Topic: Some fucker tried to buy shit online through my credit card.

[Cools!]

Somehow, someone got hold of the credit card I use to buy items online. Luckily my bank caught the strange transactions that ranged from $2 to $30 (total around $300) over the last week and gave me a call. Oh and one of the transactions was to Blizzard Entertainment supposedly.

So, the card is now closed and I have no clue how the number got leaked. Looks like one of the companies I purchase from (Amazon, Apple and a couple of small web online companies that I bought software from) has a vulnerability. Luckily, I only use this card for web purchases.

This is just annoying.

[Quemaqua]

This is exactly why I have a whopping $500 line of credit.  That sucks though, man.  Glad your bank caught it.

[Cools!]

I set that card a side just for web purchases, just to be on the safe side. $1,500 max. It's not even that I made a lot of purchases through either. Anyway, glad it was caught, but I'm still worried about not knowing through which site it got leaked or whether it was sniffed out over the network.

[Cobra951]

That's exactly what I have been doing.  I told my mother to do the same.  She doesn't listen to me, though.

The size of your line of credit doesn't matter.  Your max liability for fraud is $50 per card.  Federal law.

[scottws]

Hmm... maybe I should consider trying to get a credit card again.  I don't know though, I'm just so undisciplined.

[Cobra951]

If you can discipline yourself, they can be a great convenience.  But if you let your debt on them balloon out of reach, you are screwed.  I have firsthand experience with this.  Trust me.

[Pugnate]

What was so unusual that the bank noticed?

[WindAndConfusion]

Someone was using the card to buy something other than porn.

[Pugnate]

[Cools!]

Frequency of use. I don't use that card often, maybe once or twice every 6 months or so and usually for a sum larger than $200 and also from the same websites. This guy made a bunch of small purchases, $3, $10, etc. over a period of one month so the bank flagged the activity and called to check.

[MysterD]

A few weeks ago, when I bought some games online, I got a security call as well, for my credit card usage -- since I don't use it too much. Though, that was me actually using it.
Damn me and my gaming purchases...

I also remember there was a report on Dateline a few years back, about many stores that take Credit Cards which use very weak Security programs to secure them to save money -- i.e. TJ Maxx, Best Buy, etc etc. I actually watched that episode -- and yeah, I'm not the type of guy to watch Dateline very often.

[Cobra951]

Something fairly obvious is if 2 cards belonging to the same person are used at around the same time in 2 places far apart.