credit card warning!

[camino07]

I received an unpleasant shock today to be told by my visa credit card provider that there have been four transactions in the last week from my card.
I happen to be in Perth,Australia and the withdrawals were made in Paris. Approx $5000 worth.
My card must have been skimmed during my September Portuguese Camino and I guess they waited a few weeks before using the false card. I felt really sick that you just can't trust anyone these days. Luckily I always tell my bank where I will be and when I will be returning from overseas so they realised I was not in France.
I think it could have been during the Lisbon to Porto leg as I was staying in a different Residencial every night and frequently using my card.
I will certainly keep my eyes glued to my card next time.
Beware!
Heather

 

[Caminando]

I received an unpleasant shock today to be told by my visa credit card provider that there have been four transactions in the last week from my card.
I happen to be in Perth,Australia and the withdrawals were made in Paris. Approx $5000 worth.
My card must have been skimmed during my September Portuguese Camino and I guess they waited a few weeks before using the false card. I felt really sick that you just can't trust anyone these days. Luckily I always tell my bank where I will be and when I will be returning from overseas so they realised I was not in France.
I think it could have been during the Lisbon to Porto leg as I was staying in a different Residencial every night and frequently using my card.
I will certainly keep my eyes glued to my card next time.
Beware!
Heather

So sorry to hear this Heather, and thank you for reminding us all about such scams.
None of us should let our cards out of sight for an instant.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

The thieves will go where the money is!!

ATM Fraud: How to Avoid ATM Skimmers

by Farnoosh Torabi on 11/01/2010

You should always guard your card at the ATM, but with the increase in skimming incidents it’s important to take a few extra precautionary steps.

Skimming Defined: In general skimming occurs when ID thieves secretly install special equipment in credit card readers either at the ATM, gas pump machine or any other card swiping device to capture the personal information on your card each time you swipe.

The reader makes two copies of your credit or debit card information: one to process the transaction and one to later download the information to the ID thieves. There’s sometimes a hidden camera to record your pin, as well. There have been instances, too, where your information gets transmitted wirelessly to thieves. On average ID thieves rake in $30,000 per skimming incident, according to ADT Security Solutions.

Great. Just one more thing to worry about, right? No need to shred all your cards and commit to a cash-only existence. But you do want to follow these steps during your next visit to the ATM or gas pump.

1. Use Trusted ATM locations. Your bank’s indoor ATM is a safe bet, since it’s usually guarded with a security officer or camera. It’s much more difficult for ID thieves to compromise an indoor bank ATM than say, a random ATM on the street corner outside a convenient store.

2. Guard Your Pin. Not just to block off nosey onlookers, but so that ID thieves who may have installed cameras to help with their skimming operation can’t access your debit card’s special numerical code.

3. Check Your Surroundings. Look for suspicious mirrors, loose wires or hidden camera lenses around the ATM. If you doubt your surroundings, head to a different ATM.

4. If Your Card is Denied, Use Another Machine. Skimmers aren’t efficient and may need you to punch in your pin more than once in order to fully record your information. If you get asked more than once to submit your information, cancel the transaction and move to a different machine. If possible, notify a bank rep of the difficulty with the machine.

5. Check Your Card’s Activity Regularly. While we can’t always prevent ID theft, we can be proactive in limiting the damage (here are more tips from Credit.com). Check your card’s activity online daily to make sure the transactions are, in fact, legitimate. Notify any suspicious activity to your bank as soon as possible.

 

[lynnejohn]

I'm very sorry to hear about that, Heather. It's a real drag getting all that cleared up.

It's very difficult to screen the pad when entering your pin (against pinhole cameras). My daughter had her pin hijacked in SA when she thought she was really guarding against the cameras. Once the bank investigated and found the cameras, it turned out there were three to cover every angle. Then the credit card company told her they weren't covering the losses (purchases in Turkey) because she must have given her pin number out. Took awhile to get it straightened out. So yes, a real drag.

In the case of using ATMs, it's good to be paranoid!

lynne

 

[jl]

Hi Heather, two of the banks / credit unions that I used cards from last year on my Camino cancelled my cards for security reasons shortly upon my return. I had no odd activity on them, but apparently they said I had used them in a high risk area - hence the cancellation! Although at the time it was a jolly nuisance, it was good to know they were watching! Mind you Bank SA took a month more to realise this, compared to the Credit Union! But it is comforting to know that despite their rush to put up the interest rates, they do keep an eye on things! Cheers, Janet

 

[Theo]

Hi Janet,

I sent last year a post (click HERE).

According to BBC, the centre of the scam in Spain, in 2009, was : " a credit card processing company "

Theo

 

[jl]

Interesting Theo!. I hope they have solved the problem by the time I go again next year. I am happy with the way that my bank dealt with it - that is by cancelling my cards and re - issuing. I guess vigilance is the best answer too. cheers, Janet

 

[daesdaemar]

I did the Camino Ingles in late August this year. I used my credit card only two times, both for hotel rooms. After I arrived back home I received a call from the credit card company because of a suspicious charge for $350 from a "travel" company in the UK. We denied the charges and they had to issue me a new card. When I travel to the Camino Portugues next summer, I plan to use only cash for payments everywhere and will only use my ATM card at banks.

 

[Finisterre]

I felt really sick that you just can't trust anyone these days.

you are being a bit harsh
most people are okay or better