Topic 'Re: A good reminder for all...' in forum 'Security' - dslreports.com

Re: A good reminder for all...

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 14:47:29 EDT

Ian posted :

said by Ian:

What she said. Snopes has its uses, but there are times it misses badly.

Such as?

On this occasion their analysis appears to be spot on...I've heard this claimed other times, and when challenged, no good example has been forthcoming.

Probably because your "challenge" is unreasonable and rigged. It's an old technique - demand "proof" chop chop, drop what you're doing and cite it now and then we can all argue some more. It's sophistry.

Snopes is not an article of faith. If you want to turn it into one, that's your problem. Snopes is a service run by humans, and sometimes humans get things wrong. Like I said earlier, we still have to use common sense and personal observation, not just put our faith on autopilot.

If you're going to make the statement "but there are times it misses badly. " I hardly think it's unreasonable to ask for an example. A single example. When you made the statement, you implied that you knew of multiple times.

Is snopes.com perfect? Probably not. But in the case of researching one of these forwarded e-mails, they do a pretty good job.
--
�Any claim that the root of a problem is simple should be treated the same as a claim that the root of a problem is Bigfoot. Simplicity and Bigfoot are found in the real world with about the same frequency.� � David Wong

Re: A good reminder for all...

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 06:18:32 EDT

goalieskates posted :

said by Ian:

said by goalieskates:

What she said. Snopes has its uses, but there are times it misses badly.

Such as?

On this occasion their analysis appears to be spot on...I've heard this claimed other times, and when challenged, no good example has been forthcoming.

Re: A good reminder for all...

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 23:23:41 EDT

Ian posted :

said by goalieskates:

What she said. Snopes has its uses, but there are times it misses badly.

Such as?

On this occasion their analysis appears to be spot on...I've heard this claimed other times, and when challenged, no good example has been forthcoming.
--
�Any claim that the root of a problem is simple should be treated the same as a claim that the root of a problem is Bigfoot. Simplicity and Bigfoot are found in the real world with about the same frequency.� � David Wong

Re: A good reminder for all...

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 23:10:50 EDT

KrK posted :

said by jaykaykay:

This is a new one. People sure stay busy
Trying to cheat us, don't they?

SCENE 1.
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 big one!

Your liability for unauthorized charges depends on whether the thief personally presented your card to make the purchase, or made the purchase over the Internet or by phone.

If the thief personally presents your card to make the purchase, the card issuer cannot hold you liable for more than $50 in fraudulent charges. Many card issuers waive this $50. If the thief uses your card by phone or the Internet, you have no liability.

It's important to notify the card issuer as soon as you know of the theft. If you wait, the creditor may not believe that the card was really lost or stolen.

ATM and Debit Cards

With ATM or debit cards, you must act quickly in order to avoid full liability for unauthorized charges when your card is lost or stolen. Under the federal Electronic Fund Transfer Act, your liability is:

$0 if you report the loss or theft of the card immediately and the card has not been used.
Up to $50 if you notify the bank within two business days after you realize the card is missing.

Up to $500 if you fail to notify the bank within two business days after you realize the card is missing, but do notify the bank within 60 days after your bank statement is mailed to you listing the unauthorized withdrawals....

However your liability is UNLIMITED if you fail to notify the bank within 60 days after your bank statement is mailed to you listing the unauthorized withdrawals.

If you can convince the bank that your notification failure was due to extentuating circumstances, it must extend the notification timeline for a "reasonable period."

Not liable for the $9,000. By law.... the ONLY way that he could be liable for said money in any circumstance is if it was a debit/ATM card, and he didn't pay any attention or use the card for months (possible) AND ignored the statements and never read them for at least 3 months or so. If so, well....

Also, there is extenuating circumstances. If you can convince the bank that your notification failure was due to extenuating circumstances, it must extend the notification timeline for a "reasonable period." (That sounds fairly vague to me.)
--
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power." -- Benito Mussolini

Re: A good reminder for all...

