LuvToRoam

Here we are in sunny, lovely Rome. A trip report will be posted when we return (unless I get extremely ambitious and post while traveling). This is a reminder that you must be careful with your credit cards. We returned to a place we had enjoyed last year, Antica Trattoria "da Carlone, della luce 5, for dinner last night. We noted they took charge cards so we decided to charge. Luckily we are traveling with a computer and had added "foreign transaction" alerts to our card because this morning we got notice of 3 charges, 2 which were not ours. Naturally the card had to be canceled, a total drag. We of course have contingency plans for this but it is a pain and a disappointment. He did walk off with our card so it is hard to know if it was in house or if it was someone with a "reader" somewhere. Goodness knows this was a hopping little joint. Since I left my light jacket lying on the back of my chair we had planned to return there this afternoon to retrieve it. We will be mentioning this to the owner if we see him. Point is we are glad we had signed up for the alerts. We are at the beginning of the trip so if this was a big scam and more charges would have been forthcoming this would have been a mess to straighten out once home. This has not dampened the trip a bit though, I mean come on, we are in Rome and it is Awesome !

tarquin

Thank you for the warning, Luv. This was the only time you used that card? I would mention it STRONGLY to the owner.

I am glad that I ordered a bunch of euros for our trip next week as it minimises card tranactions.

Have a fab time in Rome.

worldinabag

Hi

I'm sorry to hear of your hassles. This is a lesson for all of us. Never allow anyone to walk off with your credit card. Stay with your card even if they argue the "machine is out the back".

hetismij2

It sounds like the card was skimmed, but it may be coincidence too that it happened while you are away.

I recently had my card blocked due to unexplained charges - one for €2900 from Apple Dublin and a couple of online betting services, yet I have not used my chip and pin card abroad, or at home for a long time. I have used it for online purchases, from trusted, reliable (I thought) companies.

We spotted the Apple charge and put in a dispute, the CC company phoned about the betting services, and blocked my card. They repaid the Apple charge to us within a week, and I now have a new card and a new PIN.

Anyway I am glad you spotted it early and I hope you aren't left out of pocket and get things sorted soon.

xyz123

As noted it can happen anywhere in the world and cannot be completely eradicated because of the large voluyme of on line charges made daily where the customer is not present and also in backward countries such as.....well I can think of one pretty big backward country that has refused to go to chip and pinand thus has a staggering amount of pos fraud although one person here noted their chip and pin account was fleeced in Ireland.

If they went to chip and pin, the waiters would have to bring the terminals to your tabloe and none of this going into a back room where they can clone the archaic magnetic strip. Even with the chip and signature cards, as the waiter or merchant cannot tell a chip and signature card from a chip and pin card until the card is inserted into the terminal, I'm very insistant when in Europe that the card never leave my possession and they bring the terminal to my table. These terminals should be required in the United States (along with a bunch of other things) but the American banks are far too arrogant to enter the 21st century. There's little you can do other than to monitor the situation the way the OP does with his or her computer and keep your eye on the card at all times.

nytraveler

In the US the card is routinely take to the machine - versus bringing it to the table and problems are miniscule versus transactions. While it is possible that this occurred in the restaurant it is really more likely due to online use. I have had to have my AmEx replaced twice in the last year - and both times it was internet problems. Not an issue with the merchant I was using - but due to hacking of their records.

There was one famous instance of Barnes and Noble's system being hacked that affected tens of thousands of customers. That was once when mine was hacked. Not sure of the other. But this is one reason I use AmEx whenever possible - they reverse charges without question and overnight you a new card.

LSky

Thanks for sharing this. It's a good lesson for others to read.

I NEVER LET ANYONE WALK OFF WITH MY CREDIT CARD. yes, it deserves to be in caps. I walk my card to the front desk. No matter where I am. I don't care if they're set up to take me there or not. It's their problem not mine.

This used to make my husband feel odd not to slip the card into a folder and wait. I'm impatient anyway so it's never bothered me not to wait.

greg

This is a type of event where the number of trips one has taken have little relevance in preventing the fraud. If one visits an establishment with a card skimming staff, it does not matter if it was the first or the 50th visit.

