OT--cc theft--need advice

OT--cc theft--need advice
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Subject Author Date
OT--cc theft--need advice MZB 04-14-2007
Posted by MZB on April 14, 2007, 8:05 pm
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This is slightly OT, but maybe not.

I need some advice. Today I received a product that I didn't order. I called
the company and found out that it was ordered over the internet with my
name, address, and VISA card (it's a card that I pretty much use for online
purposes).

I then went to my credit card site and found all sorts of purchases made in
the last month -basically subscriptions made online (eg: Blockbusters). I
haven't even received that credit card bill yet. I called VISA and they
canceled the card and will send me a new card. Meanwhile, I am of course
very concerned as to what is going on. I called Blockbusters and found that
a subscription was opened using my name, address, and cc. The security
questions/answers were wrong. The email address left was a phony (well, not
mine, of course). So far, no DVD's or anything was shipped/ordered. I am
trying to figure out what the perpetrator was to gain?? Is the person
waiting to see if I discover it and cancel the card? If not, would they then
change the address or maybe just order stuff shipped to a different address?

I checked my credit report and it is clean so far. Nothing new set up. I
worry about identity theft but hopefully I can take the right steps to
prevent that. I also wonder how the heck my card got stolen like this. I don't
open email attachments; I don't visit questionable web-sites; and I use
up-to-date firewall, spyware, and anti-virus programs (Zone Alarm, ad-aware,
avg). I just now added a rootkit checker. So far, everything has been clean.
Of course, I guess thieves have ways of getting into sites and stealing this
information.

I would appreciate any advice and answers to my questions above?

MB



Posted by James Morrow on April 14, 2007, 10:04 pm
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says...
> This is slightly OT, but maybe not.
>
> I need some advice. Today I received a product that I didn't order. I called
> the company and found out that it was ordered over the internet with my
> name, address, and VISA card (it's a card that I pretty much use for online
> purposes).
>
> I then went to my credit card site and found all sorts of purchases made in
> the last month -basically subscriptions made online (eg: Blockbusters). I
> haven't even received that credit card bill yet. I called VISA and they
> canceled the card and will send me a new card. Meanwhile, I am of course
> very concerned as to what is going on. I called Blockbusters and found that
> a subscription was opened using my name, address, and cc. The security
> questions/answers were wrong. The email address left was a phony (well, not
> mine, of course). So far, no DVD's or anything was shipped/ordered. I am
> trying to figure out what the perpetrator was to gain?? Is the person
> waiting to see if I discover it and cancel the card? If not, would they then
> change the address or maybe just order stuff shipped to a different address?
>
> I checked my credit report and it is clean so far. Nothing new set up. I
> worry about identity theft but hopefully I can take the right steps to
> prevent that. I also wonder how the heck my card got stolen like this. I don't
> open email attachments; I don't visit questionable web-sites; and I use
> up-to-date firewall, spyware, and anti-virus programs (Zone Alarm, ad-aware,
> avg). I just now added a rootkit checker. So far, everything has been clean.
> Of course, I guess thieves have ways of getting into sites and stealing this
> information.
>
> I would appreciate any advice and answers to my questions above?
>
> MB
>
>
>

You may want to keep a close eye on your mail. If the thief doesn't
have access to steal incoming mail then I don't see how the scam pays
off. Nobody goes to all this work for nothing. Most on-line merchants
will only ship to the CC billing address which they always verify.
Something doesn't add up here.

--
James E. Morrow
Email to: jamesemorrow@email.com

Posted by MZB on April 14, 2007, 10:38 pm
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That's what I thought.

OTOH I have purchased gifts for my daughter via Amazon. They will ship to
her address.