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 15:16:08 EDT

Johnny posted : I'll stand by my statement that Snopes always clarifies a forwarded email. Forwarded emails never, ever give a balanced assessment of the topic. That is not their purpose. Their purpose is to get forwarded.

So if you believe that Snopes is sometimes wrong, then read it and make a decision. Or read other urban-legend sites.

Something like this ancient email is virtually guaranteed to be in the Snopes collection, and intentionally not reading what Snopes has to say about it is silly.

Or we could just all ignore forwarded emails completely. I don't think there has ever been one that was worth reading.

Re: A good reminder for all...

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 15:11:23 EDT

goalieskates posted :

said by Johnny:

But the Snopes discussion, as always, clarifies the actual situation

No.

The point I believe jaykaykay is trying to make (and I agree completely) is that no one source can be completely relied on, even if they're generally right.

We, the users, still have to think; we can't just put ourselves on autopilot and blindly let someone else do our thinking for us. Things change, situations change, and what was true 5 years ago isn't automatically true now.

Snopes provides a service and I use it, but I have on occasion found it to be inaccurate based on direct experience. So there's no "as always" to it.

Re: A good reminder for all...

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 14:09:57 EDT

Johnny posted :

said by jaykaykay:

said by Johnny:

http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/cardscams.asp

I just had to look to see what Snopes had to say about this, and lo, and behold, they said it's possible but not common. That was written in 2004, which I dare say might have been true then. Now, it's all quite common. The article was updated in 2011, and it still took the card issues rather lightly, IMHO.

All I did was post the link. I made no comment about it being true, false, or otherwise. But the Snopes discussion, as always, clarifies the actual situation, whereas the forwarded email, as always, is intended solely to scare, and to get itself forwarded.

Always select a chunk of the email blurb, and right-click and choose "Search with Google", (or however you do it on a PC, I have no idea). The first hit will usually be the Snopes article on the forwarded email.

[att=1]

Re: A good reminder for all...

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 13:47:22 EDT

jaykaykay posted : "When posting a random anonymous email without checking Snopes first, there are two responses when called out on it:

1. Admit that you should have checked Snopes first
2. Claim that Snopes is no good.

#1 is always the better choice."

Wrong! Snopes is still not the end all to be all. I check my links before posting things. Have you not thought of the fact that there are other links to check something other than Snopes! I looked at Snopes only to see what they really did say (after looking at my own choice of links to see if something is true or not).

I didn't say I had not checked other sources prior to my post, and again, note the title to this thread...A good reminder for all... My intention was a reminder to be aware. It was not to prove the veracity of the way something was written. Since just about everyone is in agreement that watching one's credit cards is a good thing, let it go. But do keep in mind that Snopes is not the only way to check things on the Internet.
--
JKK:-)

Age is a very high price to pay for my maturity. If I can't stay young, I can at least stay immature!

»www.pbase.com/jaykaykay

Re: A good reminder for all...

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 15:59:21 EDT

DrStrange posted : Even if the information here was treated by Snopes as 'possible, but not common' years ago, it should remind people to be more aware of their surroundings when using a credit or debit card.

I've had a credit card skimmed a couple of times and had a merchant I did business with hacked once where my data was stolen and used.

If you have a major bank-issued credit card, your liability is likely to be zero, but it depends on the issuer. Debit cards are a different story.

Scenario #3 is most useful if both sides of the card are photographed. Depending on my mood at the time, I might have grabbed the phone and called the police on the spot.

Re: A good reminder for all...

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 14:34:18 EDT

Johnny posted :

said by Doctor Olds:

said by jaykaykay:

said by Johnny:

http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/cardscams.asp

First of all, I don't believe much of what Snopes has to offer. That being said, I know that the gym example can happen, for a fact, as it happened here in one that we belong. Just because Snopes says it isn't true, don't rely upon that site to lead you. ;)

But Snopes didn't say it isn't true. You must have read something else. I read it said "POSSIBLE, BUT NOT COMMON" which means it does happen but very rarely.

