3/23/07

Credit Card Fraud

We got a statement in the mail yesterday from our Canadian credit card security office informing us of several unsuccessful fraudulent transaction attempts on hubby's card.

One purchase, in Pickering, Ontario went through for $761.00 but was reversed a few days later, not before the bank charged us a 2.75 transaction fee. As if. The person had a fake card made up, apparently, although it would have been in someone else's name other than my husband.

And then there were three more keyed attempts in Lake Placid, FL a week or so later at Home Depot for $29.00, $41.00, and $63.00. Tied to that account is a significant line of credit amount which is dormant yet still there. Not that anyone would be able to make a purchase that large but still.

Of course we're suspicious that this is somehow linked to the recent T.J. Maxx credit card scam, which affected the stores, Winner's and HomeSense in Canada during specified dates after Christmas. Guess who shopped at Winner's and HomeSense on December 31, 2006?

I seriously doubt it's linked to an online scam but we'll need to be more vigilant about online purchasing, especially in light of all the wireless threats out there. The irony in this house is that we consider our stand alone computer to be the worm-ridden, vulnerable computer and our laptop to be safe for online spending.

Anyways, it's a very disconcerting feeling. Hope they catch the bastards and hang them by their slimy toenails in a rat-infested dungeon. But ask me how I really feel.

5 comments:

Becca said...

Ouch, sorry to hear that. We had fraud on a Capital One card we have had for years and it has taken us a while to get it straightened out, but dang you can't be too careful.

Anonymous said...

These things can be nightmares, as I unfortunately know to well. Our home was burglarized about a year ago, and the thieves get access to too much personal financial information. The hassles of that event are still ongoing. Short of paying for everything in cash, there is not much you can do but be vigilant and hope for the best. Hope you have a wonderful weekend.
J.

Jeri said...

That's really scary! Watch your credit rating... we had a checkbook stolen, and in spite of doing the right thing: police report, letters to credit reporting agencies, and direct contact with parties harmed by the thief who was forging checks, it still harmed our credit rating for years. Glad you caught it early!

NB said...

Finally! I can post a comment.

I had this happen with Bank One. My credit card # was taken from a hotel receipt in San Diego. It took them 8 weeks to figure it all out and in the meantime, my account was frozen. I was furious. It was a credit/debit card for my main checking account. I had all kinds of direct payment and deposits that I had to stop and I couldn't access any of my money! What a pisser.

I hope ya'll don't have any further problems.
Credit card and identity theft are awful.
How DO you really feel?
;)
word verification is k q xoxo
kinda like a little q kissy-kiss lol

Anonymous said...

My Hubby got a call a few weekends ago from Chase regarding potential fraudelent charges. Turns out we never made the charges so Chase was going to cancel the card and issue another one. Someone took the cc numbers from an online purchase. So much for secure.