ATMs but did buy gas on the edge of town then the local news reported that a number of similar victims had come to light around the same time. Took just over a week for the bank to reimburse my $ 400 something dollars.


I've read that the card scanners used at gas pumps, ATM's and other
locations are replaced with some jerk's scanner that looks like it's the
original. His collects all your card info.


A couple weeks before Christmas is *not* a good time for this to happen.

I tried, this morning, to go to my statement at the bank's site to see if I could
figure out where this may have happened. But, everything and anything to do with that
card has been removed from my account.

I was really surprised that the bank, Pentagon Federal, would have caught that
charge. Perhaps their computers are programmed to compare usage times and realized I
couldn't have used the card here and in California only a couple hours later.


The banks and credit card companies have become pretty good at tracking
your spending habits and locations. Last year at about this time I
decided to drive to SC to spend Christmas with my son. When I arrived
at the hotel and tried to pay for the stay with a card, I got a request
to contact the issuer. Once they confirmed it was really me, the
payment was processed. I was told that it is a good idea to call the
issuers of debit and credit cards and let them know you will be
traveling and using the cards in locations they are not normally used.

- show quoted text -
The banks and credit card companies have become pretty good at tracking
your spending habits and locations. Last year at about this time I
decided to drive to SC to spend Christmas with my son. When I arrived
at the hotel and tried to pay for the stay with a card, I got a request
to contact the issuer. Once they confirmed it was really me, the
payment was processed. I was told that it is a good idea to call the
issuers of debit and credit cards and let them know you will be
traveling and using the cards in locations they are not normally used.
.........,
Yep, I had that happen to me a coue years ago while in Tennessee. I made a size able purchase ms the card was denied. I was really embarrassed but the sales guy was really helpful and asked me if I notified my card co that I was traveling, which i hadn't.

I called and got it lined out and all was well.
Since then I do call ahead and tell when I'll leave, where going and approx return. It's a good thing.

Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 12/8/2015 10:27 AM, John H. wrote:
On Tue, 8 Dec 2015 10:13:06 -0500, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 12/8/2015 10:03 AM, True North wrote:

Happened to me last year at this time. Someone was using my debit
card out in the western US.
At that time I was seldom using it except at ATMs but did buy gas
on the edge of town then the local news reported that a number of
similar victims had come to light around the same time. Took just
over a week for the bank to reimburse my $ 400 something dollars.


I've read that the card scanners used at gas pumps, ATM's and other
locations are replaced with some jerk's scanner that looks like it's
the
original. His collects all your card info.


A couple weeks before Christmas is *not* a good time for this to happen.

I tried, this morning, to go to my statement at the bank's site to
see if I could
figure out where this may have happened. But, everything and anything
to do with that
card has been removed from my account.

I was really surprised that the bank, Pentagon Federal, would have
caught that
charge. Perhaps their computers are programmed to compare usage times
and realized I
couldn't have used the card here and in California only a couple
hours later.


The banks and credit card companies have become pretty good at
tracking your spending habits and locations. Last year at about this
time I decided to drive to SC to spend Christmas with my son. When I
arrived at the hotel and tried to pay for the stay with a card, I got
a request to contact the issuer. Once they confirmed it was really
me, the payment was processed. I was told that it is a good idea to
call the issuers of debit and credit cards and let them know you will
be traveling and using the cards in locations they are not normally used.




You can do that on their websites now. I was declined a few years ago
for a $40 sweatshirt in Las Vegas after I had charged $150 for dinner in
the same town. They said I should notify them of my travel but it still
didn't make much sense.

On Tue, 08 Dec 2015 10:27:57 -0500, John H.
wrote:

I've read that the card scanners used at gas pumps, ATM's and other
locations are replaced with some jerk's scanner that looks like it's the
original. His collects all your card info.


A couple weeks before Christmas is *not* a good time for this to happen.

I tried, this morning, to go to my statement at the bank's site to see if I could
figure out where this may have happened. But, everything and anything to do with that
card has been removed from my account.

I was really surprised that the bank, Pentagon Federal, would have caught that
charge. Perhaps their computers are programmed to compare usage times and realized I
couldn't have used the card here and in California only a couple hours later.

===

This kind of thing is happening more often as hackers and card
scammers get more adept. The banks and card companies spend millions
and millions on fraud detection and protection and still bad stuff
gets through. They catch a lot of it very quickly however, and if you
travel a lot, they'll catch you also.

We're on the flip side of fraud detection at least a couple of times a
year, even more if we're cruising in the Bahamas or Caribbean. If
you're depending on cards for funds it's important to have at least
two or three different accounts, and with different banks. We give
all of our card companies notice before we travel and still get
tripped up from time to time. It's a nuisance but always gets
resolved quickly after we call them up and reassure them that we
really did buy $3,000 worth of diesel in some out of the way place.

On Tue, 08 Dec 2015 10:27:57 -0500, John H.
wrote:

On Tue, 8 Dec 2015 10:13:06 -0500, "Mr. Luddite" wrote:

On 12/8/2015 10:03 AM, True North wrote:

Happened to me last year at this time. Someone was using my debit card out in the western US.
At that time I was seldom using it except at ATMs but did buy gas on the edge of town then the local news reported that a number of similar victims had come to light around the same time. Took just over a week for the bank to reimburse my $ 400 something dollars.


I've read that the card scanners used at gas pumps, ATM's and other
locations are replaced with some jerk's scanner that looks like it's the
original. His collects all your card info.


A couple weeks before Christmas is *not* a good time for this to happen.

I tried, this morning, to go to my statement at the bank's site to see if I could
figure out where this may have happened. But, everything and anything to do with that
card has been removed from my account.

I was really surprised that the bank, Pentagon Federal, would have caught that
charge. Perhaps their computers are programmed to compare usage times and realized I
couldn't have used the card here and in California only a couple hours later.

It is handy to have more than one card. I have several and I use them
for different things so it is a little easier to figure out how one
got compromised and so I am not a vagrant if one is.

John H. wrote:
On Tue, 8 Dec 2015 10:13:06 -0500, "Mr. Luddite" wrote:

On 12/8/2015 10:03 AM, True North wrote:

Happened to me last year at this time. Someone was using my debit card out in the western US.
At that time I was seldom using it except at ATMs but did buy gas on the edge of town then the local news reported that a number of similar victims had come to light around the same time. Took just over a week for the bank to reimburse my $ 400 something dollars.

I've read that the card scanners used at gas pumps, ATM's and other
locations are replaced with some jerk's scanner that looks like it's the
original. His collects all your card info.

A couple weeks before Christmas is *not* a good time for this to happen.

I tried, this morning, to go to my statement at the bank's site to see if I could
figure out where this may have happened. But, everything and anything to do with that
card has been removed from my account.

I was really surprised that the bank, Pentagon Federal, would have caught that
charge. Perhaps their computers are programmed to compare usage times and realized I
couldn't have used the card here and in California only a couple hours later.
--

Ban idiots, not guns!


Bank of America has declined charges at a local gas station we frequent
often - go figure. On the other hand I have used my card during the
same hour my wife was in another state using her card with the same
number and we were both away from home.