Damn credit card thief
Mar 17th 2009, 11:46 am
#16
Not living a 9 to 5 life
Joined: Jun 2002
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 11,061
Re: Damn credit card thief
I was in the UK for one weekend a few weeks ago, and used my mastercard once on that trip in an Indian restaurant near Goodge Street (I used cash everywhere else except the hotel and for that I used a different card).
A week and a half later the credit card company calls to say they've refused a charge with Aegean Airlines. So, they cancel my card and get me a new one. All other purchases on that card have been in the US for well over a year, and are the usual places, plus Aegean only appear to operate in Europe, so I have a pretty good reason to suspect this restaurant.
Yesterday my wife got a strange call trying to verify my phone number in relation to a website I apparently registered. It turns out another charge was refused by a company that registered a domain for "me". The website was pretending to be helping orphans and trying to get donations. That company were pretty good and took the website down as soon as I called them, but what a hassle.
I'm guessing they saw my US card as an easy target because all the UK cards are chip and pin. :curse:
A week and a half later the credit card company calls to say they've refused a charge with Aegean Airlines. So, they cancel my card and get me a new one. All other purchases on that card have been in the US for well over a year, and are the usual places, plus Aegean only appear to operate in Europe, so I have a pretty good reason to suspect this restaurant.
Yesterday my wife got a strange call trying to verify my phone number in relation to a website I apparently registered. It turns out another charge was refused by a company that registered a domain for "me". The website was pretending to be helping orphans and trying to get donations. That company were pretty good and took the website down as soon as I called them, but what a hassle.
I'm guessing they saw my US card as an easy target because all the UK cards are chip and pin. :curse:
1) did you call your credit card company before you left the US to tell them that you were going to be in the UK and using your card?
2) did you let your US issued credit card out of your sight when paying for any transaction in the UK?
Mar 17th 2009, 11:51 am
#17
Concierge
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 46,462
Re: Damn credit card thief
What I do when I'm traveling internationally and sometimes within the US is I will call Amex and advise them when and where I will be traveling and give them an approximate amount of what I anticipate spending. Any other amounts they will call me to verify before letting go through and they will know when purchases are made from that foreign location after my return date is not from me.
Mar 17th 2009, 11:54 am
#18
Arrogant ****
Joined: Jan 2004
Location: Plano, TX
Posts: 4,323
Re: Damn credit card thief
I was in the UK for one weekend a few weeks ago, and used my mastercard once on that trip in an Indian restaurant near Goodge Street (I used cash everywhere else except the hotel and for that I used a different card).
A week and a half later the credit card company calls to say they've refused a charge with Aegean Airlines. So, they cancel my card and get me a new one. All other purchases on that card have been in the US for well over a year, and are the usual places, plus Aegean only appear to operate in Europe, so I have a pretty good reason to suspect this restaurant.
Yesterday my wife got a strange call trying to verify my phone number in relation to a website I apparently registered. It turns out another charge was refused by a company that registered a domain for "me". The website was pretending to be helping orphans and trying to get donations. That company were pretty good and took the website down as soon as I called them, but what a hassle.
I'm guessing they saw my US card as an easy target because all the UK cards are chip and pin. :curse:
A week and a half later the credit card company calls to say they've refused a charge with Aegean Airlines. So, they cancel my card and get me a new one. All other purchases on that card have been in the US for well over a year, and are the usual places, plus Aegean only appear to operate in Europe, so I have a pretty good reason to suspect this restaurant.
Yesterday my wife got a strange call trying to verify my phone number in relation to a website I apparently registered. It turns out another charge was refused by a company that registered a domain for "me". The website was pretending to be helping orphans and trying to get donations. That company were pretty good and took the website down as soon as I called them, but what a hassle.
I'm guessing they saw my US card as an easy target because all the UK cards are chip and pin. :curse:
Mar 17th 2009, 11:58 am
#19
Thinking about it
Joined: Oct 2005
Location: Mid-West
Posts: 9,435
Re: Damn credit card thief
No offence, but I hope she slapped you around the ears - how the hell do you lift someone else's keys ffs. 
I thought it was bad enough when some gimp took my girlfriend's suitcase by mistake at the airport once, but that really takes the biscuit.
I thought it was bad enough when some gimp took my girlfriend's suitcase by mistake at the airport once, but that really takes the biscuit.
Mar 17th 2009, 12:37 pm
#20
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2004
Location: Northern California
Posts: 872
Re: Damn credit card thief
We had our card cloned in LA and they were trying to withdraw cash with it in Eastern Europe within 24 hours.
Mar 17th 2009, 3:52 pm
#22
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Feb 2007
Location: USA
Posts: 2,212
Re: Damn credit card thief
oh the shame. I know i know. I felt like crap. Especially as I am always misplacing mine. Can u imagine going to the docs and not being able to get away. It was an eye opener on many levels.
