Credit Card Number Stolen in Paris
 

I'm wondering if anyone has had this happen. I was in Paris in February.Of the two cards I used one was my Visa/Debit used to get cash and ocassionally to purchase items. I always used cash for meals. Well, this past Wednesday I discovered fraudulant use of my Visa # in the amount of $1,000.00 Once I had a chance to review the charges, I saw they are all from Paris and all were made in the last two weeks.Of the 6 purchases, 5 were made at a Vodaphne store, leading me to wonder if cell phones accounts have been opened in my name too. I can't figure out when it happened. I never had the card taken, just the number. Several times during my trip the card was rejected, (I have never had that happen while traveling). The bank said that stores are using new machines that are sensitive to our cards.??? I can't help but wonder if the card rejection and the stolen number are somehow related, but I don't know how?Has anyone had this experience?

Two years ago a similar thing happened to me.

There's little that can be done about this. Dishonest clerks either run the cards through another scanner not tied in to the credit card company's or simply memorize the number and pass them along to organized crime groups.

There is little you can do about it except dispute the charges. Chances are 99.9% that the bank will remove the fraudulent charges.

Happened to me in Coral Gables, FL with my Diner's Club. DC called me at work the next week and asked if I'd really spent $7000 at some restaurant in Coral Gables. When the bill came there was also a $300 charge at another restaurant and a tank of gas someplace else in FL. (I had been there, but only stayed at a hotel for one night, and was taken out to dinner the one night and for lunch the day after. Only place my card left my wallet was at the hotel.) Oh, yeah, and I happened to be in NYC over the couple of days those big charges were run up. The security folks told me that the number had probably been stamped into a "manufactured" e.g., counterfiet card. They took all the fraudulent charges off.

that's too bad. I'm lucky I've never had any kind of fraud on my cards. I kind of doubt there is any connection between some problem with machines reading your card and the other thing. It's especially unusual since you say you never used it at restaurants, as I would imagine other usages would be limited.

I was just in Paris last summer and I never had my cards rejected for a reading problem except once by the automatic ticket machines in the train station. The window clerk said that wasn't unusual for American credit cards. I never had a problem in stores or restaurants, though. I find this story kind of unusual in that I thought VISA was supposed to have such a crackerjack fraud team and would often question even legitimate charges. I suppose it depends on your bank, but I've gotten calls about rather normal and small amounts usage on one of my former VISA cards.

I think my card issuer wouldn't have allowed that. I always tell them when I'm going abroad, and they always want to know the countries and the end date of the trip, also. Doesn't your card do that? I guess that's their problem, though, if you aren't liable.

We had the same thing happen last year after a trip to Cozumel, Mexico. We had mostly used American Express, but had used our Visa card at a restaurant where they didn't accept American Express. A couple of days after we got home, we had a call from Visa asking if we had just charged $2,700.00 in Mexico City!

Apparently there are rings of thieves who get card numbers from unscrupulous workers in stores or restaurants and make counterfeit cards with the numbers. Of course we had to cancel our card, but Visa did not charge us for the fraudulent charges.

Unfortunately, this can happen anywhere in the world, at home as well as while traveling.

Another good reason why one should use credit card and not debit card for purchases. You report to your credit card company, and it's taken cared of. If you request it, most can even overnight a new card to you, even to Europe.

On the other hand, your checking/savings accounts can be emptied with a debit card, and it'll take a long time and lots of procedures to get your money back.

Hi McB,

It's a worldwide problem.

I take it that the problem is charges to the Visa and not withdrawls from your bank account.

If so, it is fairly easy to show Visa that it wasn't you.

I suggest that you also call the credit bureaus to see if other accounts have been opened in your name.

Equifax, 1-800-685-1111
Experian, 1-888-397-3742
Trans Union, 1-800-888-4213

That is intersting because last week in Paris, our credit cards never left our sight. Even at restaurants, they always brought the scanner right to the table, which is a lot more comforting than how they do it in the states (take it an disapear with it for a while).

Ira, thanks for those numbers! And missypie, throughout the trip the card never left my sight, that's why it bugs me so much. I've actually been really lucky traveling. This is the first time any sort of problem has occured and my bank has assured me I won't pay for anything. I just hate it when the world reminds me that everyone isn't fabulous!

I had this happen to me right here in Philadelphia.

When you call the credit bureaus, tell them to put you on "Hawk Alert". This means that any credit applications in your name will be rejected unless you call them ahead of time and tell them about it.

Here in Florida there are all sorts of rascals stealing cc info. They run it thru a card reader & get the magnetic strip info. Must have been very clever to get OP's when they never actually took the card. We (I work for a state regulatory agency) are now on the lookout for card reader devices put inside gas pumps to read your card. It is hard to trace since info is sold several times before they actually make a fraudulent card & use it.

It happened to me in Paris this past October. Card never left my posession but when I got home I found $575 charge on my Amex bill from PAYPAL. PAYPAL reversed the charge immediately because the the Amex card number used did not match my Amex number but somehow was connected to my account. Go figure. PAYPAL knew it was a European charge because the amount charged was in Euros. I was almost sure I only used my Amex card once during the trip. I used it to pay my hotel bill. My fellow poster is right about debit cards, a bank cannot reverse the charges the way a credit company can.

They memorize the number as you hand the card, in full sight, to the crook. Or at the hotel, don't they often take an imprint of the card when you check in to get authorisation?

My attitude is now there is nothing I can do about it no matter how careful I am. Does that mean I forstall use of my credit cards...no way Jose as they say here. If it happens, it happens.

Yes we all pay for this with higher fees etc. but obviously the cc companies don't give a damn or they would have figured out ways to stop it years ago...but they simply write the cost of this fraud off their massive profits leaving John Q. Public to pay for it or sit home and worry about it.

No matter how smart you or I think we are, the bad guys, unfortunately, are always one step ahead of us.