When posting a random anonymous email without checking Snopes first, there are two responses when called out on it:

1. Admit that you should have checked Snopes first
2. Claim that Snopes is no good.

#1 is always the better choice.

Re: A good reminder for all...

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 14:20:05 EDT

jaykaykay posted :

said by Johnny:

http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/cardscams.asp

Re: A good reminder for all...

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 22:37:11 EDT

vaxvms posted :

said by StuartMW:

Well back in those days little Johnny was taken behind the woodshed by Father and given a whippin' when he did something wrong.

How did you know my name? :)
--
Some people don't know what they don't know.

Re: A good reminder for all...

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 21:03:20 EDT

Doctor Olds posted :

said by EUS:

A lot of this fraudulent crap can be mitigated very easily by simply setting up a verbal password with the bank.

Explain how? That only protects you from others trying to access your account over the phone and that is rare.

If/When your account number and CVV are stolen then used to make large in person purchases they are using a clone card. They then have those purchases charged (meaning approved) to your account and the identity thief has now gotten merchandise he can keep or sell on eBay or Craig's List for cash and you get the hassle of filling out fraudulent transaction affidavits as your account password doesn't prevent purchases with a clone card present at the POS.
--
What�s the point of owning a supercar if you can�t scare yourself stupid from time to time?

Re: A good reminder for all...

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 20:32:03 EDT

jaykaykay posted : I am happy that you think that it isn't a big problem...or at least one to sweat over. I do not agree at all. I know people who have had their information stolen from their card and have had horrible problems because of it, problems that made it almost impossible to get another account or another card, even though it was clearly not their fault. It depends entirely upon the individual that is having problems, believe it or not, and even if it didn't, this is one of those times when I would rather be safe than sorry and wear my tinfoil hat.

And even if I didn't, the title of this thread was a good reminder. Take it any other way, it's up to you.

--
JKK:-)

Age is a very high price to pay for my maturity. If I can't stay young, I can at least stay immature!

»www.pbase.com/jaykaykay

Re: A good reminder for all...

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 16:21:35 EDT

EUS posted : A lot of this fraudulent crap can be mitigated very easily by simply setting up a verbal password with the bank.
--
~ Project Hope ~

Re: A good reminder for all...

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 16:18:43 EDT

StuartMW posted : Well back in those days little Johnny was taken behind the woodshed by Father and given a whippin' when he did something wrong. These days dad is working with little Johnny to steal CC data.

Whip a child these days and Child Protective Services will take him/her and you'll end up in jail.
--
Don't feed trolls--it only makes them grow!

Re: A good reminder for all...

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 16:09:31 EDT

vaxvms posted :

said by jaykaykay:

but we grew up in a time when all the security issues weren't issues.

Back in the good old days we almost never locked the doors to the house and left the keys in the car's ignition. The only security issue was the kid down the street listening to our phone conversations on the party line. Charge cards were pretty much issued by/for use at the local department store.

Re: A good reminder for all...

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 15:14:45 EDT

MsTerra posted :

said by goalieskates:

said by jaykaykay:

said by Johnny:

http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/cardscams.asp

What she said. Snopes has its uses, but there are times it misses badly.

I've been on the internets for about 25 years, have seen a lot of multi-forwarded emails, and have long found snopes to be a good source of information for these things.

Certainly in this case, it is. Scene 1, for example - it is absolutely possible to dispute charges or make a fraud report based on a credit card statement (how do you suppose we did this before we had online access to our accounts?), and it is true that by law the maximum consumer liability for fraudulent charges is $50. (Many banks offer cards with $0 liability, as mine does.) It makes no sense that the victim in this case would be on the hook for $9K of fraudulent charges, unless you want to turn this into a cautionary tale of the consumer knowing his rights with regard to credit and not getting credit from unscrupulous banks that are out to rip off their customers.

