Christmas fraud

[bankworking]

So, Christmas season is one of the biggest times for credit card fraud. So many unusual purchases, so much temporary travel... the fraud detection systems have trouble finding the trends that actually mean fraud. So, it is particularly important to keep an eye on your transactions.

But at the same time, it's Christmas people!

You got a shared account? Said account suddenly shows up extra purchases at a retail store of some type?

Have you considered for half a second that it just might be something for you. Especially when it is one, singular, unexpected charge?

I swear, I get one of these every year. Usually, being able to say "so-and-so's" card made the purchase is enough to make the customer realize and go on with their life with just a little less surprise in it.

This year, SC wanted the card blocked NOW, the account moved NOW. Add passwords! Add the maximum security! And maybe they should just take their business elsewhere!!!

Soooo. We blocked the card. Added a password to the account, etc.

One guess as to who was back later that day because her boyfriend's card was blocked for no reason and the phone service wouldn't talk to him because he didn't know the password, so she was being forced to come in person to deal with it (or she could have told him the password or called in herself, but whatever helps her drama train.)

Idiots.

[Aria]

Hahaha!

Ah, reminds me of when I was going over my online bill... "I don't recognize this charge. But... I was clearly at the farmer's market and those charges always have weird names... whatever, I reckon I bought it." And life goes on. I can't imagine freaking out about it.

[Android Kaeli]

I kinda sorta freaked out about a purchase I made a couple of years ago, called my CC company to see what the heck was going on but then I had a Lightbulb Moment. I told the rep I was talking to that, yes, it was a legit charge as I remembered I ordered something from a place I often go to and it didn't click right away. To my credit my mind wasn't exactly firing on all canons that day.

[manybellsdown]

I am so glad for this post, because you reminded me to set up travel flags on all my cards! Nothing like getting to the rental car counter after a long flight and having your card declined!

[Food Lady]

I kinda sorta freaked out about a purchase I made a couple of years ago, called my CC company to see what the heck was going on but then I had a Lightbulb Moment. I told the rep I was talking to that, yes, it was a legit charge as I remembered I ordered something from a place I often go to and it didn't click right away. To my credit my mind wasn't exactly firing on all canons that day.

When I've had something like this happen the rep has been glad for me that it was ok. I know people in customer service often say they don't like people, but honestly I don't think that's true most of the time. We just have moments where we feel it's true. I told my rep that I appreciated her compassion and to pass that on to her bosses. I hope that made her day better.

[Kogarashi]

This is why my husband and I, you know, actually talk to each other about our purchases.

Sample exchange:
"Hey hon, I don't recognize this credit card purchase."
"Oh, that's totally when I stopped by [store] to pick up your Christmas present."
"Oh, ok."

Easy as that.

Of course, this method doesn't allow me to have a drama-rant at some poor bank worker about my account and live out my fantasy of being a total jerk to someone who can't do anything about it.

[Teefies2]

Of course, this method doesn't allow me to have a drama-rant at some poor bank worker about my account and live out my fantasy of being a total jerk to someone who can't do anything about it.

Bravo dear woman Bravo!

[mathnerd]

This is why my husband and I, you know, actually talk to each other about our purchases.

There's also the option of keeping separate accounts. If you can't trust your spouse to do what you do, i.e.: communicate, then separate accounts might be just the thing.

[Food Lady]

My mom and hubs have separate accounts and also separate phone accounts.

[Catwoman2965]

I've called in the past about a charge I didn't recognize, and its always been a brain fart on my part. Then I feel stupid. But hey, better than worrying about what that might have been, etc.

[csquared]

I shot myself in the foot once.

I saw a charge on the credit card that I did not recognize for, lets say, $109.00 from "Town Nursery". I called up The WIfe and asked her if she had made the charge. She did not recognize the name.

Then it dawns on me. That is the amount I paid to "Rainbow Flowers" for the anniversary flowers I bought the week before.

[Argus]

"Town Nursery" ... "Rainbow Flowers"

Online sites tend to give a heads-up if the name on the credit card statement won't have an obvious connection to the name of the site. Physical stores, not so much. A while back, I got a call from my credit union's fraud department because using that card as anything other than an ATM card was out of my pattern. It was a charge from Texaco, which seemed doubly odd because I always use a different card for gas purchases and because the station where I'd stopped a couple hours earlier was Shell rather than Texaco (which I don't think I've seen in the past couple decades anyway). Fortunately, the caller knew that a Shell charge might show up as Texaco, so we just concluded that I'd grabbed the wrong card from my wallet.

[nutraxfornerves]

My credit card company called me about a possible fraudulent charge. It was from something like NG Sales in a city I've never visited. No! I said and then had to go through the hassle of having the card cancelled & a new one issued (I had a ton of auto payments connected to it.) Then, a few weeks later, I called National Geographic to find out why I hadn't gotten the thing I ordered from their catalog...

Way back when, before identity theft was a big deal, several of my male cow-orkers started seeing credit card charges for things like shoe stores, that they had never made. It wasn't until they got to chatting one day, that it was all put together.

They all traveled on business, and submitted CC receipts with their expense accounts. In those days you didn't think anything of submitting a receipt that had your CC number and the expense accounts were not safeguarded. A janitor, who worked after hours, was rifling expense accounts and getting CC numbers, plus names & home addresses associated with them. He was using the info to call phone sex lines. The phone sex companies helpfully made sure your CC bill looked innocuous, should, say, your wife look at it, by billing as the Acme Shoe Company or Smith Brothers Hardware or something like that.

[BrenDAnn]

This reminds me of a story from a manager of another store in the chain I work for. SC went into her store, freaking out over a credit card charge made there. When the manager checked the cameras, she found out that it had been SC herself that had been in the store and made the charge. Of course, being an SC, the woman refused to believe the manager. She just KNEW it wasn't her. Manager told her that, by corporate rules, we aren't allowed to show camera footage to customers, but if she wanted footage, to get the police involved. Needless to say, that never happened.

[Cia]

I had two charges in one week from Pizza Hut. Whenever I ordered on-line I'd do a print screen and save the order receipt. I only had one saved receipt for that week and called up the credit card fraud department. I fully admitted that I might be mistaken but I really did not remember ordering pizza twice that week but if PH could show a signed receipt for the second charge than oops. After two weeks either PH couldn't bother to show a receipt or I was right that it was a fraud the bank permanently reversed the charge.