Identity Theft - Another reason not to eat out! - Page 2

vioburn · 04-10-2007, 06:59 PM

If you are going to eat out, just carry enough cash to cover your meal, plus the tip. It also makes it so that you can't "over spend" because you can only spend what you bring.

Kim · 04-11-2007, 12:25 PM

Our cc number was stolen about 1 1/2 years ago, and whoever stole it made purchases in Asia of several thousand dollars per transaction. We still don't know how/where they got it, as our cards weren't stolen themselves. It could have very well been in a restaurant, but who knows. Once we turned our claim over to the credit card company, they didn't notify us of the outcome (I don't know if they can't, or just prefer to keep those disputes confidential). We weren't responsible for the charges. We canceled the credit card and they re-issued a new one.

Dejaeeyore · 04-23-2007, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LuvMySoldier

THE FOLLOWING IS FROM AN EMAIL I RECEIVED A FEW MONTHS AGO:

ATTORNEY'S ADVICE-----NO CHARGE!!

A corporate attorney sent the following out to the employees in his company:

I won't quote the whole thing, but some of that advice from the email is false. The bank usually doesn't check your signature unless a problem comes up, and many places, including the Post Office, won't accept a credit card if it isn't signed on the back. Snopes has a more detailed analysis of this email.

For the rest - there's a difference between identity theft and credit card fraud. The ABC article is about CC fraud, not ID theft. CC fraud is why it's always a good idea to check your CC statement carefully and get your free annual credit reports. The faster you catch problems, the easier it is to take care of things.

Most businesses in the US only print the last four digits of your CC number on the receipt. I'm not sure if there's a legal requirement for them to do so, or if it's just standard practice now, but I've heard that it's not the same overseas. (I think a travel magazine mentioned that the whole number was printed on receipts in some countries.)

Honestly, we've used our cards at dozens of restaurants and online stores over the years with no problems. Even if you don't use the card anywhere, there's always a chance of a hacker getting into a database somewhere. It's easy to check online or call the automated system to check on pending transactions if you want. One of my credit card companies will set up alerts, so I get an email every time there's a transaction over $50 on my card. So far they've all been legit, but if anyone ever tried to buy $9,000 of something with my number, I'd find out about it pretty quickly.

mhender · 04-24-2007, 11:55 PM

My DH's info was stolen from the CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL!!!

It happened when we checked my son in for some testing. I just posted this on another thread, but the jerk even filled taxes in his name (took handwritten forms into a Jackson-Hewitt office, which is similar to H&R Block...). Filing taxes has become quite the chore for us - we have to use an accountant, she can't e-file, we have to send all paper stuff and then we are "analyzed" every year, which is like an audit. Also - we never get our refund until Dec 31. True, our children aren't going to starve because I try to figure it as close as possible, but it's the principal of the fact - that's MY money!!!

I know another girl who's used hers when she got arrested, then skipped bail. When the girl got pulled over for a speeding ticket, she was taken to jail and stayed there until the fingerprints came back. Nice.

Always call your local DPS office and ask what you should do. They may be able to put a "password" on your license that you will have to use. Once these jerks get your info they can have a perfect "fake" license made up at a flea market that day. Then, they go nuts for about a week and then usually toss your stuff because they risk getting caught after a week or so.

So scary - I HATE THEIVES!!!!!! And these are the worst kind!!!!!!!