Mel
> says...
>> This is slightly OT, but maybe not.
>>
>> I need some advice. Today I received a product that I didn't order. I
>> called
>> the company and found out that it was ordered over the internet with my
>> name, address, and VISA card (it's a card that I pretty much use for
>> online
>> purposes).
>>
>> I then went to my credit card site and found all sorts of purchases made
>> in
>> the last month -basically subscriptions made online (eg: Blockbusters). I
>> haven't even received that credit card bill yet. I called VISA and they
>> canceled the card and will send me a new card. Meanwhile, I am of course
>> very concerned as to what is going on. I called Blockbusters and found
>> that
>> a subscription was opened using my name, address, and cc. The security
>> questions/answers were wrong. The email address left was a phony (well,
>> not
>> mine, of course). So far, no DVD's or anything was shipped/ordered. I am
>> trying to figure out what the perpetrator was to gain?? Is the person
>> waiting to see if I discover it and cancel the card? If not, would they
>> then
>> change the address or maybe just order stuff shipped to a different
>> address?
>>
>> I checked my credit report and it is clean so far. Nothing new set up. I
>> worry about identity theft but hopefully I can take the right steps to
>> prevent that. I also wonder how the heck my card got stolen like this. I
>> don't
>> open email attachments; I don't visit questionable web-sites; and I use
>> up-to-date firewall, spyware, and anti-virus programs (Zone Alarm,
>> ad-aware,
>> avg). I just now added a rootkit checker. So far, everything has been
>> clean.
>> Of course, I guess thieves have ways of getting into sites and stealing
>> this
>> information.
>>
>> I would appreciate any advice and answers to my questions above?
>>
>> MB
>>
>>
>>
>
> You may want to keep a close eye on your mail. If the thief doesn't
> have access to steal incoming mail then I don't see how the scam pays
> off. Nobody goes to all this work for nothing. Most on-line merchants
> will only ship to the CC billing address which they always verify.
> Something doesn't add up here.
>
> --
> James E. Morrow
> Email to: jamesemorrow@email.com



Posted by Phil Weldon on April 15, 2007, 1:22 am
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'MBZ' wrote, in part:
| I need some advice. Today I received a product that I didn't order. I
called
| the company and found out that it was ordered over the internet with my
| name, address, and VISA card (it's a card that I pretty much use for
online
| purposes).
_____

There are a number of ways your name, credit card number, and card code can
be stolen that have nothing to do with computers. In a restaurant, for
example, if there are no controls, it is only necessary to write down the
information from your card when it is out of your sight. Or at a hotel or
motel when an impression is taken upon check-in.

The lifted information can then be used, for example, to open an internet
account, open an internet gambling account, transfer cash, then close out
both accounts.

The Blockbuster account may just be the results of an amateur working up to
larger things than used DVDs.

I'd think back over any possible uses of that credit card that were made by
you in person as the possible point where the information was lifted. On
the other hand, with the number of credit card account records that have
been stolen from a processor lately ....

Phil Weldon

| This is slightly OT, but maybe not.
|
| I need some advice. Today I received a product that I didn't order. I
called
| the company and found out that it was ordered over the internet with my
| name, address, and VISA card (it's a card that I pretty much use for
online
| purposes).
|
| I then went to my credit card site and found all sorts of purchases made
in
| the last month -basically subscriptions made online (eg: Blockbusters). I
| haven't even received that credit card bill yet. I called VISA and they
| canceled the card and will send me a new card. Meanwhile, I am of course
| very concerned as to what is going on. I called Blockbusters and found
that
| a subscription was opened using my name, address, and cc. The security
| questions/answers were wrong. The email address left was a phony (well,
not
| mine, of course). So far, no DVD's or anything was shipped/ordered. I am
| trying to figure out what the perpetrator was to gain?? Is the person
| waiting to see if I discover it and cancel the card? If not, would they
then
| change the address or maybe just order stuff shipped to a different
address?
|
| I checked my credit report and it is clean so far. Nothing new set up. I
| worry about identity theft but hopefully I can take the right steps to
| prevent that. I also wonder how the heck my card got stolen like this. I
don't
| open email attachments; I don't visit questionable web-sites; and I use
| up-to-date firewall, spyware, and anti-virus programs (Zone Alarm,
ad-aware,
| avg). I just now added a rootkit checker. So far, everything has been
clean.
| Of course, I guess thieves have ways of getting into sites and stealing
this
| information.
|
| I would appreciate any advice and answers to my questions above?
|
| MB
|
|



Posted by Heather on April 15, 2007, 1:25 am
If you were  Registered and logged in, you could reply and use other advanced thread options

> _____
>
> There are a number of ways your name, credit card number, and card
> code can
> be stolen that have nothing to do with computers. In a restaurant,
> for
> example, if there are no controls, it is only necessary to write down
> the
> information from your card when it is out of your sight. Or at a
> hotel or
> motel when an impression is taken upon check-in.

Or that other favourite......a gas station. (double swiping). Happens
a lot in this area. I have ordered things over the internet, but
usually just the one place and I have used Paypal which seems to be OK.

Heather



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