Fraudulent debit card charge

“I found a fraudulent charge on my debit card and have to go to the bank to dispute it. Googled the name and it turns out they charge cards all over the country for $9.95. It's too low an amount for anybody to bother with, so they apparently get away with it. A$$holes!”

“What was the name?”

“May be time to go back to the mattress system :-(”

“9.95 is that what AOL charges”

“Make a stink about it! I had a CC a couple years ago where a company from France hit me 3 times-before I could get the card closed. To this day I have no clue how my number was found or whatever. My suspicions do lie with Amazon.com though-I hadn't used the card in a year or so when those charges came thru-and the only online shopping I had done on it was with "A". With this company that has charged you, I'd be looking at where you used your card in recent months-most likely someone has NOT been protecting their CC card info in their databases-and they hacked that company. And you can bet that companies that get hacked do not often admit to it!!”

“What is the name?”

“$9.95, It's too low an amount for Geo to bother with telling us the details. ;-)”

“Now if it were $10...well then, that's different, there would be four threads about it.”

“Apparently it's not just one company, it's lots.

Some web searching found me this list of company names that do this sort of thing.”

“the thing that gets me is how many people never even look at their cc or bank statements. They take it as gospel”

“I would fight it.”

“I have a bad charge on a credit card statement about 3 years ago for $140. No idea what it was.

First I call the card company. The operator said that the carge amount as well as the vendor sounded familiar. She said call the 800 number next to the line item and see what they can tell you.

Next, I called. Turns out what I was being charged for was a catalog for fine African American clothing! No clothes here, just the catalog to look through. I said, I never ordered this and I am not black, why would I want it? Next, I thought I would have some fun. I asked to see the catalog and the guy freaked. He admitted that there was no catalog and hung up.

Called the card company back and said this company scamed me and is probably scaming others. I got the same operator I spoke with before. She did a little research since my last phone call and said that a number of people had complained last month about these charges as well.”

“I have found out that all charge cards are not created equal. Some will let you dispute the charge and not pay while you do so and others make you pay or if you don't and lose the dispute, you owe them interest of the money you had to pay.

Wounded Knee, African American clothing, that is too funny. Maybe they thought you were going on a trip to Africa and wanted to blend in, lol. Some people do go to countries and dress like the natives, lol:)”

“I stopped at my bank and they filed the paperwork to begin an investigation. They also snipped my card in two and issued another on the spot.

The charge was from kcsoftllc.com, which a quick Google search came back with complaints from all sorts of organizations. I will also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. The bank will restore the $9.95.

I have a good bank.

Apparently they either got my card number fraudulently or poked in subsequent numbers following another card they got ahold of.

So if you see a charge for $9.95 from kcsoftllc.com, you've joined a not-so-elite group of people across the nation who have been tapped. I guess most people don't notice the charge, so they get away with a lot of it. Maybe one day the FBI will show up at somebody's door and put a stop to it.”

“Thanks for the heads up.”

“Someone snatched my credit card number from somewhere. There was like $2,000 in charges for everything from porn to groceires.”

“I did NOT by groceries with your card!”

“After reading this string I had to check my accounts. Everything was in order except one person was spending too much. I need to cut down!”

““I did NOT by groceries with your card!”

But the online account to Back Door Brotha's was?”

“Man, there is a thread for everything around here! Must be the work of Spirit Coyote!

I got whacked with a stack of fraudulent debit card charges... almost. About $2K worth. I wouldn't have known but my debit card stopped working. When I called the credit union they told me that I needed to call some fraud prevention service they use. Turns out this service detected a weird pattern (the security code was incorrect on the first purchase and it was on-line) and shut the card down... something like that. So none of the charges actually went through.

Talk about a close call!”

“Good credit union for catching it! :-) Bummer though to hav eto go thru it :-(”

“It happened to me a few times this year. Luckilly it was caught.

I do think the banks/credit unions could do a better job of prevention.

Doug”

“I was thinking of getting a debit card just so I would have fewer checks to write.
Thanks for the reminder about the problems.”

“Good credit union for catching it

BUT

BUT

BUT

UNIONS are EVIL!!! HOW CAN THEY DO ANY GOOD?!?! DUMB STUPID LIBERALS”

“Silly Boy.”

“I set up with my credit union to get an email notification of all my banking transactions. I caught a fradulent use of my credit card that way.”

“You are only liable for up to 50 bucks if you report the fraud within 2 days of when you notice it. My CU would have put the money back in my account once I disputed the charges, they told me. I know that many CUs and banks are not that nice about it. If you report it after 2 days you are only liable for 500 bucks. At least that is how it was explained to me. It isn't as good as a CC but it is pretty darn close.”

““Silly Boy.”
StoveStomper

feel again, little girl”

“I write checks for bills only. Everything else just gets debited. The visa is only used for emergencies or major veicle repair. The thing I don't like is the bank (used to be credit union) sends me this letter saying they have upped my credit limit to 10 grand because of my good credit. I don't want it that high. Can I request to have it lowered?”

