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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.
[to top of second
column]
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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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