Credit Card Copying
 

Hi Everyone,
Just wanted to remind and caution everyone to watch your credit cards when paying in restaurants, shops, etc. I had called my CC company (Visa) before I left for my trip to Paris and Bordeaux in June to tell them I was going overseas. My trip went off without a hitch- I'm very careful when it comes to my cards/money and safety. But Friday, Visa called to ask me if two charges made in Barcelona (one for $2,000 and another for $3200) were mine. Even though it is now January and the charges had just been made- they were wondering because I had told them I was overseas (in JUNE mind you!). Luckily the charges didn't go through, but I think the one or two times I didn't see them process my card at a restaurant(in Bordeaux), they must have copied my card. Keep your eyes on it at all times!

Kelly

Thanks for the advice - think I will stick to cash!

Good message, we were in Italy in October. When we got our bill there was a $330 charge from Rome for a vendor we didn't recognize. I called Visa and contested the charge and we just received notice from Visa that the vendor agreed it was a faulty charge and they removed it. Best we can guess is that someone got our number from a valid charge and tried to use it somewhere else.

I think it's good advice for people to be sure to check their statements as soon as they receive them. However, in the US and other places, they often take your card away to run it through a machine. I don't think you can refuse if you want to pay that way. It's not that unusual.

I think a good idea is to give them an end date to your travels. That's always what I do and what my CC company asks for. My companies wouldn't allow me to give them an open-ended date. Maybe you did give them dates and they just were asking in case you'd gone back without telling them, which could certainly happen.

Why didn't the charges go through, did they refuse them?

<<Thanks for the advice - think I will stick to cash!>>

No protection against theft at all with cash!

And no protection against highway robbery by the moneychangers to OBTAIN that cash!

Best wishes,

Rex

bbib, I think you really missed the point. The best part of this story is that although the card was copied and attempts were made to charge on it, it didn't cost KH a penny. It's another good reason to use credit cards, not a reason to NOT use them! You have total protection against fraudulent charges with a decent credit card.

Rather risk losing my cash for dinner, than handing over a credit card at the end of a meal, which is then frequently taken away to be processed -and then having to deal with mysterious credit card statements when I get home.

How do you know the number was stolen in France? It could just as easily have been stolen here. This scam is an ongoing problem. It even happened in Bloomingdale's in NY when a clerk had one of those little terminals which she used to run a tourist's card through in addition to the one in the store.

There are organized crime syndicates all over the world. The two largest ones seem to be in Nigeria and the former USSR. You don't even need a machine...the clerk just memorizes the number as well as the joke of a security code on the back. You just can't avoid it happening no matter what you do.

The good news is that in almost all cases, you will be credited for the full amount of these fraudulent charges so quite frankly it's not worth worrying about. If it should happen to you, you will probably have to fill out an affadavit but the situation is fairly easy to remedy as long as it is a credit card and not a debit card.

Hi Christina,

I had given Visa the dates (it was only for a week) and even the times that I was departing and arriving. I even called them to tell them I was back a few days after I got back. I had to remind them that I had been back from my trip for quite a while when the charges came through. It was actually a blessing that the charges were rejected due to amount left on my credit card limit (due to my last trip to France...) Needless to say, I was surprised to hear of the charges on Friday! And Rex, I agree- I'll still travel w/ credit cards over wads cash any day!
Kelly

Good point Patrick, but I have heard from several friends that they have experienced great difficulty in proving fraudulent claims if the card was used illegally while they were on their holiday.

bbib..

There is little you can do to prevent this from happening. This is simply not a reason not to use your credit cards.

You check into a hotel. You want to put up a large cash deposit or let them imprint your credit card? The number can easily be stolen there.

Or try renting a car without a credit card. What make syou think the number won't be stolen there?

Yes it is annotying and it has happened to me and I didn't like it either. But you know what, one telephone call, filling out an affadavit and it all went away. It's really not your problem, it is the credit card company's problem

Okay, persauded!

BTW KH...

There is a good chance the charges were posted to your account, at least one of them. Not saying they were but when this happened to me, nobody called. I only discovered it because I went on line to check my cc accounts as I do frequently.

If it was 2 charges, the first one might have gone through.

Also, while I am not saying not to, one time I tried to notify a credit card company of my intention to be away and was told they would note it but it probably wouldn't make a difference in approving or disapproving the charges as how did they know I wasn't the thief setting up for the kill (yeah I know they should ask the usual security questions like what is your mother's maiden name or what are the last 4 digits of your ss #).

This is a difficult problem they are grasping at straws to try to overcome. However with the advent of the internet and the alure of internet shopping, it is a very very difficult problem for all of us.

So, my opinion is as I said, just relax, enjoy your vacation, use your credit cards and don't worry about it. Take whatever preventions you can but the reality is that given the temptation and the involvement of organized crime, there is probably very little you can do about it most unfortunately.

I wonder if anybody got a credit card with a small limit just for vacation? Or is it possible to lower your limit to, let's say $3,000 for 2 weeks while out of the country?

I try to take more than one credit card with me when I travel just in case I have to cancel one of them. Is that a good idea or not?

The last few times I've been to France, they bring a credit card reader to the table, and your card never leaves your sight when paying for dinner. I thought this was done everyplace now. Maybe I was just lucky.

Dear folks,

When you use your credit card, don;t you have to sign it? Thus, if a $2000 charge appears on your card, it should have a good facsimile of your signature.

If not, no problem.

If it does, and it is dated **after** you have come home. No problem.

If it does, and it is dated while you were gone, there is a very good chance that you can determine where the forgery originated.

It is easier for the CC company to deny the charge than it is for them to fight with you. Especially when you have been charging hundreds, and there suddenly appears a charge for thouands.

Most likely the charges are being made on the internet where no signature is required (often they simply ask for that security code on the signature panel).

I always have two credit cards with me in Europe. One in my wallet and one in my money belt.

In addition the main card I use only has a $5,000 limit on it. I've almost never charged more than $3000 in a month, since I rarely travel for more than 2 weeks at a time.

I have to call my CC company every six months or so and explain to them why I don't want my credit card maximum increased. I guess they don't get many requests like that 'cause I have to explain why.

Even at home if my card or number is stolen I don't want the potential of 10's of thousands of dollars billed to my account. I'd rather it cut off at 5,000.

A couple of years ago, after we returned home from 2 weeks in France, someone charged about $10,000 on our Visa in Zaragosa, Spain (in 5 days). Our cards were NOT stolen and were never out of our sight. The charges included several $900 restaurant bills, $2,000 in department stores and lots more (obviously).

We had never been to Spain, so the charges were very easy to contest. Capital One was very good to deal with. We identified the fraudulent charges and they were removed.

I don't think anyone actually ate $900 meals. I think that at the end of the evening, someone took $900 or whatever from the till and replaced it with charges on my card. Probably the same thing happened at the department stores.

There were several places where the number and expiration could have been obtained. Someone sitting in a restaurant with a PDA (with the right software) can pick up the information as it is transmitted from the server's hand held unit to the main terminal on a wireless network. I think that our Visa information was picked up at a restaurant where the server swiped the card and said the machine wasn't working without trying it a second time. He returned our card and we paid cash. Thinking back afterwards, it just didn't feel right.

I would much rather use my credit card and not carry a lot of cash. I am now very careful about keeping receipts and keeping track of what I buy, when and where.