Credit Card Fraud

[BC9696]

Been down this road many times. Hundreds of millions of identies are stolen annually from compromised databases. In this case the CC issuer will handle the matter, you need not complicate your life. The Police are obligated to take a report but that's it. They will not investigate, your CC issuer will handle that. Purchases are rarely made in person...mostly online.

[SparrowHanger]

Been down this road many times. Hundreds of millions of identies are stolen annually from compromised databases. In this case the CC issuer will handle the matter, you need not complicate your life. The Police are obligated to take a report but that's it. They will not investigate, your CC issuer will handle that. Purchases are rarely made in person...mostly online.

Thanks to all for explaining things. I originally thought it would have been online, but it turned out that all 3 purchases were in Norco area stores. The deputy training the new guy that actually took the report explained that it isn't that easy to track purchases made with fraudulently purchased gift cards. It may be easier here because while two gift cards were bought at one store with my card number, the dumb *** also used my card number at a nearby store to make a minor purchase. Odds are that is where the gift cards were used and knowing that may make it easier to trace the purchases and obtain additional video.

One thing I thought strange is that they were able to use my card number, when my wife and I still have the actual cards and per my son Target doesn't allow you to use a card number unless you actually present the clerk with the card, which is why most of these transactions are done on line.

It may have been smart of the Bank to leave the account open now that the account is flagged, which might allow the user to be caught, but it immediately closed the account and opened a new account under a different number.

BigDog mentioned the possibility of an issue with a Target employee. I believe they are not to key in credit card numbers unless presented with the actual card snd since we have the cards I would think an employee has a problem. Having once invested in a subsidiary of Crane, my understnding is it isn't all that easy to counterfeit a card with its mag strip and hologram.

[Notorious]

Well, if something happens down the line and you need to fill out an affidavit of identity theft with the court to clear your name, the police report is documentation in support of your claim.

[SparrowHanger]

Well, if something happens down the line and you need to fill out an affidavit of identity theft with the court to clear your name, the police report is documentation in support of your claim.

I don't know about any affidavit for court, but my card issuer is sending me an affidavit to complete.

[RedFord150]

Last year when i was back in the great state of texas some yahoo from oklahoma got my information and chaged up $1500.00 at gas stations....

Most likely an independant trucker bought a bogus C/C with your info on it.
My Visa was used to buy $200 worth of stuff at 'Love's Travel Center' in Albuquerque, NM. My bank caught this the sameday because I used the real card in CA within a few hours of the bogus card being used in NM. This was an alert in their computer and I was called before I knew anything was wrong. Bank cancels my card and issues a new one.
I called the Love's in NM and asked if they would file a PD report. They will not, but explain this is a common occurrence with independant truckers. I call Abuquerque PD and ask if I can file a report. They will take a report only if I appear in person.. I am not willing to fly to NM just to give a report. This means the bank and the merchant do not file a report and I cannot file a report. No chance for thief to get caught.

[Packy14]

This happened to me last year with someone using a "card" at Loehmans (which I had never even heard of at the time). I found out that there are card readers that can swipe all the info on your card and then move it to a dummy card. If you give your card to a waiter he can do this in back in less than a minute, or if you stick your card unknowingly into one that has been put into a gas station then again, you're toast. Not sure how they got mine, but Amex caught it and blocked it and called me... this will keep happening more and more as the economy continues to suck.

[NOTARPilot]

I work for a city that is the CC/Identity Theft Capital of the US. I have taken thousands of ID theft reports over the years. It is an easy report and does not take too much time to complete for the patrol officer. You did the right thing reporting it to the PD. Another plus is that Target has one of the most sophisticated Surveilance/security systems of ANY retail store in the country and Target Loss Prevention is very thurough and good at what they do. There will be detailed photos and video of the suspect(s) making the transactions.

Even though the CC company and retailer is technically the "Victim," if you don't make a report, the PD will not/cannot track nor investigate it. There are few arrests that I get more satisfaction out of making than an ID thief. They victimize all of us in the long run and can make your credit/life a b*&ch to straighten out.

[NOTARPilot]

As for how they used your CC info while you still have your card....it's called skimming. Gas stations and Chase bank ATMs in those stupid vestibule rooms are huge targets right now. Chase banks are getting hit from San Diego to the bay area. Skimmers in the door card swipe device and cameras over the ATM pin pad on the machines in the room.

If these guys only put their talent to good use....

On that note.....you should NEVER swipe your card through a reader at a gas pump, ATM etc...without first grabbing hold and manipulating the card reader to see if it is securly attached and constructed as it's supposed to be. And I'd never use a point of sale terminal at a cheap liquor store or any gas station.

[supersonic]

Wednesday my Bank issued Visa card was used to make three unauthorized purchases totalling about $550 at Target stores. Something about the purchases tripped a computer at the Bank and they called me about the same day. The Bank is sending me some paperwork to complete so those purchases are not charged to my card. Of course, it closed that account and is sending a new card.