“yes you can request to have your credit limit lowered and if your bank is like mine they will not raise it thereafter”

“Yes, the banks can do more to prevent fraud only the customers won't stand for it because it will make it more difficult for a customer to complete a transaction due to the added hoops they will have to jump through. Plus there will be additional costs associated with the increased service.

More cost and less convenience for added security? The market won't stand for it.

Customers hate the loss of convenience more than they hate the possibility or being a victim of fraud. And that isn't an opinion, that's exactly what customers continually tell us year over year.”

“It looks like somebody is trying to make "pioneer" status. Maybe they read Ken Lay's book (or, more probably, looked at the pictures). Kenny had much more sophistication to his scam.

Sorry to hear some amateur rooked ya Geo. Hopefully you'll get your $10.00 back in a few years, it'll be worth a gallon of gas or ten minutes of heating by then, if things continue.”

“Most banks do some sort of customer service right now....mine called when I paid off a big bill to see if the transfer was legal.

Identity Theft is getting to be a big business. I have a friend whose SSN was taken by a wetback. Really screwed up his life.

The punishment is NOTHING. THe big question is how to handle it. I say allow the injured party to select one time at month "at random" to kick in their door and take everything they want. If Pedro (or hell even an American Citizen who steals identitity) get in the way the police have 30 seconds free reign with Asp Batons and tasers (LOL)>
last edited: 7/08/06 6:55:55 AM”

“Btw..many banks out here offer 100% protection-you report it, you get the money back, and you are NOT liable for anything. That is how it should be at ALL banks!”

“In one instance, I ordered a breadmaker for the 'ol lady. Got no response or delivery, so I canceled the order & re-ordered from another reputable but slow company. Two weeks later (aprx 5 weeks after initial purchase) they bill my debit/credit card. I would still accept the 2nd breadmaker & give to my daughter but they never sent it. No response to communication, so I initiated a charge-back. The $$$ will be out of my account for a little while.

Today, on a different banks card belonging to my wife, some body ordered & received a GPS.

(OK, now is the time for one of you guys to confess!..........:-)

Actually the victim co knows it wasn't sent to my house & think it was terrorist types! They said they were recently hit-a-lot but mostly by American Express cards. Visa was different. At least the money isn't out of my checking account as this was a charge card. Again on VISA's -0- internet liability.

Hope they can track the buggers.”

“someone made a card with my bank info and tried to make an $800 purchase at Best Buy the day before Easter. fortunately there was absolutely no money in the account. they must have been bummed out, they tried to eat at Wendy's afterwards, but it didn't work there either, LOL!

laughs on them bast**ds, ha ha! never try to rob a poor person!”

“DO NOT USE DEBIT CARDS!!!!!!
If they hit you the money is out of your account. And the bank cares, how much? Yes, most banks we go after whoever took the money. But I wonder how hard they look, afterall they're not out anything.

That being said, I got an e-mail from Amazon telling me they noticed some suspicious activity on my CC account. They had cancelled all of the orders. They apologized for the inconvenience if the orders were ligit and suggested I check my CC Co. to see if any other charges had been made.
Sure enough, a couple tickets to Las Vegas, A magazine subscription, some DVD's etc.
I phoned American Express and explained the situation. They took all of the charges off of my account right then.
I did have to fill out some paperwork and sign a form and promise to help them go after the crooks. Please, Please let me help!!!!

Anyway, I'm not out a cent and feel I'm dealing with some fine companies.”

“Although the card I use the most is a debit card, it also has the "VISA" logo on it. I also have "credit $$$" on my debit card & orders from the internet are credit card purchases. My financial institution (though I had to contact the CEO) is treating it as a covered VISA charge.

The GPS order was made on a dormant Amazon Com Visa card.
last edited: 4/13/07 6:53:26 PM”

“catskhiker - I bought something on a card. Then the company tried to initiate monthly charges with a second charge a month later. I called Visa. We initiated a fraudulent charge report and heard nothing again on it. They gave me a refund on my bank-check account in less than one day.”

“i'm sorry i don't want a credit card anymore. my debit card has a mastercard and that is as close as i am getting ever again. i have learned to live within my means.

almost 4 years ago my husband had a stroke and could no longer work, we had thousands in debt and no way to pay those cards. we were forced to declare bankruptcy and it was the single most embarrassing event of my adult life. i will never ever live like that again, it's just too easy.

by the way, it was my bank who called us, within an hour of it happening. they knew that this kind of spending was out of character for me and that it was also out of our area.”

“I got pissed at BOA just about 6 month ago. They canceled my card because suspicious activity. It was embarassing, and no fun to stand in line to pay to find out your card don't work.

Worst about it was when I called them they acted like I was the criminal. I was pretty pissed off.

I don't want to jinx [after all it's Friday the 13th] it though, so I shut up now and will not complain any more.”

“Gem - My card was a BOA, check debit Visa card. I felt that they treated me extremely well. Maybe it depends upon which employee handles the case.
last edited: 4/13/07 7:48:12 PM”

“True...I guess it depends on who you talk to. I am still pissed of at them for it though.

