Your credit card number is stolen

**Red_Lizard2** · 08-04-12, 11:22 AM

Not so much for the hassle of dealing with it (so far, Chase has been pretty easy to deal with, it alerted to the suspicious transactions, getting the account closed was simple, etc. It probably helps it wasn't long after I'd made a couple legitimate purchases, in AZ and the fraud purchases were in North Carolina (Yeah, be one hell of a quick flight you know?).

Anyways, what is more annoying me about it, is:

1) Someone got my number, I'd consider myself fairly safe both computer wise and elsewhere, so its bugging me as to what I did wrong to allow someone to get the number in the first place, and probably going to bug me for awhile (which probably means way too much virus and malware scanning).

2) How the fuck does someone even have the chance to make a purchase at a gas station (apparently they tried another one as well) with just a fucking number? I'm really tempted to call just to find out if they even had a card, but I doubt anyone would remember the purchase (and besides, I don't know the exact locations). Still, anyone know how that works?

3) How does this affect credit scores, just in the sense that one account is getting closed and another one opened? Supposedly Chase will contact the bureaus but won't it change the "years open" and screw everything up? I mean it isn't like I have much of an option, but it'd be hell of a lot more frustrating to know that I basically have to start over, with the same debt, on trying to build credit.

**azalea** · 08-04-12, 11:39 AM

A number can be taken in restaurants or in any retail location; of course, usually the expiry and security number wouldn't be obvious unless someone actually notes them down. I'm not Chase, naturally, but I would have thought they could issue a new card with new details but under the old account...? Certainly account length opened does affect FICO etc.

Incidentally there's a Google app that you can use with credit cards, and tap a phone at credit card swiping machines instead of actually, you know, swiping. Not saying this happened but there are ways round not having the card itself.

**Red_Lizard2** · 08-04-12, 12:21 PM

I'm not sure how they are doing it exactly, outside of they are going to close the old account I guess and give me a new number (and thus card). Not sure how that will translate on credit reports mainly.

I thought about the retail/restaurant thing, but I mostly go to fast food right now, and the distance seems odd for that *shrugs*. The only thing I know for sure, is the person(s) that used it know very little about Chase policies (I've moved enough in the past few years to learn they are veeerrryyyy sensitive about the location of your purchases).

**SmokenScion** · 08-04-12, 12:47 PM

Anywhere you use your card is a potential hazard. Nearly anyone in those places has access to you card #. Or just a swipe, Heck if you have the RF chip inside you just need to walk past someone.

**salty99** · 08-04-12, 01:53 PM

Are you still up in flag now red? That's been happening a lot lately in town, people are using a hostile credit card machine that they swap out when the cashier isn't looking nab a few numbers and then swap it back at the end of the day. My mom, brother, classmates, and friends had the same thing happen in flag.

Don't think anyone has caught the person doing it yet, but be on the lookout for sketchy looking swipers and always ask for a receipt. My buddy that's a computer security specialist said that fraud buyers will pay $12 per credit card number. And if they can get a few hundred swipes a day at a place people frequent, that's a pretty sweet deal until they get caught.

Just because it's happening so much in the area by campus, I try and carry around cash now so I can swipe my card as less as possible.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

**salty99** · 08-04-12, 01:55 PM

Oh and scion is right too, rfid chip cards are some of the most vulnerable. If you take your card to chase and tell them to give you a card without the chip in it, they will

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

**Red_Lizard2** · 08-04-12, 05:13 PM

I'm down in Phoenix now, and as far as I know the card doesn't have a rfid chip, so it was either online or someone was scamming something (which the last seems odd as neither place I used the card, did anything seem out of the ordinary, unless their own system was compromised or something. Plus it seems more likely to then use the number locally over North Carolina?)

By the way, it would of been about 7-7:30am I used the card, and I got the warning of possible fraud at about 8:40am.

**Viktor_Olin** · 08-04-12, 05:47 PM

I've had fraudulent activity on at least three credit cards over the years. In each case, the card issuer simply closed the account (that specific account number) and sent a new card with a different account number. To my knowledge, there was no report to the credit scoring agencies; at any rate, I know there was no effect on my credit reports (I check them annually). I wouldn't worry about it.

**VinDeagle** · 08-04-12, 05:52 PM

When I worked at a pet food store we had a machine from Moneris that would store all of the transactions and at the end of the day we would print all of them off, it would show us the card number + expiry date. As for the PIN, no. But when you enter a card manualy you don't need the PIN; atleast not with all cards/machines. Although I think that debit cards always require the PIN.

**AetheLove** · 08-04-12, 07:12 PM

Originally Posted by Red_Lizard2

2) How the fuck does someone even have the chance to make a purchase at a gas station (apparently they tried another one as well) with just a fucking number? I'm really tempted to call just to find out if they even had a card, but I doubt anyone would remember the purchase (and besides, I don't know the exact locations). Still, anyone know how that works?

That I know of, there are a few possible ways.

The first would be a skimmer. These are small devices that a thief places over the slot you push your card in and out of. They have a pass-through slot and (when done well) don't look any different than any other card scanner. When you use your card at a device, the card scans and the transaction takes place as usual. But the skimmer has also read the info from the magnetic stripe on the back of your card, and recorded it (along with all the other cards that have been used since the skimmer was installed).

This is a way for someone to collect many numbers. When the thief collects the skimmer, they have a flash drive full of legit credit card numbers. Just like mag-stripe readers are relatively easy to get, so are mag-stripe writers (or re-writers).

ATM skimmers record the number and also have a tiny camera to record you entering your PIN.

Second, someone may have found a way to copy your number directly. That's less common these days (no one steals numbers one at a time, they steal them thousands at a time), but (as above) it's possible to write a card. It's also possible to make a transaction with just the number. In places where a clerk, or waiter, scans your card, the machines also have a key-pad. So if the card won't scan, they can just punch in the number on the pad.

There are other ways.

I don't know them, but the ones I do know about I learned about here:

Schneier on Security

... because I'm casually interested in security issues and this guy knows his shit.

Cheers,

AetheLove