One of my relative feels because of her experience traveling without fraud, she travels with just 1 credit card and 1 debit card. Even if she does not visit a card skimming establishment, there are many other ways the card become useless. I had my card cloned and used in a state I have never visited. So, even my card never left my possession in Europe, the card got cancelled and new card issued - totally useless while in Europe. The OP was prudent in having a backup plan.

Pegontheroad

I always bring 2 debit cards and 2 credit cards, but this post reminds me that I'm better off paying cash rather than having a waiter take my card away from my table.

I once had a potential fraud problem when someone tried to buy $2000 worth of electronics equipment using my card. My credit card company refused to allow the transaction, fortunately.

I know exactly who the fraudster was--a taxi driver I had used. Since I'd been laid up for my knee replacement for a while, I hadn't used my card in a month, except for this taxi ride.

LSky

Paying cash is always a good option, even if one misses out on those miles/points/whatever.

We always have 2 cc/ 2 debits split between us.

xyz123

Pagon....while I agree it was probably the taxi driver, believe me the vermin running these credit card fraud rings, usually found in Nigeria or places in Eastern E;urope such as Rumania or Belarus or the like, have become very sophisticated. Credit card info is sold on the internet all the time. Attemps are made all the time to get you to volunteer info either by phone calls or by e-mail (called phishing...look up on google some of the things that are done). It's a lucrative international business for them.

If it happens, in almost all cases in the USA, a few phone calls will resolve the problem and credit the fraudulent charges to your account. The biggest pain is informing all those places where I have my payments automatically debited to my credit card such as cable television, utilities, internet providers of the new number but then again you have to do that anyway when the expiration date or ccv number changes. After you've had it happen to you two or three times while it is annoying, it is hardly the end of the worl that true identity theft might be. You deal with and that's the end of it. No need to get upset. It's the price one pay for living in the 21st century.

xyz123

Lsky...why should I pay cash when I travel? This is the 21st century. Who wants to be bothered with ATM withdrawals and the like. If there is a credit card decals, out comes the credit card to pay for whatever I buy, no matter what the amount and no matter where I am. It is too bad that until the banking law passed, both mc and visa prohibited in the US such silly things as minimum purchase amounts (now according to the merchant agreements, the merchants can set a $10 minimum although such laws did not necessarily apply for purchases outside the USA) and can surcharge use of a credit card. Absurd law but I can go weeks at home or on the road and not have to pay one red cent in cash and to me, that's the best way to do it.

LuvToRoam

We came with Euros to pay our entire stay in full at the beginning (one place-17 nights), hubby just didn't want to worry about huge withdrawals. We'll just do cash as we have our tyme cards as well as two additional credit cards. It is more annoying than anything else. Cap 1 was very helpful; she said the charges were made over the phone-stemming from the UK. We saw one of those fancy card carriers that were supposed to help prevent this.....may have to get one. Since the charge showed up one hour and then another in another hour after the dinner charge, it seems plausible that is where the fraud occurred, so a special carrier would have not helped-however I guess we would know it wasn't that. We did get my jacket and the owner seemed stunned and didn't quite understand (or seem to) what we were telling him. Lesson learned and reminder for all. Well, back to the wine on our sunny warm terrace in the lovely Trastevere (even more enjoyable since we hear it is cold and rainy back home ) Ciao everyone.

chapla

I got a very useful tip from a bank in San Sebastian-always withdraw money from ATMs that are inside the bank.This cuts down on using a machine that has being tampered as has happened with those on the street.
It just takes a little planning but I do feel safer withdrawing money from inside the doorway or bank lobby.If there is a problem it sure is easier to go directly to that bank.
I had tried to withdraw money once in SS. The machine failed to give me money but my card was charged with a withdrawal. I went inside the bank and within minutes they were able to check and credit my card.

LSky

xyz, it's up to each individual. There are times I don't want to pay with my cc. It's on a case by case basis.

xyz123

lsky....agreed!

nytraveler

Agree that everyone should travel with multiple credit cards and debit cards - since even without any malfeasance it's possible that 1) an ATM eats the card, or 2) you lose the card of 3) some dumbo at the bank sees foreign charges and freezes the card.

But, still, most of the problems come from hacking online merchants, followed at a long distance by readers inserted in machines in areas that are often deserted. (ATMs usually have cameras on them if at banks - in other places - who knows?)