debit card number stolen by disc golf store

[bbails]

I purchased six discs from a very big by mail supplier this April. Two weeks later $650 dollars of random charges showed up on my debit card. The charges started with $25 gift certificates at an Olive Garden in Florida. (I live in Southern California.) A few more charges within the first hours, also around the same area. The next charge ($350) jumped across the coast to Home Depot in California. Then my bank called.

The disc golf store was the last online purchase I had made (maybe i make 2 online purchases a year of anything.) A little google map research showed the Olive Garden to be about ten minutes from the disc golf supplier. Again, i'm in Socal, this place is in Florida. I have only bought one thing from Florida in the last ten years. When I called this particular store, the manager talked about the situation patiently, but absolutely denied any wrong-doing on their end. He insisted that only three people see credit card numbers: he, the owner of the store, and the shipping manager. I asked him to take my name so he could get back to me on the matter. He refused to take my name. Seems like lousy business. I wasn't asking him to reimburse me, just to keep in touch with me about the matter. The bank gave me provisional credit for the amount I lost, and once they conducted their investigation (or perhaps deemed $650 unworthy of investigation) credited me back my money.

So, be careful about ordering online. And get your SH*T together, store.

 

[Hoey]

that really sucks... this is why we don't keep those numbers on file. I'm glad you got your money back.

 

[zenbot]

The thing that's strange is the close proximity of the DG store and the Olive Garden. Do you happen to know if either of these transactions (Olive Garden or Home Depot) were swiped?

I work in the payment card industry so I'm just curious.

 

[Mr. America]

How are you so sure it was a store employee who did it? Seems like if it were, that it'd be easy to make an arrest in that case, especially using the info somehow so close to home.

 

[hangwind]

Please send me the name of the store in a PM.

I won't order there.

 

[Carpy]

it is much more likely that your number was stolen through some sort of problem on your computer, virus etc.

And even if the person had taken your name...it's over. There's not really anything at all the store can do for you, even if they did find out somebody personally stole your number and fired them, they're not going to call you and tell you that.

not sure what you expected them to say to you

 

[hig2a4life]

Sounds to me like their security is a little lacking. Either they have hard-copies of credit card numbers that aren't being disposed of properly, or they're not using a very strong encryption for credit card entry on their site (if they have one). Either way, they should probably hire a secure shredding company like Iron Mountain.

 

[Marty McFly]

I can take care of this matter for you.

Just PM me your mothers maiden name and last 4 digits in your social.

 

[zenbot]

It really depends on how the store processes their cards. Some shopping carts have the credit card processing piece built in. Some merely pass the credit card numbers off to the merchant to process elsewhere, like a terminal. Either way there are Payment Card Industry standards that both the merchant and the shopping cart provider are required to maintain. (One example is maintaining a secure network.) If they don't they can be held liable for damages.

One of the big problems is that fraud is so rampant that the card issuing banks usually pay their customers back and have to raise the rates the merchants pay to accept credit cards to cover their losses.

 

[scottp]

I can almost guarantee that it wasn't the DG store - people who steal CC #'s will sit on them for a few weeks, few months, even up to a year before they start making charges to disguise where the number was taken from. In most recent cases CC #'s are being stolen from gas station pay at the pump terminals. They will attach a separate card reader that stores the CC info and then it's either used for their own benefit, or sold online through various forums.

Just talk to your bank, have them issue chargebacks or file a fraud claim for those purchases. Don't blame the DG store because they were a recent purchase, just keep your eye out for unusual gas station terminals and keep your virus software up to date.

 

[bbails]

most expensive discs in world

i don't know much about credit card/ debit card fraud and I'm not even sure how thoroughly the bank investigated (as 650 is a drop in the bucket for them) but the store never had my original debit card. They may have created a counterfeit one, which I'm told happens, or they knew an employee at Olive Garden who was able to key in the numbers, as you see people do when the strip gets worn off. As for the jump to the west coast, I believe a contractor called some items in.

Yes, it sucked and was an inconvenience, but not the end of the world. The bank catches those things pretty quickly these days.

Oh well. I guess I've just gotta go feel the plastic myself.

 

[superium]

Had my credit card info stolen thru MS when I didnt pay thru paypal a few times. Got my bill with 3 purchases from europe around $150 each. Wasnt really pissed at MS but more at my credit card company for not even thinking it was a bit suspicious. The issue was resolved but I cancelled that credit card and will only use paypal when making online purchases from now.

 

[zenbot]

You live by Real Cheap Sports. Isn't there a sale coming up for Labor Day?

 

[bbails]

How about saying, "Sure this is interesting, let me take your name and number and get back to you if we find anything out about this."

 

[bbails]

Real Cheap is great, and Daren will even perform in-store demos with the plastic.

 

[agent_peebody]

it was probably one of the company's employees. why would an established store decide to get some pasta and wood with your debit card number?

 

[TommyGun'n]

use pay pal....:doh:

 

[oddjob]

The thing that's strange is the close proximity of the DG store and the Olive Garden. Do you happen to know if either of these transactions (Olive Garden or Home Depot) were swiped?

I work in the payment card industry so I'm just curious.

so am i. what do you do?

 

[zenbot]

so am i. what do you do?

Basically I learn stuff and regurgitate it. It's like I'm constantly cramming for exams.

 

[agent_peebody]

your like the momma bird, zenbot