I've been the victim of credit card fraud a few times now and have never lost physical possession of the cards. Not that that never happens, but a lot of credit card fraud involves data theft from within the banks. The last time this happened to me was a couple of months ago. My bank called me because a purchase had been made using a physical copy of my card at a pharmacy in another state. My actual card was still safely in my wallet. I had not reported my card stolen, because I still had my card. In developing the fraud claim, I discovered that someone had gone on a bit of a spree at a number of pharmacies and groceries. I filled out an affidavit, listing every fraudulent charge. The investigation took a few weeks, but eventually the charges, and associated interest and fees, were all credited and I was on the hook for exactly $0.

Really, the risk for any of us in the event of credit card fraud is quite small, at least monetarily. I'm still careful with my card, not so much because I'm afraid I'll lose beaucoup bucks to fraud, but because dealing with the fraud is a hassle, and it's no fun being a victim.
--
"Strive to change the world in such a way that there's no further need to be a dissident." Lawrence Ferlinghetti

Re: A good reminder for all...

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 15:09:02 EDT

Doctor Olds posted :

said by jaykaykay:

said by Johnny:

http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/cardscams.asp

But Snopes didn't say it isn't true. You must have read something else. I read it said "POSSIBLE, BUT NOT COMMON" which means it does happen but very rarely.
--
What�s the point of owning a supercar if you can�t scare yourself stupid from time to time?

Re: A good reminder for all...

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 14:23:23 EDT

goalieskates posted :

said by jaykaykay:

said by Johnny:

http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/cardscams.asp

What she said. Snopes has its uses, but there are times it misses badly.

Re: A good reminder for all...

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 14:18:33 EDT

MaynardKrebs posted :

said by Pentangle:

Most decent restaurants now have portable card readers. They just bring them to your table and wait while you punch in your pin.

That's only for Chip & Pin cards (C&P) - basically just in Canada & Europe right now, but coming to credit cards everywhere eventually.

Just be aware that there are ways around the PIN if your card is lost/stolen. Even though my C&P card was not stolen I have gotten authorization using an invalid PIN for $15k on my card. And there are other ways around C&P technology - see research from University of Cambridge in England for details.

Re: A good reminder for all...

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 14:11:47 EDT

StuartMW posted : As a part-time cashier, who's had to swipe peoples cards (the reader is out of the customers reach--a poor design), I've always been aware of card handling. While I do have to glance at cards, to see what type (Visa, Mastercard etc) they are (have to select that in the checkout screen) as well as the location of the magstripe, I don't stare at it and keep it visible to the customer at all times. I normally, except when I'm suspicious, hand the card back to a customer as soon as it has been read.

That said I've never been trained, or even told, to do this. You'd think that in this day and age there'd be some kind of handling protocol for credit/debit cards.
--
Don't feed trolls--it only makes them grow!

Re: A good reminder for all...

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 14:10:45 EDT

jaykaykay posted : I am not the writer of this article but only delivering the message. I do know that cards, all too often, have been and can be trouble. I felt that this was merely good advice as a reminder to use your head and think beforehand what you do with your credit card(s). In fact, the person who sent this to me in email did so after being a target for credit card rip off themselves, so no matter what these suggestions are as to being an urban legend, I firmly believe that this is a serious enough issue to be reminded in many and any manner.
--
JKK:-)

Age is a very high price to pay for my maturity. If I can't stay young, I can at least stay immature!

»www.pbase.com/jaykaykay

Re: A good reminder for all...

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 14:02:15 EDT

jaykaykay posted :

said by rcdailey:

BTW, I noticed the comment about portable card readers, and I'm sure they now have those at high-class restaurants, too.

