stolen credit card info

Zak Forsman

Zak Forsman

Major Contributor
I got a call from American Express this morning. They wanted to verify an attempt to make a $770+ purchase at Target yesterday. Let's just say i haven't stepped foot in a Target in at least a year. I looked at my purchase history online and since mid-january there have been three other purchases at Targets all over southern california -- Redlands, Commerce, San Bernadino for amouts of $60, $150 and $460. also two charges at restaurants i've never been to over $100 each. and the kicker is that someone put a request in to extend my credit by another $6000. wtf?

i'm a little perplexed at how my credit card info could have been stolen. I didn't lose the card. it wasn't physically stolen. there's no other suspicious activity on any other cards or in any of my accounts. fortunately im not responsibile for any of the charges.

has this ever happened to you?

and how can i go about checking to see if any new credit cards have been opened in my name?
 
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Zak Forsman said:
and how can i go about checking to see if any new credit cards have been opened in my name?
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annualcreditreport.com should give you a list of all open lines of credit that you have.

I'm sorry this happened to you.
 
That totally sux. There's been a radio advert around here lately about identity protection. Not that expensive and they have a $1m policy if someone does steal your identity. Like about $100 a year range. Will post a link when I find it (I linked at the MFTT which I am about to head out to). You might also get your credit report, they should list any current credit transactions and requests.
 
Yeah. You definitely need to pull your credit report. And this might be an instance when you want to pull all three of them. Sometimes they will have different info reported.

Jason
 
I had this happen once. I caught it very quickly (more by accident than by being vigilent) so even the credit card company didn't have much loss. I do have a credit watch service now, that keeps an eye on my credit report. I'm not sure that it's super effective (mainly because os lag time... doesn't usually flag anything as out of the ordinary until the credit card's monthly statement gets put together), but it does provide some level of comfort.

i'm a little perplexed at how my credit card info could have been stolen. I didn't lose the card. it wasn't physically stolen. there's no other suspicious activity on any other cards or in any of my accounts. fortunately im not responsibile for any of the charges.
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These kind of theives are quite resourceful. Is your current card nearing expiration? Perhaps they intercepted a new one in the mail that was sent to you by the credit card company. Perhaps they learned enough info to call the cc company and request a duplicate. It is clear that somehow they have a physical card since they've been making purchases at brick and mortar places vs. on-line.

I hope that you don't have any more trouble with this kind of nonsense.
 
I had mine stolen recently.. same situation. I just happened to notice some charges to blockbuster online and emusic, neither of which I've ever used. I had the card cancelled immediately and another reissued. Minor pain the butt as it was my check card visa and it took a week during which time I had to use paper checks. I can only assume someoene in a position of confidence stole it, ie store clerk, etc.
 
Zak, I went through this about 14 years ago. You need to contact the three credit agencies, Equifax, TransUnion and Experian and let them know you are the victum of credit fraud. The will send you a free copy of your credit report. It's necessary to contact all three becuase of the way the reporting process works. I'll see if I can find some contact info (if it's still good) so you can get in touch with a human rather than a recording. You should put a fraud alert on your account. This lets potential new creditors know and they are supposed to call your home number (or whatever number you give them) before issuing new credit cards. I wished I could tell you that it's no problem clearing this all up but it took me close to a year with constant checking. If it is just a case of the one credit card, it might be as simple as having it reissued. But if it concerns true identity theft where new accounts are opened using your personal information (which was what happened in my case) you're in it for the long haul.

If you want more information, shoot me a PM and I'll put together the whole story for you. At this point, it is going to require constant vigilance on your part.
 
There's a website that is devoted to providing info. on how to get in contact with an actual human being, instead of a recording or customer-no-service.

I think the website is: www.gethuman.com

Just for future reference.

Jason
 
Speaking of credit card weirdness, I made a couple charges to B&H totaling over $5,000, and none of them showed on my bill. I'm not sure if I should ignore it or call them and ask what's up.
 
Not a credit card, but I had my debit card info stolen and someone was trying to take out 800$ and 1600$ in one shot. Luckily I had a student debit card and had a limit of 500$. One the security section of my branch saw what was happening they cancelled my card and gave me a call. I was certainly glad they did.

Probably someone got a camera and machine at my schools atm and stole my info. Or someone was looking over my shoulder, even though there was no one there.

Either way... some people deserve to be shot... this is why fear is all around us, cause of things like this.
 
I have myself and my wife enrolled with identityguard.com. They alert you to any activity (suspicious or otherwise) involving your credit. If someone does a credit check, you get an email. Someone applies for credit with your info, you get an email. Won't help with credit card number theft, but you're not liable for those charges. Having your credit ruined by stealing your life is another matter.

[/paranoia]
 
bewillia said:
i wonder how someone without your card could make purchases at a physical store...
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Me too. Unless the person with your CC actually works at target. Im glad you said AMEX though, its a great card for fraud protection, just so limited where you can use it around the world.
 
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