Credit cards Fraud {Insp}

"Credit cards Fraud"

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. "Hmmmmm." 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.

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 at 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.

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 canceled 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 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, believe me,
it is not fun. The truth is that they can get you even
when you are careful, but don't make it easy for them.

JUST BE AWARE
Received on Sun Feb 10 23:36:47 2008