Not only are those kind of readers in restaurants, but they also exist on persons just walking the mall. Although the kind of readers I am talking about in this case is one that can grab card info even while you stroll...from a pocket or purse, etc. It's a dangerous place out there today.

Re: A good reminder for all...

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 14:00:02 EDT

jaykaykay posted :

said by Johnny:

http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/cardscams.asp

Re: A good reminder for all...

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 13:57:00 EDT

jaykaykay posted :

said by jadinolf:

many older people are not aware of these things, I've found, at all.

Now THAT hurts.....

It hurts me too, being one of them. I still marvel at how many don't understand the simplest things, but we grew up in a time when all the security issues weren't issues.

Re: A good reminder for all...

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 12:40:23 EDT

anon posted : Post the rest of the article. I smelled crap in this post from the beginning.

The Credit cards item quoted above is another example of a "crime warning" message that is difficult to classify as either true or false. The scenarios it describes are possible, and someone, somewhere, might very well have been victimized by them, but on the other hand the message provides no details of time, place, or person, to use in verifying these tales, and the scenarios proffered are generally too implausible to be of much legitimate concern to the average person.

The first two entries describe scammers who supposedly switch expired credit cards for valid credit cards, thereby enabling them to run up thousands of dollars in charges before the victims realize their cards are missing. This isn't a scheme likely to be successful in most cases, for a number of reasons:

Not all credit cards look alike. Common credit cards such as VISA and MasterCard vary quite widely in appearance, featuring different logos (based upon the issuing financial institutions), different colors of plastic, and even different (customer-selected) background designs. For this scenario to work, the putative thieves would have to carry around a plethora of different styles of cards and hope to hit a long shot by coincidentally matching one of their cards to a victim's particular style card.

The deception would be obvious the next time the victim used (or, presumably, even looked at) his card, which wouldn't give the scammers much time to try to run up a huge charge on the stolen card via many small purchases. Contrary to the claim made above, most credit card issuers will flag as suspect thousands of dollars' worth of charges made on a credit card within a short period of time, even if none of those charges are for large amounts.

Also contrary to a claim made above, a credit card customer could not be held liable for $9,000 worth of charges made to a stolen credit card, whether he reported the card stolen or not. According to the Federal Trade Commission, under federal law a credit card holder's maximum liability for any unauthorized credit card use is $50. (If the cardholder reports the loss before the credit card is used, he cannot be held responsible for any unauthorized charges at all.) If the loss involves the credit card number, but not the card itself, the cardholder also has no liability for unauthorized use.

Frankly, if you're habitually leaving your wallet unattended in an easily-opened locker, you've got a lot more to be concerned about than potential visits from card-swapping scammers.

The third scenario covers a situation we've already written an article about, that of identity thieves supposedly snapping pictures of credit cards with cell phone cameras. This scheme too is possible but implausible, since:

It's still quite difficult (given the quality of cell phone cameras, the reflectiveness of plastic credit cards, and the usual lack of contrast between the colors of a card's imprinted numbers and its background) to quickly snap off a clear photo of a credit card.

Taking a picture of the front of a credit card won't capture the CVC2 or CVV2 security code required for most CNP (i.e., "card not present") purchases. (American Express, however, is an exception to this, as their security codes are printed on the cardfaces.)

Retail clerks and others who typically handle customers' credit cards in the course of business transactions have many, many ways of recording card numbers that are better and easier (and less obtrusive) than literally pointing a camera at a card and taking a picture of it.

The admonition to "take caution and don't be careless" with your credit cards is generally sound, but then again, it's also rather obvious advice that applies to just about every aspect of life.

Last updated: 22 July 2011

Urban Legends Reference Pages © 1995-2012 by Barbara and David P. Mikkelson.
This material may not be reproduced without permission.
snopes and the snopes.com logo are registered service marks of snopes.com.

Re: A good reminder for all...

