Stupid credit card fraud (vent)

[k3am]

So, we're pretty meticulous in tracking our finances on a regular basis. A few months ago, I noticed I was signed up for a new service for $85 on a card I don't use for online purchases. Called the company, cancelled the card, no problem.

Last weekend, I got a call from discover, asking if I'd recently bought 5 flight tickets on British Airways for a whopping $8k. Cancelled the card, still hasn't been reissued.

Today, I noticed that apparently DH bought $95 worth of gas yesterday. DH has a 16 gallon tank in his car, so the most he ever spends on gas is ~$50 based on current gas prices. Transaction is still pending so I can't pull details, and DH is on a plane, so not responding to emails. Usually the hold at the stations we go to is $1.00.

So now I'm worried that we've got MORE fraud.. but I'm more concerned about how they're getting my info. I've gone my entire adult life without anything like this happening, and it's really obnoxious. And if you're going to commit fraud with my credit cards, be a little more creative. (Also, I'm assuming that to buy airline tickets, they had to give valid names.. do the CC companies track these people down?)

[welly01]

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this! I don't have any advice to offer. Have you run your credit reports recently? I would also put whatever kind of fraud alert service your bank offers on all your accounts/cards. What a PITA.

[supertrooper1]

So frustrating!
I've had my Macy's American Express card compromised twice in the last 3 months. The first time, they bought a bunch of stuff, but also subscribed to 5 different magazines that were sent to my house. So it was just spending fraudulently to spend. I quit using the Macy's card, so I'm not sure how they got the new number. But it's very frustrating.

[k3am]

On track to do it now. Thanks for the reminder welly01!

[k3am]

The best part.. the 1st credit card fraud we had? It was for Abine - which touts itself as "the all-in-one solution for managing your online life and protecting your private information."

[lynn0514]

This has happened to us three times in the last year, also. At least one of those instances we suspect was as a result of the Target data breach, based on the timing and the fact that I shop there frequently. I appreciate that our credit card company has caught it right away every time, but it's still so annoying, and it's troubling not knowing exactly how fraudsters are getting our info. I feel for you.

[CoverGirl82]

Yikes! So sorry you have to deal with that! We've had our CC number stolen and used a few times. Each time Citi has been great about cancelling the card and sending new ones quickly. Also, we don't have any liability for the charges. The last cards they sent us have a microchip to prevent use in the event of card duplication fraud, and so far we haven't had an issue, and we've had them about a year and a half. We try and keep our CC limits low enough that someone couldn't fraudulently charge a large amount ($8K would have never gone through!).

But, with all this talk about CC fraud, I'm going to go look at my current CC activity to make sure there isn't anything questionable on there!

[speedymarie]

I believe if you contact the credit bureaus they can put a block on any new cards being opened in your name without additional proof (I believe if they get card applications for your name/SS they contact you). Might be a good precaution.

[k3am]

See, if it were the same card, I might not find it so weird, but we're working on the 3rd card, with all the companies different.

[gamora24527]

This happened to me, I believe as a result of the Home Depot breach. They were able to figure out my online log in info and steal the card info sufficiently to use it to make purchases. I signed up for Lastpass and now have complex unique log in/password information for each website, which has stopped the fraud. I'm so sorry you are dealing with this!

[callmeKD]

that totally sucks. I'm sorry

[litzo27]

This sucks. This is a reminder to be extra vigilant - the past several months have been extra bad in terms of credit card security. Everybody seems to be getting hacked.

[anewadventure]

k3am, since it is a third different card, it sounds like a situation similar to privacy where the issue is with a place that you are regularly using your credit cards. i don't know how easy it would be for you to narrow that down but it is worth a try. gas stations and restaurants are usual targets for this kind of thing.

that's beyond annoying, i'm sorry. you should also try asking your cc companies for higher security cards with micro chips. if you call and explain, they usually are happy to help because in the end it saves THEM money for your info to remain secure. they also would rather keep your business instead of you canceling or ceasing to use their cards.