Mar 17th 2009, 4:00 pm
#23
Account Closed
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 0
Re: Damn credit card thief
Given they had your address as well, it's perfectly feasible the card data was stolen in the US and then sent abroad and it just happened to coincide with your UK trip. Taking your statement out of your mailbox probably gives them all the information they need to make a web purchase
We had our card cloned in LA and they were trying to withdraw cash with it in Eastern Europe within 24 hours.
We had our card cloned in LA and they were trying to withdraw cash with it in Eastern Europe within 24 hours.
Now the companies just send me an email, and I go to their sites to look at the bills.
Now if only the Canadian government would let me do this, but they insist on sending me paper mail with all my personal info including social ins # on most of it.
Mar 18th 2009, 12:22 am
#24
Not here much
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2005
Location: Highland Park, NJ
Posts: 2,452
Re: Damn credit card thief
A couple of questions about your trip to the UK.
1) did you call your credit card company before you left the US to tell them that you were going to be in the UK and using your card?
2) did you let your US issued credit card out of your sight when paying for any transaction in the UK?
1) did you call your credit card company before you left the US to tell them that you were going to be in the UK and using your card?
2) did you let your US issued credit card out of your sight when paying for any transaction in the UK?
I did not let the card out of my sight. It was all done on the machine at the table.
Mar 18th 2009, 12:25 am
#25
Forum Regular
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 263
Re: Damn credit card thief
Thats why I don't have any bill sent to me anymore, had my mail stolen once a few years back and they had a field day with it, even had a mortgage or 2 at some point.
Now the companies just send me an email, and I go to their sites to look at the bills.
Now if only the Canadian government would let me do this, but they insist on sending me paper mail with all my personal info including social ins # on most of it.
Now the companies just send me an email, and I go to their sites to look at the bills.
Now if only the Canadian government would let me do this, but they insist on sending me paper mail with all my personal info including social ins # on most of it.
Mar 18th 2009, 12:26 am
#26
Not here much
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2005
Location: Highland Park, NJ
Posts: 2,452
Re: Damn credit card thief
Given they had your address as well, it's perfectly feasible the card data was stolen in the US and then sent abroad and it just happened to coincide with your UK trip. Taking your statement out of your mailbox probably gives them all the information they need to make a web purchase
We had our card cloned in LA and they were trying to withdraw cash with it in Eastern Europe within 24 hours.
We had our card cloned in LA and they were trying to withdraw cash with it in Eastern Europe within 24 hours.
My wife had a card that she hadn't used for over a year and someone managed to charge over $2000 in a single transaction without that bank even flagging it as possible fraud (turned out the store weren't able to swipe the card so that did it using the old fashioned imprint method - the name on the card was not hers). What's worse is that the bank sent a replacement card which she never even activated, yet somehow that one got used too. Must have been an inside job at the bank that one.
Mar 18th 2009, 12:28 am
#27
Forum Regular
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 263
Re: Damn credit card thief
What I do when I'm traveling internationally and sometimes within the US is I will call Amex and advise them when and where I will be traveling and give them an approximate amount of what I anticipate spending. Any other amounts they will call me to verify before letting go through and they will know when purchases are made from that foreign location after my return date is not from me.
Mar 19th 2009, 5:36 am
#29
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Aug 2004
Location: Tampa, FL
Posts: 3,338
Re: Damn credit card thief
But it's the hassle that ensues after fraudulent use of your card thats the biggest pain in the butt rather than monetary liability.
Mar 25th 2009, 9:30 am
#30
Banned
Joined: Aug 2007
Location: the dry part of Washington State
Posts: 1,333
Re: Damn credit card thief
I had a phone call in the UK from someone who said he was from the place where I had bought a mobile phone in the last year and was that correct that I had bought the phone - I said yes. (99.9% of people bought a mobile in the previous year in 2005 I reckon)
I was tired from a long day's work and wasnt sharp
He said they forgot to offer me free insurance at the time of purchase and he was calling to confirm it was in place and he would be sending the certificate
He then went on to ask for my bank account - I said why and he said that after the free years insurance it would be £5 a year and included replacement if it broke - but they needed to send a direct debit for that
I woke up just then and told him to go forth and multiply
I never accept free anything as a matter of policy - although the hoover offer gave me a free flight london - miami - and the executive who's idea it was got fired
Actually, I keep telling my wife that every time she writes a check, she is giving them her name, address, bank name, account number, account name, routing number and a specimen of her signature
What would you say if someone knocked on the door and asked for those details ? Yet we give checks out to all sorts of people.
I was tired from a long day's work and wasnt sharp
He said they forgot to offer me free insurance at the time of purchase and he was calling to confirm it was in place and he would be sending the certificate
He then went on to ask for my bank account - I said why and he said that after the free years insurance it would be £5 a year and included replacement if it broke - but they needed to send a direct debit for that
I woke up just then and told him to go forth and multiply
I never accept free anything as a matter of policy - although the hoover offer gave me a free flight london - miami - and the executive who's idea it was got fired
Actually, I keep telling my wife that every time she writes a check, she is giving them her name, address, bank name, account number, account name, routing number and a specimen of her signature
What would you say if someone knocked on the door and asked for those details ? Yet we give checks out to all sorts of people.