For me this was the THIRD [!!!!!!!!] time they closed my account because of suspicious activity. I never know when it could happen again. I mean please give me a $#@! break.

Last time they issued me a completely new card, new number and all. Something about a vendor with security issues from which I purchased. [I think it was the TJMAXX thing back then]

Trust me after 3 times, you'll get really sensitive and maybe a little #&%!$y. what if I really had no other way of paying? what if I had to get gas in the middle of nowhere?

I just feel like they are protecting their bank more then they are trying to protect me.

Okay...there I go...I should not jinx it. I'll shut up now.”

“My account got cleaned out through my debit card not too long ago.

I got the money back without having to jump through too many hoops. It was a bit of a waiting game though. I had to go to the bank and sign a few papers. Then, my money was deposited back to my account no less than one month later.

I was unemployed at the time, and had no money to replace the 2 months of bills that were taken out of my account. I just kept overdrawing and overdrawing. When it was all said and done I took my statements back to the bank and had all the OD charges waived.

My favorite part was that I caught it just a couple of hours after it happened. It was showing as a pre-authorization on my card. There was a small charge made, I think to see if the numbers were good, then the whammy came. The bank told me they had to let it run it's course, and let the money be drawn from my account before going to work on it. I didn't quite understand that. The other thing is the bank flagged the transactions as fraudulant immediately(the charges were in Europe), so why did the charge get authorized to begin with?

I don't get it, but obviously the banks are doing something right. There's not a corner out there anymore that doesn't have a bank sitting on it.”

“My bank was very helpful when my debit card was hit twice last winter. In both cases they covered the loss. In one of those cases they recovered the money through AMEX and in the other they ate it. I was inconvenienced for a week or two, but not out a cent.”

“Wow. Seems to be a lot of people who have gotten hit around here.

Hope that's not related.

"DO NOT USE DEBIT CARDS!!!!!!
If they hit you the money is out of your account. And the bank cares, how much?"

I'll add mine. A few years ago, I got hit. My debit card is issued from our credit union. They covered me while the dispute progressed.

My investigation into the company yielded an interesting connection.

http://thebackpacker.com/trailtalk/thread/20483,-1.php”

“My debit card uses $$ from my checking account. I rarely write checks. It ALSO has a VISA logo & CREDIT on the card which is REALLY handy for occasional over-drafts. Purchases are covered under VISA's -0- internet liability clause. I may have to wait a while for my money. THe advantage is I pay 99% of all my bills on-line with this account & 99% of all charges are shown on-line quickly. Some take a day or two. I can transfer $$$ between accounts.(like my daughters equity loan that she is always slow in paying)

I would consider using a credit card only but want the instant on-line viewing of charges & the ability to pay off the account without incurring ANY finance charges. I would rather make 30 payments a month then get a HUGE bill at the end of the month.

My credit/debit cards basically does this.”

“OK...

I was recently a victim of debit card fraud. Yes, the money came out of my bank account. Three purchases totalling about $500 bucks. The bank had a fraud detection system that shut down my card after the third one. I discovered the fraud when I tried to use my debit card and it failed. I thought I had forgotten my PIN or something so I called in. That's when they told me it was shut down for fraud. I looked at my bank account online and reported the bogus charges. I was told that so long as I reported the charges within one billing cycle that I would not be responsible (basically that you have to report the fraud faster with a debit card than a credit card).

The bank credited my account on the spot in the form of a "loan" meaning that they replaced the money and went about investigating the charges. If they determined the charges were in fact fraudulent I would keep the money. They sent me a statement to sign that said I was claiming the charges were fraudulent. About two weeks later I got a letter saying that they concluded their investigation and the contingency on the deposit was removed.

I would not go so far as to say "don't use debit cards" but only to make sure you know the difference between a debit card and a credit card. I don't use my debit card on-line and I always look at my reciepts to make sure the full card number isn't printed on them.”

“Well my credit union hasn't said a word to me about my fradulent debit/credit card purchase scam but they deposited that scamned amount (plus a couple dollars) to my account.

The other fraud purchase was made on a dormant credit card & that company already told me that they would agree to the chargeback of $450.

So Visa's -0- internet liability clause is looking pretty good to me for the many internet purchases I make. I rarely carry cash for anything & write less then 5 checks a year.”

“The way the banking laws & rules are written, its a very bad idea to use a debit card for any online/phone/mail orders. Only use it locally where you can swipe it. It has to do with liability - not only for fraudulent charges but also for things that you purchased and are having a problem with.

"...when buying big ticket items, most experts suggest using your credit card instead. Why? Well, your credit card purchase is protected under a law called the Fair Credit Billing Act, which basically means you have zero liability for fraudulent purchases, poor-quality or damaged merchandise or for merchandise that was never delivered. It's the law."

"With debit cards, both Visa and MasterCard also offer zero liability for unauthorized transactions made over their networks...however, that zero liability is a policy -- not a law -- on debit cards and therefore subject to review by the card issuer... 'they could change that policy tomorrow.'"

http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/cc/20010706a.asp”