kruser
Premium
join:2002-06-01
Saint Louis, MO
clubs:
 ·AT&T Southwest
1 edit | [Credit Card Fraud] REQWEST CA bogus charge
Hi,
Today I see a charge of $15.00 has posted against my CC account or MasterCard.
It only says REQWEST CA.
Definitely bogus as I have not used this card in months!
I have not had time to research this yet but will as soon as I contact the card issuing bank and shutdown the card.
edit: I was mistaken! It turns out that I have used the card recently for two transactions. See my post near the end of thread. |
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Doctor Olds
I Need A Remedy For What's Ailing Me.
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1970 442 W30
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| »www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=RE···e+Search
Interesting...
»www.robertkbrown.com/2005/10/11/···ate.html
quote:
07.25.06
Tucker:
I got hit with the $5 ReqWest charge, googled the number and up popped this page. Bank of America cancelled the card and reversed the charge, but what a hassle.
--
What’s the point of owning a supercar if you can’t scare yourself stupid from time to time? |
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kruser
Premium
join:2002-06-01
Saint Louis, MO
clubs: | Yep,
I found several complaints from others about bogus $5 ,10 and 15 dollar charges.
Looks an new fraud. |
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Doctor Olds
I Need A Remedy For What's Ailing Me.
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| Ask for the phone number from your CC company and I bet it matches as a new scam by an old team. 
Is it (888)-529-xxxx
If it is, here is an interesting link.
»www.digitalagefraud.com/
Regards,
Doctor Olds
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What’s the point of owning a supercar if you can’t scare yourself stupid from time to time? |
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kruser
Premium
join:2002-06-01
Saint Louis, MO
clubs:
·AT&T Southwest
1 edit | My bank will not disclose any info on the company!
They said all this correspondence has to be done via mail for some reason.
I did come up with a 949-226-7168 number and it is nothing more than an answer machine and the company name on the recording does match my statement.
They give an email address or option to leave message but no human!
What do you want to bet that they would never reply to email or return a phone call!
Not that I'd give them any info anyhow. |
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Doctor Olds
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| One hit in Google...
»www.robertkbrown.com/2006/04/29/···ate.html
quote:
05.31.06
Lyn:
Has anyone heard of a charge to your Visa from a Reqwest company? I just got a $5.00 charge and I had to close my account right away.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
06.21.06
David:
Reqwest in Huntington Beach California has just attempted to post a $10 hold on my debitr card account. I have no idea who this is, and only use this card for groceries at my local (Washington, DC) Giant Foods.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
07.18.06
Brent:
A little over a month ago, my Bank of America account got hit by a Reqwest in CA # 949-226-7168 AND a On-X Inc in MN # 612-216-1257 on the same day,
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
07.28.06
SB:
Well, I too just got a transaction from "REQWEST HUNTINGTON BE CA" on my Citi card for $5.00.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
07.31.06
EDRO:
JUST GOT HIT UP FOR $10.00 ON MY CAPITAL ONE BANK CARD. "REQWEST HUNTINGTON BE CA"
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Doctor Olds
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2 edits | reply to kruser
said by kruser  :My bank will not disclose any info on the company! They said all this correspondence has to be done via mail for some reason. Skip all the BS they are trying and ask for the Fraud Dept. You should not have any forms like disputed charge to fill out as this is an outright fraudulent charge from a scammer.
Good Luck!
Regards,
Doctor Olds
--
What’s the point of owning a supercar if you can’t scare yourself stupid from time to time?
Mod Edit: correct OP information |
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MGD
Premium,MVM
join:2002-07-31
Fort Lauderdale, FL
4 edits | reply to kruser
said by kruser :My bank will not disclose any info on the company! They said all this correspondence has to be done via mail for some reason........ And that is a contributing factor as to why this type of fraud is an epidemic.
However, I will tell you more info about the "company" than your bank will, or even knows.
First you are correct to cancel and replace the card, and this charge should be classified as FRAUD, not a dispute.
REQWEST hit my radar screen about a month ago while I was working on an update of my long term investigation of the Devbill/Digital Age card fraud criminal enterprise.
See the last post that I just made in this thread along with the included links: »Just an FYI: KCSOFTLLC $9.95 Fraud - They're still at it!
