[MelodyL]

I don't know if anyone of you have heard about these scams but a friend just emailed me this and I immediately told my husband that he has to be very careful when he pays for anything with his credit card.

Here's what I just got in my email from my friend. Sorry it's long, but it's very important.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
IBuyer Beware!

This is a great reminder:

Be sure to read Scene 3.
Quite interesting.

SCENE 1.

This is a new one.

People sure stay busy trying to cheat us, don't they?

A friend went to the local gym and placed his belongings in the locker.

After the workout and a shower, he came out, saw the locker open, and thought to himself, "Funny, I thought I locked the locker.
Hmm." He dressed and just flipped the wallet to make sure all was in order.

Everything looked okay - all cards were in place.

A few weeks later his credit card bill came - a whooping bill of $14,000!


He called the credit card company and started yelling at them, saying that he did not make the transactions.

Customer care personnel verified that there was no Mistake in the system and asked if his card had been stolen.

"No," he said, but then took out his wallet, pulled out the credit card, and yep - you guessed it - a switch had been made. An expired similar credit card from the same bank was in the wallet.

The thief broke into his locker at the gym and switched cards. Verdict: The credit card issuer said since he did not report the card missing earlier, he would have to pay the amount owed to them.

How much did he have to pay for items he did not buy?

$9,000 !

Why were there no calls made to verify the amount swiped?
Small amounts rarely trigger a "warning bell" with some credit card companies.

It just so happens that all the small amounts added up to one big one!

SCENE 2.

A man at a local restaurant paid for his meal with his credit card.

The bill for the meal came, he signed it, and the waitress folded the receipt and passed the credit card along.

Usually, he would just take it and place it in his wallet or pocket.
Funny enough, though, he actually took a look at the card and, lo and behold, it was the expired card of another person.

He called the waitress and she looked perplexed.

She took it back, apologized, and hurried back to the counter under the watchful eye of the man.

All the waitress did while walking to the counter was wave the wrong expired card to the counter cashier, and the counter cashier immediately looked down and took out the real card.

No exchange of words --- nothing! She took it and came back to the man with an apology.

Verdict:

Make sure the credit cards in your wallet are yours.
Check the name on the card every time you sign for something and/or the card is taken away for even a short period of time.

Many people just take back the credit card without even looking at it, "assuming" that it has to be theirs.

FOR YOUR OWN SAKE, DEVELOP THE HABIT OF CHECKING YOUR CREDIT CARD EACH TIME IT IS RETURNED TO YOU AFTER A TRANSACTION!

SCENE 3:

Yesterday I went into a pizza restaurant to pick up an order that I had called in.

I paid by using my Visa Check Card which, of course, is linked directly to my checking account.

The young man behind the counter took my card, swiped it, then laid it on the counter as he waited for the approval, which is pretty standard procedure.

Wh ile he waited, he picked up his cell phone and started dialing.

I noticed the phone because it is the same model I have, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Then I heard a click that sounded like my phone sounds when I take a picture..

He then gave me back my card but kept the phone in his hand as if he was still pressing buttons.

Meanwhile, I'm thinking: I wonder what he is taking a picture of, oblivious to what was really going on.

It then dawned on me: the only thing there was my credit card, so now I'm paying close attention to what he is doing.

He set his phone on the counter, leaving it open. About five seconds later, I heard the chime that tells you that the picture has been saved.

Now I'm standing there struggling with the fact that this boy just took a picture of my credit card.

Yes, he played it off well, because had we not had the same kind of phone, I probably would ne ver have known what happened.

Needless to say, I immediately canceled that card as I was walking out of the pizza parlor.

All I am saying is, be aware of your surroundings at all times

Whenever you are using your credit card take caution and don't be careless. Notice who is standing near you and what they are doing when you use your card..

Be aware of phones, because many have a camera phone these days.

When you are in a restaurant and the waiter/waitress brings your card and receipt for you to sign, make sure you scratch the number off.

Some restaurants are using only the last four digits, but a lot of them are still putting the whole thing on there.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

That was the end of the email I received.

