I have had to cancel 3 credit cards because of fraudulent activity.
I am afraid to get another one because it feels like they are not safe given that they do not require a pin like ATM cards.
Is there a way to "safely" have a credit card?
Thanks, Andy
Mine requires me to punch in my zip code at least at gas pumps. Otherwise, no go.
Pay no attention to the scam-phone-fraud-bots, . . . nor to those who do. I got a call from a fraud-bot this morning warning me of suspicious activity .. it even quoted an exact amount ! yeah right ... click. John T.
They used to expect casheirs to match the signatures, but they stopped that 20+ years ago. Now the cashieirs often don't even touch the card (because a very few of them were stealing the info on it.)
I'd say make sure your alarts are set as sensitive as possible, Any charge more than a dollar, for example. Any charge from outside the country. Then check every alert when it comes in to know that it's yours.
And keep a list of their 800 numbers*** so you can report something from wherever you are**. ***Keep it with you, in your suitcase, your phone, your car if you make car trips in that car.
And I guess put the app for each card on your phone, and on your PC save as a bookmark the login page for each card and know y ou can log in (though mine insists on sending a code almost every time because every time there is a new version of Firefoxm, they don't recognize me.
**I like cards and I use card. For my last big trip I took two credit cards and two debit cards (debit for cash). It seemed even to me like overkill, but I parked where a local would know better, my rentacar was broken into and my wallet stolen. But I separated the cards and only had one of each in the wallet, so I still had one of each and my vacation was not damaged.That's rather interesting. The credit card was from a large midwestern bank, and you can tell they're not from the big city. Because when I tried to report the card stolen, by phone, by internet, both said that the system was down. It was down at least from Saturday morning in Greece to Sunday evening. (Right now I don't remember when or how I got through, but as it turns out, the thief didn't try to use the cards, or my phone, afaict.
Also I don't put credit card information in the phone, because you can lose a phone or it can get stolen. I do all my shopping, and paying dues etc. at home, where no one will steal my numbers.
Use paypal where possible. Its purpose may be forgotten by now but it was so you wouldn't have to give your card number to a dozen little shops you'v never heard of with staff that rotates. You only have to tell paypal.
if you sign up for a repeating expense, make sure you retract your permission when you end using the service. Freedom Pop cellular cheated me out of 8 dollars, or maybe it was more, by billing me two years after I stopped using them, and the cc company would not help becuase I'd agreed for them to pay the sleazeball company's charges. And never disagreed. And btw freedom pop stank even when I had it. Hidden charges.
And of course don't give out your number in reply to emails, etc.
I do everything here except storing the phone numbers in my car and suitcase. I guess if I"m out of town in the US I'd have to find a conmputer to at leastt learn their 800 number. Abroad I take my own laptop with me.
When I store the account numbers in my computer, I make them look like phone nubers, don't label them with the name of the bank, hoping that that will fool the spy bot that is reading my computer even now as I write to you.
Micky - you should offer to take Andy on your next holiday and show him/her the ropes .. you seem compatible. Make videos for tiktok and post all the details here. John T.
I guess there are some workarounds.
You should also review your practices using the cards. I've hod one problem in 50 years. There are though, people constantly looking for your account number.
Many restaurants now have a terminal on the table so you do not hand your card to a server that takes it away to be copied. Do you have any questionable vendors that you buy from?
You don't fall for the scams about Amazon charges? Never give your card to someone calling you on the phone or asking you to go to a web site. I get calls like that every day.
Thanks for the good ideas.
Andy
My bank notified me that it was an Amazon charge. Amazon said there was no charge from them.
Andy
Any bank that I have ever dealt-with was simply a conduit for "selling" the credit card - they never provided customer service for the credit card account - they would always refer the customer to the credit card company ... ... my most recent credit cards are not even related to any bank .. eg Costco MasterCard .. soon to be Costco Visa I think. John T.
I'll give another tip. NEVER leave a wallet, purse, handbag, phone, laptop in a car. No excuses, just don't.
And don't leave a purse, etc. hanging on the back of a chair at a restaurant, theater or any other "public" venue.
Actually *all* credit cards are associated with banks (or credit unions).
e.g. Costco cards are issued by Citi. Verizon cards are issued by Synchrony.
American Express, Bank of America, Barclaycard, Capital One, Chase, Citi, Discover and US Bank are some of the major credit card issuers. They are all "banks".
Visa and Mastercard are payment networks, not banks or card issuers.
This is a quick overview from Experian:
I once left my camera bag at Henry's Hunan. Came back an hour later and it was waiting for me at the checkout.
And many of them contract with Elan Financial Services who issues the cards and handles payment processing.
I found a cell phone while hiking in a local park. Luckily, it wasn't locked, so I looked at the most recent call and it said "Mom".
I called "Mom", told her where I had found the phone and she said she would meet us in the parking lot when we were done with our hike. She said that she was only a few minutes away.
We got done hiking, I called "Mom" again and about 10 minutes later Mom and her daughter drove up. I handed the daughter her phone and she handed me a bottle of wine.
That (and your example) is how the world is supposed to work.
Elan Financial Services is a division of U.S. Bank, which in turn is under the U.S. Bancorp umbrella.
So, AFAIKT, there is a still a "bank" involved in the issuing of the cards, even if it's not the name of the bank whose name appears on the card.
Oh, what a tangled web we weave. ;-)
Which IS a bank card. Used to be Capital One - Now switching over to CIBC - Still Mastercard. AMEX and Visa are not even accepted for payment at Costco stores or gasbars in Canada
Of course, the original name for the Visa Card was BankAmericard (and mastercard was MasterCharge (Access in Europe) and before that, Interbank)).
Costco switched to Visa in the US stores several years ago.
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