Got Hacked

[Fishindude77]

Grrrrrrr !!! This stuff is getting way too common

Just did a lengthy travel vacation, used the credit card a lot; motels, dining, etc. Arrived home and the next day a UPS package shows up with two new iphones we didn't order, from a business we don't deal with.
It got charged to our credit card. Kind of weird because usually fraud like this involves the thief getting the merchandise or services.

That charge was on our cards and I'll need to carefully inspect the next bill for other fraudulent charges but we went ahead and got the charge erased, shut off the card, cut it up and they are sending new cards with numbers.

A practice I saw at a couple motels which I'm not fond of, the clerks made copies of our cards and drivers licenses. Think I'm going to refuse to allow that next time.
Think I will also check out our credit reports and freeze them to make sure no identity theft is going on.

Now I also have the issue of two new iphones that need to be returned. Called the vendor and like so many others it's near impossible to speak to a human and a rather complicated deal to get a return label from them.
We'll get that figured out somehow but I'm not paying the shipping.

A little off topic, but another frustrating thing ..... quite a number of vendors won't take big bills, anything bigger than $20.
At todays prices when you spend $100 or more every time you go out to eat, you'd need to haul around a wheel barrow full of twenty's on a trip like this.

[ua_guy]

That's weird that the stolen product actually shipped to your house. Uncommon, I'd think. Thieves usually make off with the loot rather than sending it to you.

Did someone from your business(es) expense two new phones but accidentally used your personal card? lol.

I don't like the idea of "needing" to sign up for credit monitoring, but in this day and age it's almost a requisite unless you're OK with completely freezing your credit.

[disneysteve]

I wonder what the scam is for using your card to send you the phones. How does the crook benefit? Or is just a crime they do because they can, just for fun?

[Fishindude77]

That's weird that the stolen product actually shipped to your house. Uncommon, I'd think. Thieves usually make off with the loot rather than sending it to you.

Did someone from your business(es) expense two new phones but accidentally used your personal card? lol.

I don't like the idea of "needing" to sign up for credit monitoring, but in this day and age it's almost a requisite unless you're OK with completely freezing your credit.

Yea, definitely weird
Wonder if there is some incentive program where the phone company pays for signing up new clients?

We don't borrow for anything and pay credit cards off each month. Any downside to freezing our credit? Would it affect insurance premiums?

[myrdale]

The thief may have someone to act as a mule. They will sit outside of your house, wait for the item to be delivered, then pick it up before you do.

If you can't get in touch with the vendor, I don't think it matters. This is a fraudulent charge which you're not responsible for. The credit card company should take care of that. As for the phones, unless the vendor wants to send you a prepaid package / free shipping I'd toss them or keep them or sell them.

[myrdale]

If the shady motels were doing the trip, don't be to quick to assign blame. You may have been skimmed at a gas pump a month ago.

Years ago I went through a car wash I rarely visit near where I live. About 5 hours later I was leaving a baseball game 30 miles north of where I live. I got a phone call from my bank asking if I was buy groceries at another location an 90 miles south of where I live. The answer was no. I still don't know how they connected the dots, if it was because I might have bought a beer in at 4:00 pm then bought groceries 4:01 pm, 120 miles away? Or did they run my debt card as a credit card? Or did they use the wrong pin?

I felt certain for a long time the car wash was the point I was compromised. But thinking back, if they were running a card in the store, then they would have had to gather my information, make a card, then go shopping. I doubt that all happened in the same day.

[ua_guy]

...Or skimmed at a dine-in restaurant. I can't remember if it was this forum or another, but someone was surprised that a card transaction was completed at the table on a handheld device when it was time to pay. This is the norm in other parts of the world, your card never leaves your hand. It's possible the device gets hacked, but it cuts way, way down on a server or other staff skimming or copying off the card itself. I've noticed it's becoming a lot more common in the US for the payment to be completed at the table.

[myrdale]

...Or skimmed at a dine-in restaurant. I can't remember if it was this forum or another, but someone was surprised that a card transaction was completed at the table on a handheld device when it was time to pay. This is the norm in other parts of the world, your card never leaves your hand. It's possible the device gets hacked, but it cuts way, way down on a server or other staff skimming or copying off the card itself. I've noticed it's becoming a lot more common in the US for the payment to be completed at the table.

You just changed my view on the kiosk at Chilli's.

Everytime I go through a drive through or eat at a restaurant, my debt card disappears for a few seconds in which the employee could scan it.

[disneysteve]

I see more and more restaurants offering the online payment option where you just scan the QR code on the check and it takes you to the payment site. I like those because you just pay and go. No need to hand your card to anyone and you don't need to sit there waiting for the server to come back.

[Fishindude77]

Pretty crazy that it has come to this.
I miss the good old days where they robbed you at gunpoint

[bjl584]

You just changed my view on the kiosk at Chilli's.

Everytime I go through a drive through or eat at a restaurant, my debt card disappears for a few seconds in which the employee could scan it.

It's pretty common at vacation spots for servers to add a little bit to the tip that you write on the receipt. Most people don't look over their statements, and after a vacation you have a lot of transactions. You probably won't remember all of them. If your server adds $5 or $10 to the tip you wrote, you might not notice. It happened to my Stepdad while vacationing in Florida. American Express made it right for him.

[srblanco7]

You just changed my view on the kiosk at Chilli's.

Everytime I go through a drive through or eat at a restaurant, my debt card disappears for a few seconds in which the employee could scan it.

Definitely a fan of table-side transactions. I'm not sure why adoption of this technology in the US has been so slow.

[disneysteve]

Definitely a fan of table-side transactions. I'm not sure why adoption of this technology in the US has been so slow.

Because the US is ass backwards about so many things. We're way behind the curve when it comes to technology. Look how long it took us to get chip credit cards. And how about the metric system? Still waiting for that.

[myrdale]

Because the US is ass backwards about so many things. We're way behind the curve when it comes to technology. Look how long it took us to get chip credit cards. And how about the metric system? Still waiting for that.

When is the rest of the world going to adopt the imperial system? The metric system is about as goofy as soccer or hot tea.

[disneysteve]

When is the rest of the world going to adopt the imperial system? The metric system is about as goofy as soccer or hot tea.

And that way of thinking is exactly why the US is so slow to adopt new things. They refuse to change or even consider that there are better ways to do things.