A funny thing happened while my credit card was still in my wallet

By Jim Youngquist

[NOV. 11, 2000]  It probably happens thousands of times each month, but it had never happened to me, or to anyone I know. I was minding my own business, happily paying my bills, when out of nowhere I was robbed of nearly $1600 dollars and would have continued to involuntarily be robbed if I hadn't noticed that the robber bought pizza from Papa John's with my money.

Ok, I'll slow down and explain.

I got one of my credit card bills this last month, gave it the quick once over just to make sure that everything was copasetic. I was stuffing it back into the envelope when a nagging little whiney voice in the back of my head said, "Wait a minute, when did you ever eat Pizza from Papa John's in Point Barrel, California?" After admitting that it was a good question since neither I nor my credit card had ever traveled to California, I realized with a start that someone had lifted my number and was engaging in Italian food without my permission or my indulgence!

I looked the bill over again, and noticed that not only had the robber eaten pizza, but that he/she had also purchased computer equipment (also in California), purchased time on several internet porno sites (also in California), and had gotten cash from several internet banks. His/her little credit-card shopping spree came to just short of $1600.00.

 

In a state of shock, I got the credit card out of my wallet, turned it over and quickly dialed the number (which is printed in a font so small you need a magnifying glass to read it). After what seemed like twenty-two layers of automated phone selections, I finally received the message that a credit specialist would be with me in a few short moments (it took 3 ½ minutes by my watch and an eternity measured by my emotional state).

The credit specialist came on the phone, introduced herself, listened to my ranting for a few minutes, and calmly took care of the situation. She was quite impressive, and by the end of the conversation, I felt somewhat at ease.

First she questioned whether I was still in possession of my card. "Yes," I replied. Next she asked me for the reference numbers of the transactions that were fraudulent, and finally she asked me whether I knew of any individual who had access to my card or my number. "No," I replied.

She then cancelled my card and had me cut it up while I was on the phone with her. She informed me that a detective from their fraud unit would be in touch with me in the next few days, and that I would not be responsible for any of the charges that proved to be fraudulent. And then she was gone.

 

I went to lunch feeling much better, but while I was sitting there eating, two questions occurred to me. First, what if they couldn't prove that a particular charge was fraudulent. Would I be held responsible for someone's pizza bill, or cash deductions, or even worse, pay for someone's foray onto internet porno sites? The first question was devastating enough. But the second question was even more compelling: had this happened to me before, without me even noticing? I got up from lunch without finishing my food and hurried back to the office to examine my past credit card bills.

On careful examination, I was relieved to find that all the charges on my cards were in fact things I had purchased. It brought me to realize that if it hadn't been for that Papa John's Pizza charge in Point Barrel California, I would probably never noticed that I had been bamboozled.

I had way too much energy that afternoon, and decided to call all the companies the thief had charged things to on my card. Those companies that didn't have phone numbers on my bill I found on the internet. Each company was very courteous, fair minded, and concerned. They assured me that the charges would be removed from my card after their fraud unit had investigated my claim and found it to be fraud indeed. I was not relieved yet.

 

Lastly, I called the little Papa John's Pizza place in California. A young manager answered the phone, and was sympathetic to a point. When I told him that someone had fraudulently charged $1600 to my credit card, he was very concerned that perhaps he would be out for $1600 worth of pizza. He calmed down when I told him that the pizza fraud was only $26.24. He gave me the company headquarters' phone number and told me they could trace where the pizza was delivered based on my card number.

 

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Over the last few weeks, one by one the charges have been removed from my credit card account as the fraud units did their job as promised. I received a new charge card with a new account number on it in the mail. And I received a notice from the credit card company stating I would not be liable for any fraudulent charges.

How can you protect yourself from this kind of credit card fraud?

The credit card company was very helpful in this regard. Everything they said made good sense. These six steps may save you from credit card fraud:

First, get separate cards for each charging member of your family. That way, there are no foreign charges all piled up on a single credit card account that would be difficult to interpret.

 

Second, keep your cards in secure places and account for them regularly. Keeping the card and the card number out of foreign hands is crucial. Do not loan your card to strangers, or leave your wallet or purse unattended in public places.

Third, keep some kind of log of the charges you place on each credit card so that you have some record to compare to later when your statement comes.

Fourth, examine your credit card statement carefully immediately when you receive it. Many credit card companies have time limits on settling fraud on your credit card statement, and your opportunity to escape fraudulent charges might run out. Compare your statement to your log records, or in a worst case scenario, compare your statement to your memory and study those transactions that you don't remember carefully. Look for any obvious transactions that you could never have charged. And call your credit card company or the company listed for the transaction for clarifications of charges on your statement that you don't understand.

Fifth, (this is me and not the credit card company), use only one credit card for purchases on the internet. Keep an accurate written record of all the internet usage of that card, and compare your monthly statement carefully. Credit cards are much more vulnerable on the internet than they are anywhere else. Thieves and robbers can anonymously relieve you of your hard-won credit without you ever knowing it on the internet, and may be more likely to do so because they believe they will never be caught.

By restricting your internet purchases to one credit card, you may be more likely to recognize fraudulent charges on your statement, and you will not endanger all of your credit by giving potential thieves access to all your credit accounts.

 

Finally, make a note of the credit cards you are holding, your credit card balances, your credit limit on the card, and the telephone number of customer service for each of the cards. Keep this information in a safe and accessible place in case something happens. If you believe someone has tampered with your accounts, you need to make the process of stopping that leak easy and brainless. Call your credit card company immediately if you detect fraudulent charges, or a lost or stolen card. Early reporting will probably result in less responsibility on your part.

Until they invent a safer, more secure way to extend credit, we are stuck with the present system, we are vulnerable and we need to take proper precautions.

How will this end?

Thieves often get greedy and stupid when they indulge in fraudulent behavior. The pizza charge was the last charge on my bill, and the thief may have unwittingly done himself/herself in with that one. You see, pizza needs to be delivered, and signed-for when using a credit card. Some delivery person somewhere eyeballed the recipient/thief and somewhere the address for that delivery still exists on a written record.

Hopefully some law enforcement official out there will soon get a call from an outraged credit card official and together they will launch an investigation into who the pizza munching thieves are.

One of my friends told me that "Carding" is a big sport on the internet. Amateur and professional thieves avidly trade credit card numbers openly on chat, news, and web servers. A complete underground economy exists using someone else's credit and money.

Don't be a victim. Be careful with your credit out there.

[Jim Youngquist]

 

 

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