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 12:11:58 EDT

DownTheShore posted :

said by Pentangle:

Most decent restaurants now have portable card readers. They just bring them to your table and wait while you punch in your pin.

I've never seen that around here.

Re: A good reminder for all...

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 12:04:21 EDT

Duramax08 posted : And this is why I carry cash on me at all times. Who knows that the waiter is going to do in the back with your credit card. They can swipe it with a portable USB card reader and sell the info to the black markets. Unless I swipe the card myself, no one else is going to touch my card.
--
»mc-buildville.enjin.com/

Re: A good reminder for all...

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 19:53:58 EDT

Linklist posted :

said by rcdailey:

I always take the check to the cashier and pay there, but I don't eat at those high-class restaurants that let you put your card into a pocket inside a leather-bound folder that also holds the check.

high-class restaurants??

You mean like Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Longhorn Steakhouse??
Those all have the leather-bound folders and are hardly what I would call high-class. They are strictly middle-class restaurants.
--
A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves money from the public treasury.

Re: A good reminder for all...

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 19:52:31 EDT

Pentangle posted : Most restaurants in Vancouver have them. For the very few that don't, you have to go up to the cash register to process your bill. I haven't let a server walk away with my credit card in ages.

Re: A good reminder for all...

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 19:50:09 EDT

rcdailey posted : I always take the check to the cashier and pay there, but I don't eat at those high-class restaurants that let you put your card into a pocket inside a leather-bound folder that also holds the check. Those are also the places where this kind of scam has sometimes taken place.

BTW, I noticed the comment about portable card readers, and I'm sure they now have those at high-class restaurants, too.
--
It is easier for a camel to put on a bikini than an old man to thread a needle.

Re: A good reminder for all...

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 19:36:45 EDT

garys_2k posted : Is that something you have to ask for? I've never had that option presented to me, even at really nice places.

Re: A good reminder for all...

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 19:33:21 EDT

Pentangle posted : Most decent restaurants now have portable card readers. They just bring them to your table and wait while you punch in your pin.

Re: A good reminder for all...

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 19:32:56 EDT

Johnny posted : »www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/cardscams.asp

Re: A good reminder for all...

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 19:24:02 EDT

garys_2k posted :

said by rcdailey:

There was a time long past when I allowed a server to take my card away to be processed. I have not done that any time lately.

What do you do when they come back to take the check and your card?

Re: A good reminder for all...

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 18:01:22 EDT

jadinolf posted : many older people are not aware of these things, I've found, at all.

Now THAT hurts.....
--
Printed on 100% recycled bytes

Re: A good reminder for all...

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 17:46:53 EDT

rcdailey posted : There was a time long past when I allowed a server to take my card away to be processed. I have not done that any time lately. I have yet to see someone with a cell phone right at checkout, but that is certainly something to watch for.
--
It is easier for a camel to put on a bikini than an old man to thread a needle.

Re: A good reminder for all...

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 17:34:29 EDT

dandelion posted : I would never have thought of a couple of those, thanks!

Re: A good reminder for all...

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 16:15:54 EDT

Linklist posted : Good info. Thanks for tips.

A good reminder for all...

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 14:55:04 EDT

jaykaykay posted : This is not new, but it's always good for reminders, IMHO. Also, many older people are not aware of these things, I've found, at all.

New ways of STEALING...
ESPECIALLY LOOK AT SCENE THREE...

Be sure to read Scene 3. Quite interesting.

This is a new one. People sure stay busy
Trying to cheat us, don't they?

SCENE 1.
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
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..
(This scenario actually happened to me at a local restaurant- Falls Terrace-between the waitress and the front desk cashier.)

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.

While 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 never have known what happened.

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

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.

Never let your card out of your sight.....check and check again!

Scary isn't it.....

New ways of STEALING... Don't delete this one!!
--
JKK:-)

Age is a very high price to pay for my maturity. If I can't stay young, I can at least stay immature!

»www.pbase.com/jaykaykay