Yesterday, I spoke with a security guy at the Target where most of the charges were made and he suggested that I file a police report of my own. I did so and the officers that came out and tookthe report were good people. I believe they wrote it up as identity theft.

My question is was I being a PITA amd wasting officer time that could have been spent on more important things. My Bank doesn't require me to make a police report to avoid liability. Thanks.

In my opinion, you would have better served the community (& the officers out in the field could have been taking care of more pressing issues) had you just gone into the local department/substation to file the report there with a desk sergeant. Just my opinion, though.

[retired]

In my opinion, you would have better served the community (& the officers out in the field could have been taking care of more pressing issues) had you just gone into the local department/substation to file the report there with a desk sergeant. Just my opinion, though.

Unless things have changed, if someone came into any station of my former dept., they would not get a sgt. writing a report. The Watch Sgt. doesn't do that. One of two things would have occurred. If the desk personnel wasn't busy and there was actually a deputy working the desk who wasn't either the watch deputy or dispatcher, that deputy might be assigned to write the report.

More than likely tho, one of the deputies assigned to the area where the victim lived would receive the call and have to come out of the field to contact the victim at the station to take it. It would be better to have the victim respond to your location in the field since he/she can now respond to an emergency call with a faster eta than if taking a station report.

I of course have no idea how other depts. handle it, but I do doubt that a sgt. would be taking the report in any case; it would probably be an officer/deputy or in some instances, perhaps a non sworn personnel.

[NOTARPilot]

Unless things have changed, if someone came into any station of my former dept., they would not get a sgt. writing a report. The Watch Sgt. doesn't do that. One of two things would have occurred. If the desk personnel wasn't busy and there was actually a deputy working the desk who wasn't either the watch deputy or dispatcher, that deputy might be assigned to write the report.

More than likely tho, one of the deputies assigned to the area where the victim lived would receive the call and have to come out of the field to contact the victim at the station to take it. It would be better to have the victim respond to your location in the field since he/she can now respond to an emergency call with a faster eta than if taking a station report.

I of course have no idea how other depts. handle it, but I do doubt that a sgt. would be taking the report in any case; it would probably be an officer/deputy or in some instances, perhaps a non sworn personnel.

Pretty much how it is at my department. The 1 desk officer may or may not have time to take the report while they are answering phones, recieving mail, checking in visitors, answering questions, etc...etc... Majority of the time, the officer that works the beat where the vic lives would be called back to the station to take the report. It's better for us if you just stay at home and have us come to you. That way I'm still in my district and can respond quickly to an emergency call if need be.

[Notorious]

I don't know about any affidavit for court, but my card issuer is sending me an affidavit to complete.

Here ya go... don't say I never did nothing for ya!

http://www.courts.ca.gov/xbcr/cc/cr151.pdf

[SparrowHanger]

Here ya go... don't say I never did nothing for ya!

http://www.courts.ca.gov/xbcr/cc/cr151.pdf

Thanks Notorious, but just glancing at that it appears it is used if someone is convicted of or charged with a crime under my name and to make a record of the fact that it wasn't me but someone that stole my identity. I got the affidavit from the bank and returned it. All it basically says is that the charge wasn't made by me, I did not authorize it, that I did or did not still have my card at the time of the charge, and that I did or did not make a police report.

I just noticed another thread where a retirerd police officer group had its data bank broken into and retitred officers info stolen.

[ke6guj]

On that note.....you should NEVER swipe your card through a reader at a gas pump, ATM etc...without first grabbing hold and manipulating the card reader to see if it is securly attached and constructed as it's supposed to be. And I'd never use a point of sale terminal at a cheap liquor store or any gas station.

doesn't help when they install the skimmer INSIDE the gas pump, which I've heard is the new trick.

[Notorious]

Thanks Notorious, but just glancing at that it appears it is used if someone is convicted of or charged with a crime under my name and to make a record of the fact that it wasn't me but someone that stole my identity. I got the affidavit from the bank and returned it. All it basically says is that the charge wasn't made by me, I did not authorize it, that I did or did not still have my card at the time of the charge, and that I did or did not make a police report.

I just noticed another thread where a retirerd police officer group had its data bank broken into and retitred officers info stolen.

Yeah, I know you don't need it yet, but just wait... it's around the corner. My buddy didn't even know he had his identity stolen until he received notice that he had a warrant for a DUI in Oxnard and that his "car" was still in impound waiting for him to pick it up.

Apparently, someone stole his mail, obtained his identity, bought a car with it, got busted for DUI, got the car impounded, never showed up to court, never got the car out of impound, and then disappeared. Leaving my buddy to clean up the mess. He had to drive up to Oxnard, and he never been there and had to ask me for directions to get up there, get fingerprinted to verify the guy they booked wasn't him, and then clear up the warrant.

I told him to at least get the car out of the impound since it was legally "his" car and under his name. He said forget it, he didn't want it. I would have taken the car and sold it for some money at least. It was like some Nissan 240SX or whatever, maybe some drifter wannabe would have bought it.