The connection between these two is that there are reports of charges from both REQUEST and the "devbill" group showing up together on the same card, either on the same bill date or within a day or two. And it is not a coincidence by any means, it is part of a criminal enterprise that involves hundreds of rotating websites that are set up as front companies. The purpose of the site is not to sell anything, in fact nothing can be bought from them. They are set up in order to obtain a merchant billing account to process small charges to what appears to be an endless supply of card data.
Fortunately, I collected some data on Request last month and added it to my archives before it disappeared. REQWEST and its sister company DIGITAL READING were both set up within a week of each other in January of 2006. They were set up with Jaguar Technologies LLC via ENOM, INC. Jaguar and Enom have been a long time favorite of these criminals and have been used repeatedly for hosting.
The two fraudulent websites used for this portion of the operation advicebyrequest.com and digital-reading.com have now been suspended. However here are screen shots of the two identical sites that I had in my archives:
advicebyrequest.com
"About Us"
Advicebyrequest.com About
and
"Contact"
Advicebyrequest.com Contact
digital-reading.com
"About Us"
Digital-reading.com About
and
"Contact"
Digital-reading.com Contact
And the current status for both:
Both Suspended
I am not sure if you want to bring your Bank "up to speed" on this issue by providing them a link or not. However, reversing the charge as a fraud and replacing the card, is the prudent option for them, rather than wasting their time requesting verification that is non existant.
MGD
Edit=formatting
Mod Edit: correct OP information |
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madylarian
The curmudgeonly
Premium
join:2002-01-03
Parkville, MD
| reply to kruser
said by kruser :They said all this correspondence has to be done via mail for some reason. This has always been the case with credit card companies. Every bill has detailed information about what to do to dispute a charge and they all state the specific information that should be supplied to them in writing. This is the only way you can dispute the charge and not pay it. It's also the only way to avoid interest charges and a possible bad credit record. I strongly suggest that you do this immediately.
mady
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Doctor Olds
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| Does not apply to fraud charges. This isn't a merchant dispute, but a simple case of a fraud charge and the Fraud Department should investigate, close account, give customer new account with all legitimate charges and balance being transferred to new account leaving the fraud charges on the old account for charge back to fraudsters.
--
What’s the point of owning a supercar if you can’t scare yourself stupid from time to time? |
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kruser
Premium
join:2002-06-01
Saint Louis, MO
clubs:
·AT&T Southwest
1 edit | reply to madylarian
said by madylarian :said by kruser :They said all this correspondence has to be done via mail for some reason. This has always been the case with credit card companies. Every bill has detailed information about what to do to dispute a charge and they all state the specific information that should be supplied to them in writing. mady In this case I have NO bill because I never purchased anything!
My online statement does not give much detail either.
The bank has closed all accounts and opened new for me.
All that is left is for me to go to bank and sign the fraud form as well as a police report. |
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amysheehan
Premium,VIP,MVM
join:1999-12-21
Huntington Beach, CA
 ·RoadRunner Cable
1 edit | reply to kruser
said by kruser :My bank will not disclose any info on the company! They said all this correspondence has to be done via mail for some reason. I did come up with a 949-226-7168 number and it is nothing more than an answer machine and the company name on the recording does match my statement. They give an email address or option to leave message but no human! What do you want to bet that they would never reply to email or return a phone call! Not that I'd give them any info anyhow. (949) 226-7168 is a land line based in Capistrano Valley, CA
The registered service provider is Teleport Communications**.
Detailed listing information is not available.
**Due to number portability, some numbers have been transferred to a new service provider
SOURCE: »www.whitepages.com/10866/search/···92267168
--
DSLR Phishtracker
Mod Edit: correct OP information |
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kruser
Premium
join:2002-06-01
Saint Louis, MO
clubs:
·AT&T Southwest
1 edit | reply to MGD
My bank told me the charge appeared to be legit!
They said it was something to do with at&t!
Granted, I live in at&t land but I've never had any personal accounts with at&t in my life.
So they have granted my request for fraudulent activity and will place the cash back into my account for now.
I've also looked over my past purchases with that card and it turns out that I had recently used it.
I made a purchase just days earlier from Paragon Software for a product called Partition Manager.
