PSA sneaky revolving credit card fraud

[Tiramisu]

Well, maybe it's not that sneaky and I'm just dense.

 

I was going through my credit card statements today to figure out our medical expenses for 2015 since I'm snowed in.

 

I noticed a charge from Cyprus on one statement. That one charge turned into three charges each month for the last three months. I didn't realize it at first because the amounts were low and nothing that would catch my eye if I were quickly scanning for unusual charges. But the charges slowly increased over the three months.

 

I went onto the three webites listed in my credit card statements, and though the name was different the websites were exactly the same.

 

The credit card company will investigate and in the meanwhile, my account is shut down and I will be getting a refund for the fraudulent charges. The first representative tried to tell me I signed up for something with monthly payments. From Cyprus? Umm, no. Thankfully, the people she transferred me to were much more helpful.

 

I feel very stupid for not noticing earlier, but it's hard with dh using the same credit card. I don't always recognize his charges right away. And if it's a low amount, I would assume it's his and not necessarily question it.

 

Hopefully, the rest of you are better than I am at catching this stuff, but I'd just thought I'd put the word out.

[Liz CA]

What is Cyprus? I've had my card compromised right before Christmas. We all have to be more vigilant checking every month.

[Laurie4b]

Glad that you caught it fairly early!

[Cindy in FL.]

What is Cyprus? I've had my card compromised right before Christmas. We all have to be more vigilant checking every month.

I think she's talking about the country near Turkey.

[Tiramisu]

I think she's talking about the country near Turkey.

 

Yes, that right.

 

And what's weird about it is that in the past, this credit card has been frozen when there's been international use, until it's verified as legitimate. Perhaps because the amount was under $20 at first, it wasn't picked up as suspicious.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I look at the charges every month.  I send dh an e-mail asking him about any ones I don't recognize on his card.  (It's easier for him to then check on during a break at work etc. instead of trying to corner him at home when he's tired.)

[Pawz4me]

DH or I check ours online every night.  It only takes a minute or two, and it's a lot easier to spot something fraudulent than when looking through a whole month's worth of charges.

[Artichoke]

DH or I check ours online every night.  It only takes a minute or two, and it's a lot easier to spot something fraudulent than when looking through a whole month's worth of charges.

 

We check weekly when we have our budget discussions.    We also have our Discover account set up to notify us if the cc# is used without the card being swiped.  They immediately send us an email when that happens.  During the Christmas season, I did check the account almost daily. 

[regentrude]

I would also ask the credit card company about their fraud detection software.

Normally, a charge from a foreign country should not go through without being flagged or outright denied. Our company notifies us when the usage pattern is suspicious, and we must have international travel authorized, or otherwise the card will be declined.

[Prairie~Phlox]

We have ours linked to Quicken & I review it when things download. I also have alerts set up for Discover.

[Twigs]

Thanks for the head's up.

[Tiramisu]

I would also ask the credit card company about their fraud detection software.

Normally, a charge from a foreign country should not go through without being flagged or outright denied. Our company notifies us when the usage pattern is suspicious, and we must have international travel authorized, or otherwise the card will be declined.

 

Yes, his has always been the case before with this company. We've had it happen at least three times. Maybe I got lax because I am used to their fraud detection being reliable. What happened this time is very puzzling.

 

Usually, when we go overseas we also have to alert the company beforehand. We also have received calls when our usage seems suspicious. 

 

I had to talk to two different people in the security and fraud department who went through all the details with me, so it looks like they are taking this seriously and will investigate.

[Suzanne in ABQ]

This happened to me, but I noticed it immediately because it was a card we never use.  The charge was $30 to an online clothing store in the UK.

 

More recently, I had seven charges to Groupon in Canada (I'm in the US).  Those totaled over $1200.  

 

In both cases, cards were immediately cancelled and we weren't responsible for the charges.