Has anyone had their Credit Card number stolen in Manhattan??
 

Just returned from days in Manhattan and when I returned home there was a message from my Credit Card Company (-Fraud-) that there was some suspicious activity on my card. Someone -- somehow- got my number (not my card) and made three $300.00 purchases on my card at a large national chain. I didn't do any shopping, did charge some theatre tickets, ate at a couple of resturants, stayed at a hotel, -charged these last three -- but otherwise not a lot of activity -- certainly not those 3 large charges. Any ideas on how these things happen? By the way, the charges were removed from my bill, but I'm still curious about how something like this happens. Any ideas - and how does one protect themselves from this happening again.

This also happened to me in September. Someone got my credit card number in Manhattan. My credit card company is still doing an investigation and has removed the charge. There are 3 possibilities that it may have been stolen at. I am also wondering how to avoid this as I had to cancel my card and get a new one. It also happened to me in Florida in January. It seems to happen when I leave my hometown and I am concerned about giving my card to anyone to charge where I do not have a full view of what they are doing. I also would like to know how to protect against this.

Funny thing. I use my card online, for deposits, for ordering things, for confirming reservations, etc., as well as lots of actual charges. Yet my number has never been stolen.
My partner's card was never once used for any of those things, only actual charges, yet his number was stolen and false charges made two different times. I'm convinced both times it was from a restaurant.

Why oh why can they have those handheld computers all over Europe where they come to your table and your card never leaves your sight, but the technology seems to be too difficult for the US?

Meanwhile three times (once currently) Citibank has alerted me that someone where I charged has had a "compromise" in their security and they have automatically issued me a new number and card. It's kind of a pain with all the automatic billing I have, but still it seems to work, since I've never had a false charge.

it happened to me in London...so much for Europe.
I'm convinced it was a restaurant as well.

suite7, did you find out what restaurant? I was told that often the person who takes the number waits a week or more before using it, to avoid suspicion of where it was stolen. So where you are when it happens is often not where it was stolen.

Incidentally, in Naples, Fl. we've actually had a couple of arrests of restaurant employees who were found to be stealing numbers and using them.

It happens EVERYWHERE folks. It happened to me in LA(I do know because the CC was only used at a hotel restaurant) and the number was used in Houston at 3 big store chains for ~$500 each. The CC company took the charges off.

I believe it's the store that takes the loss.

But what got me really mad was the fact how the CC company was very blase about the ordeal. I was ready to leave for Japan so I went on line to check if all my payments were in and if my CCs were clear. That's when I saw the 3 big charges and I immidiately called the CC. As I was speaking with the agent, she informed me that another charge was coming in right then. She of course denied it but laughed at me when I suggested they call the cops and send them to the store. She said that it's just not the way things work. Oh well, it wasn't my money.....

A friend of mine had the same problem and since he only uses that particular credit card at restaurants he knows it had to be stolen (the number not the card) by a restaurant employee. But in that he is constantly eating in restaurants he has no idea which restaurant or employee. He uses a different credit card for all his automatic payments, probably not a bad idea. But said friend doesn't care to travel so he doesn't worry about getting FF miles via his credit cards.

It's happened to me twice. In both instances - my CC company recognized the fraudulent charge and canceled the card and issued me a new one. The last time involved a charge of about $500 for clothing and when I asked the CC co. how they recognized it as a fraud they said - it was a very large charge for clothing. But $500 is not a large clothing charge and I believe that they have confidetial info on how to recognize these charges - but - of course - won't tell us.

It can happen anywhere. Amex called me a few months ago asking if I purchased plane tickets at the airport in Brussels. The answer was no.

Yes - more than once, and not just with credit cards, debit cards as well. New York seems to be a hotbed for this type of crime; I think every time I've had fraudulent charges on a card over the last five years or so it's happened in New York.

I, too, use my cards all over the place (online, abroad, restaurants, stores, etc.), and this has happened to me once, where I was living in Virginia. IMO, this is nothing to worry about, as it is indeed the cost of doing business. The CC companies are adept at handling theft and fraud, because if they weren't you'd go to another issuer; and stores accept the losses they shoulder because they want you and your CC's to come back early and often.

another heads up is a $5 charge at a store... I got a call from a cc company - someone was charging $5 at a Home Depot. I told them wasn't mine and they denied it.

They explained that when a number is stolen, the thief will put through a small number to see if it works but is too small to trigger things... and when it is successful, they will then hit it for large amounts of money.

That one was news to me...

My most interesting time was in Ireland when we were getting purchases wrapped up. We'd been there about 15 minutes and I told the clerk that she hadn't given me back my card. She was vehement that she had. I knew she hadn't and probably wasted another 10 minutes searching. Finally, I stood there and asked for security and called my cc company. Coincidentally, my card had just been used <B> in the same store </B> for fraudulent charges while I was mucking about. Funny how the security tapes didn't show anything. Cahoots anyone ?

no

Yes! Small charges will be put through to see if the CC info can than be used for large purchases. That is what happened to my friend who inspite of being a successful business man did not check his CC statements against his receipts.

I have an envelope for each CC that I have and the CC receipts go in the proper envelope. I check them off against my monthly CC statements and unless I need the receipt for the IRS I shred all the receipts that pertain to that montly statement once I verify all the charges on said statement are correct. It takes so little time to do that.

I've had my card compromised online by the same thing -- someone putting through small charges to see if it works. I don't think my number was stolen (but don't know), but that thieves just try random digits until they get one that works. That's what my card company said, as part of the number is fixed, I think (by the issuer). I've also had two cards cancelled due to my number being in some stolen database, which is a PIA, but in fact, no erroneous charges ever occurred because of those.

This has never happened to me, and I eat out regularly in Manhattan all the time, but I have heard of this happening in restaurants and stores. And I wonder if unscrupulous staffers make a point of focusing their energies on people who seem to be tourists (since they won't be around tomorrow and are unlikely to come back to the establishment).

LI, my SO has always followed the method you describe, and I have ever since I met him. Some--like my BIL--might call it overkill, but I have found a few mistakes over the years, as well as the one fraudulent charge, so to me, it's worth it.

The time it happened on my credit card it was at a hotel, and it was obvious I was a tourist. But it has happened a couple of times to my son's debit card (I'm on the account too), and he lives in New York.

Happened to me in San Francisco, I think in a store that is now out of business. Fraud department was handling this, all I cared is for the charge to be removed. I got a new card with a new number.

Recently they sent me another card without an obvious reason, same number, different expiration date. When I called 800 number - sure the only thing they've told me "for your protection" :)

The only time we had a problem was our when identity was stolen twice on line. I think for someone in Naples Florida did it.

Just kidiing, Neo.

The first time someone sent 200,000 porno ads under my name. AOL, the US and NYS Attornies Gnereal did nothing to help me. Save all your jokes, I have heard them all already.

The second time someone tried to open a brokerage account with my wife's SS No. The brokerage firm did nothing until I threatened to call the SEC. I think it was a money laundering scheme.