They use Element 5 for their card processing.
I've purchased a lot in the past that used element 5 and never had a problem.
I'd also purchased a pizza from a local Pizza Hut with the on-line ordering system just prior to the element 5 purchase.
Prior to these purchases, I had not used the card in months.
So it could be a breach at either of those places or a key logger.
Key logger is doubtful but not impossible.
Between the pizza and paragon purchase, I had done a complete format and clean install of XP.
Anyway, thanks bunches to everyone who has given advice!
edit: spelling
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Doctor Olds
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| said by kruser :I've also looked over my past purchases with that card and I had recently used it. I made a purchase just days earlier from Paragon Software for a product called Partition Manager. They use Element 5 for there card processing. I've purchased a lot in the past that used element 5 and never had a problem. I'd also purchased a pizza from a local Pizza Hut with the on-line ordering system just prior to the element 5 purchase. Prior to these purchases, I had not used the card in months. So it could be a breach at either of those places or a key logger. It's not you that is the source of the CC info leak. They didn't get it from your PC or from any recent transactions you have made.
This is where they most likely got it. Read what MGD wrote in the topic below:
»Just an FYI: KCSOFTLLC $9.95 Fraud - They're still at it!
Regards,
Doctor Olds
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What’s the point of owning a supercar if you can’t scare yourself stupid from time to time? |
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kruser
Premium
join:2002-06-01
Saint Louis, MO
clubs:
·AT&T Southwest
| Hey Dr. Olds!
I do agree that they most likely did not get it from any online stuff.
I just felt obligated to reveal my past purchases just in case.
The way I look at it, they get the info from somewhere and who knows where.
I'm sure that one of these days that this will be figured out.
If it is just random card number attempts then it will be hard to figure out.
I'm still leary of the card processors myself.
I'd bet they pay the employee's a low wage.
So you get your typical bandit who has leads on employee's of said company that are having a hard time financially and this said bandit offers that person a large sum of money to disclose info.
I'm not saying that is what happened in my case but it is possible.
I did read MGD's post that you linked.
I remember the TroubleBubble fraud that went down.
I'd say that the same people are behind this fraud.
Years ago I told myself that I'd never ever use credit cards because someone could steal your money.
I even told my parents that way back when!
Now of course almost 40 years later, I have cards and they are almost a necessity of life these days!
I do wonder how many people that DON'T use the internet have been hit with these charges? |
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Doctor Olds
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| reply to kruser
said by kruser :I have not had time to research this yet but will as soon as I contact the card issuing bank and shutdown the card. edit: I was mistaken! It turns out that I have used the card recently for two transactions. See my post near the end of thread. Also read the links here:
Card Systems had a big data loss.
»www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=ca···e+Search
40 Million Credit Card Numbers Hacked
»www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co···031.html
They are now owned by:
»www.paybytouchpaymentsolutions.com/news.asp
quote:
Pay By Touch Completes Acquisition of CardSystems Solutions
Pay By Touch payment processiong products to become more robust
December 9, 2005 - Pay By TouchTM, the leading provider of biometric authentication, payment, loyalty and membership solutions, today it announced has completed the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of CardSystems Solutions, Inc., a leading end-to-end payment processing provider with approximately 120,000 merchants to which Pay By Touch will have immediate access.
I'd guess it takes a little while to scam through the 40 Million Credit Card Numbers and they finally got to yours?
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kruser
Premium
join:2002-06-01
Saint Louis, MO
clubs:
·AT&T Southwest
1 edit | reply to kruser
Still no Fraud paperwork from my bank!
Almost 1 week now sine I first reported.
I called over the weekend concerned why I have not received the paperwork.
The lady in Fraud said she would call back Monday or today.
She did and apologized for no paperwork and said they were still investigating it.
I asked her why so long and she could not answer.
I had a fraud charge on my BoA card a year ago were someone took my number from a phone order and used my card and BoA handled everything the same day!
I'll give them a few more days.
I did explain what these scammers are up to but they seemed reluctant.
I have a funny feeling that they will conclude the investigation and determine the charges are legit even though I've asked to file a Fraud charge.
If they do such then what is my next step?
I mean if the bank refuses to proceed with a fraud claim then what steps should I take next?