I will now be super careful whenever I pay with anything using a credit card.
As a matter of fact, I will now only use pre-paid Visas or Master Cards. Better safe than sorry.

[lor]

Thankyou Melody, You know, 'they' now have some sort of way to make fake cards & all that is needed is a real number. (One night M.C. called & asked my DH if he or someone in Nebraska (or ?) had been making large purchases (we live in Ohio)). Thus the card was canceled right away & they gave us a new one. I don't know how they got our number. Thanks to you I now know that someone can simply take a picture with their phone camera.

[Abbie]

Please be careful with credit cards... if you suspect an employee has taken a picture of your card, taken your card, taken your #....

FIRST.... CANCEL the card IMMEDIATELY!!!
NOTIFY THE MANAGER!!!
CALL THE POLICE!!!!! THIS IS THEFT regardless if the card has been used or not!!!!

If a picture was taken of your card... it only takes seconds for the picture to be sent to hundreds if not thousands of people!!!! WORLDWIDE!!!!

If by chance your card gets charges made to it without your knowing... NOTIFY the POLICE!!! This is theft!!!! No matter when you find out... if you don't realize your card has been switched until you get the bill and notice charges that you did not make....report the card stolen at that time!!!

MOST CARDS....you are NOT responsible for charges you did not make!!! In this day and age of closed circuit cameras in stores...they can see who made the purchase and get copies of the signature slip. If the card was used via the internet...the item has to be shipped to someone!!!

[Abbie]

ALSO... BE CAREFUL GIVING OUT YOUR CARD NUMBER OVER THE TELEPHONE or entering it by using the keypad on the phone!!!


MANY cordless and cell phones can be and ARE monitored via scanners...


IF you use your credit card for internet orders... PLEASE use the alternative internet card numbers that many credit card companies offer for internet purchase...check with your credit card company---it can be found on their web sites!! I know DISCOVER and CITIBANK offer this free of charge.

[weegot5kiz]

u americans getting this extra tax rebate be careful there are 3 or 4 scams concearning these rebates from cards to debits to preloans to it hasnt been cash whats your idnumbers ect.... it will come to you snail mail dont trust anyone anymore simple as that

[AfterMyNap]

This email has been around since 2004, and I feel it is our responsibility to use caution in perpetuating rumor. Also, there is a federal limit of $50 liability on fraudulent charges made to your cards. The best action is to know and understand your issuing bank's credit card policies and promises concerning your identity and liability.


Take a look at this: http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/cardscams.asp

[MelodyL]

Yeah, I know that we are only responsible for $50.00 but to think that someone with a camera phone can take a photo of one's credit card, or even swipe it for one that is expired (I've never looked (NEVER), when I've paid a bill at a restaurant or a shop, and they return the card to me, I have never, ever looked at the card to see if it was the same card that I gave them.

I would never think that some criminal minds are just waiting there, waiting to pounce on unsuspecting people, and either switch their cards, or take a snapshot.

I mean, what the heck is this world coming to!!!

Oh my god!!

[lor]

AfterMyNap, That thing that happened to us, really did happen (someone in another state used our number to buy ALOT). But like it was said, MC got suspicious that large purchases were being made & it was not where we usually use our card.

[AfterMyNap]

Originally Posted by lor

AfterMyNap, That thing that happened to us, really did happen (someone in another state used our number to buy ALOT). But like it was said, MC got suspicious that large purchases were being made & it was not where we usually use our card.

It happened to me, too, but the bank caught it and closed my account immediately (which ended up being a little embarrassing as I tried to buy a case of wine ). They FedExed a new card to me the next day and I was even out of town at the time. That's why I'm saying that knowing how the issuing bank handles fraud situations is a big help because they are just as concerned about it.

[greta]

I don't worry about CC theft. It happened to me recently and the biggest pain was that I now have to memorize a new card number after having the same one for 18 years!! My CC company was wonderful about everything and since I check my bill every month line-by-line I caught it fairly shortly after it happened.

The way they got me is one I'd never heard of. When you hand your card to someone and they scan it, sometimes they'll also scan it in a separate machine that records everything. They then sell this info for quite a bit.