Fradulent Credit Card Use?

[calulu]

Since the economy officially tanked we've seen an uptick in all types of credit card fraud. In the last week I've fielded at least ten phone calls from people complaining that their order wasn't delivered only to look up the order and discover, surprise, surprise, they used a stolen credit card and it's been reported to the authorities. You just do not know how much glee I derive from telling EW twatwaffles that they used a stolen card and the po-po has their info now.

Today's was epic. Got a call from a gentleman inquiring about charges on his credit card. Says that someone stole his info and has been using it left and right. Pulled up the order, took a look and sure enough, someone in Iowa used this guys card to sent expensive flowers and gifts to themselves. They used their own email addy, they had their phone number, name, addy, etc in the order. I tranfered the nice man from NH over to the operational chief so that they could get the info to law enforcement and my very next call was Miss Iowa wanting to know when she could expect her delivery of crap. I had great fun telling her never and that the credit card owner had already alerted the cops. She went from nasty EW demands to tears in under a minute. ha ha.

Anyone else seeing a rise in fraud and cheating by customers?

[Chanlin]

Not so much a rise as the same old general stream of it. I would say I've seen less incidences of it lately than what I am used to seeing, but that in part might have to do with the fact that I'm working part time now instead of full time.

[bainsidhe]

Ooooh, for the first time ever I want your job. Guess I'm evil.

By the way, do I recall seeing that you work from home? Wow, I really DO want your job.

[Sheldonrs]

We get CC fraud all the time at MAW. The thieves found out a long time ago that they can test the card number to see if it's good but charging a small donation to a charity and when the card owner sees the charge, they will either think they made it and forgot, their spouse made it or something sinilar and a lot of them won't call us about it because they feel like dirt for asking us to refund the $5.00 donation.
If the card owner DOES call and can prove they are the card holder, I look up the donation on line and give them as much info as I can, including the e-mail address and the IP address so they can try and track it down or have the law do it.

[taurinejunkie]

Not CC related but I need to talk about this anyway.

Customers are ALWAYS trying to be cheapskates here.

"It's a new number so you have to give it to me for free."
"You didn't find it, so I'm not charged."
"Is it the same price if I want two numbers?"

and similar gems. The saddest thing is that the first two are hardly ever used as a question, and much more often an affirmation. And then they get all CBF (I think, I can't see them) when I tell them that yes they pay for a new number, or for a search that doesn't give any results, or that the cost of the call is doubled if they want two numbers, and tripled for three numbers.

"Well I don't get anything so I shouldn't pay" often follows the "you don't find it so I'm not charged". Then I have fun telling the customer that they did receive information. The information they receive is that the number they are looking for is not in our database, or more accurately, that no listing from our database matches the information they have given us.

[TimmyHate]

There has defiantly been an increase in credit card fraud - working as the first line of contact in a bank i've seen this. Its also lead to an increase in the following conversation

C: But i never use my card online
TH: So are these charges for <porn billing company> fraudulent as well then sir
C: Uh...umm...no...i forgot
TH: Very well sir.

[calulu]

Yeah, I do work from home now except on big holidays. Have to drive to corporate for that. Hell, I've brought my lap top and worked on vacation and when I've traveled to see my mom.

When I first went to work there only a few people were allowed to be home agents but then they shifted the rules so that anyone that had been there awhile without any black marks on their record and part of the top sales group could work at home. Now they've changed it again because of the stupid economy. They decided that the overnight center was screwing things up so badly that they are turning the phone lines off at 11 pm and reopening at 5 am, with the corporate center being open from 9 am to 6 pm. All the home agents are pulling the hours corporate is closed.

Many days, like today, I sit here and either read or knit between calls. Very relaxed compared to working at corporate.

[Aethian]

Again...why my credit card is a prepay...once the money is gone on it...it's gone. Can't go over the limit, can't go on a charging spree.

[PepperElf]

that's why mom gets upset when they raise her limits. she calls the company up and requests they return her to the lower limit.

as she figures... if someone steals her card, she'd rather they not have a big high credit limit to start with

[tropicsgoddess]

Wow...pretty stupid to put in your own info when you stole somebody elses credit card info! I just love happy endings, especially when SC's get owned.

[TimmyHate]

Again...why my credit card is a prepay...once the money is gone on it...it's gone. Can't go over the limit, can't go on a charging spree.

that's why mom gets upset when they raise her limits. she calls the company up and requests they return her to the lower limit.

as she figures... if someone steals her card, she'd rather they not have a big high credit limit to start with

Just something to throw in here - provided you have obeyed the T & C's of your card, you are only liable for somewhere in the range of $50 of fraudulent charges, the remainder is paid by the issuing institution (bank generally). Check your specific card conditions of use and bare in mind that this does NOT apply to Pin or Chip and Pin transactions.

[TWOLF]

sorry still chuckeling about the IA one since it is my home state. One fo the biggest things we see were I work is in terms of prepaid phones. People who use others cards to pay to get more minutes. One of the biggest issues I see with fraud is that you get these people who let someone else use their card or whatever to pay for something and then they get mad because the person keeps using it. Hmmmm maybe you should never have given them your info to begin with.

[MelodiousBubbles]

Yeah, I've seen a bit.
We have this woman up here who's a fricken mastermind at check fraud. If she didn't piss me off so much, I'd have to applaud her for coming up with it.
What she does is she has several ID's from various states first of all. Then she opens accounts, gets the checks, and then closes said accounts. Since she never uses the same account for long, TeleCheck doesn't have a chance to pick up on them and decline it.
This past Thanksgiving, she came through my store, bought a bit over $300 in groceries. She left and then came back a few hours later and bought over $200 in gift cards.

[powerboy]

Again...why my credit card is a prepay...once the money is gone on it...it's gone. Can't go over the limit, can't go on a charging spree.

That is what I have. I love it. Yes, I do have a banking account, but that is only so I can cash the check without having to pay any fees. Once, I get work and a regualar paycheck, I will then have my check direct deposited onto the card.


Off Topic:
This is my 3,000th post

[smileyeagle1021]

you are only liable for somewhere in the range of $50 of fraudulent charges,.

thank you for throwing that one out... though I am irritated someone beat me to it.
Cash- once it's stolen, it's gone tough luck
Debit- if they also steal your pin number... you're fd ... you lose everything in your account assuming the theif is smart enough to use it quickly.
Credit- you pay the first $50... the bank deals with the rest.

Personally... I'll take the pay $50 and be done with it option.