Thanks Much All!
edit: When I did file the fraud charge last Tuesday the person whom I spoke with said the papers would be drawn up and mailed and I should expect them the next day or two.
Nothing, nadda! |
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MGD
Premium,MVM
join:2002-07-31
Fort Lauderdale, FL
1 edit | You should write a letter to the address that is listed on the statement for "billing inquiries". Notify them of the specific charge (charge date, amount vendor and ref #) and state that it is an "unauthorized" and "fraudulent" charge and that you want it removed from your statement.
Further state that the company that issued the charge is a known scamming operation, that was specifically set up to process fraudulent charges using an online merchant account.
Send the letter registered, return receipt requested. The bank is obligated by Federal law to investigate and remove the charge. By law you do not have to pay it, and they cannot charge you interest. You are not subject to the $50 liability, since you still have your card, it was not lost or stolen, and it was not used in the transaction.
There is no way that the bank can deem the charge as legitimate, they have to have some evidence to link it to you, ie. a shipping confirmation, an IP address that the "purchase" originated from etc. None of these exist, they will have to remove the charge, no question about it. REQWEST CA will be unable to provide any evidence or confirmation that the card number was charged legitimately. I am surprised that it is taking the bank this long to find it out. Your bank is probably awaiting a response from REQWEST CA for a confirmation request. Which will probably never come, since it appears that this specific name is worn out (website pulled).
If this scam was in full throttle, then it is normal for the scammer to issue a credit as soon as they receive the bank request for verification. The scammers do not want a chargeback, the fees are high, and eventually the high chargeback ratio flags the account and ends that merchant account. So to prolong the scam these criminals will gladly issue a credit for the few out of every thousand that actually catch and complain about it. In a lot of cases these small charges do not get caught, especially in a multi user household where the card is very active. You will notice that a lot of the people that catch it and show up here are ones that have a card with low usage, or are very particular about examining their statement, many are not.
If the bank does not follow the mandated procedure you can file a complaint against them.
It is vital that you use the term "unauthorized" and "fraudulent". This should not be confused as a "billing" error from a legitimate company.
Based on your banks complete lack of intelligence, it is vital that you document this fraud promptly and keep proof of the delivery.
To give you some idea of the federal requirements that the banks must follow here is the requirement for disputes to use as an example. Your case is not a dispute so the time limit is removed for initial filing, but the response requirements are the same:
»www.federalreserve.gov/pubs/cons···htm#bill
Please keep us updated on the progress and feel free to name the bank that has this complete lack of reasoning skills when it comes to fraud.
MGD
EDIT = added more text |
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kruser
Premium
join:2002-06-01
Saint Louis, MO
clubs:
·AT&T Southwest
| Ok, Thanks for the link and info!
First problem is I don't have statement yet as I discovered the charge the day after it posted to my account while doing an online check.
I check my banks almost daily for just such a problem!
I will follow up with your suggestions should they claim the charge is legit.
I've already printed out this thread as well as your screenshots of the old sites from your archives.
I was also very clear that I wanted to file a FRAUD claim.
They keep saying investigation and the lady that called back today even said such but when I questioned her, she did say that it was a fraud charge that they are investigating.
Maybe these guys are just slow. It is a small bank within my town that is owned by the same people who run a grocery chain here.
The fraud department was even within my state although out of town.
That is why I called, asking if fraud was maybe in another state which would explain any mail delay.
Nope, they are just slow or trying to delay.
I really hope they are just slow as I'd rather officially file the charges and get on with things.
I did explain that these guys are scammers and say they hit 100,000 people in one day that it may net them up to 1.5 million dollars!
Some that I talked to were understanding while others were just business.
I of course have complete logs of all conversations concerning this matter.
At this time, I think all I can do is wait and see what they say.
I'll post back here with the outcome.
Thanks again for your info as well as what you do here for others! |
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MGD
Premium,MVM
join:2002-07-31
Fort Lauderdale, FL
| I agree, just give them some more time. You now know that there is no way that you will end up having to pay it.
The fact that it is a small local bank explains what is happening, especially since your statement has not even closed out yet.
Kudos for being alert and monitoring your activity online.
PS. I added more text to my original post while you were replying.
MGD |
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