SCENE 1.
This is a new one. People sure stay busy trying to cheat us, don't
they??
A friend went to the local gym and placed his belongings in the
locker. After the workout and a shower, he came out, saw the locker
open, and thought to himself, "Funny, I thought I locked the
locker. Hmmmmm." He dressed and just flipped the wallet to make
sure all was in order. Everything looked okay - all cards were in
place.
A few weeks later his credit card bill came - a whooping bill of
$14,000! He called the credit card company and started yelling at
them, saying that he did not make the transactions. Customer care
personnel verified thatthere was no mistake in the system and asked
if his card had been stolen.
"No," he said, but then took out his wallet, pulled out the credit
card, and yep - you guessed it - a switch had been made. An expired
similar credit card from the same bank was in the wallet. The thief
broke into his locker at the gym and switched cards.
Verdict: The credit card issuer said since he did not report the
card missing earlier, he would have to pay the amount owed to them.
How much did he have to pay for items he did not buy? $9,000! Why
were there no calls made to verify the amount swiped? Small amounts
rarely trigger a "warning bell" with some credit card companies. It
just happened that all the small amounts added up to big one!
SCENE 2.
A man at a local restaurant paid for his meal with his credit card.
The bill for the meal came, he signed it, and the waitress folded
the receipt and passed the credit card along. Usually, he would
just take it and place it in his wallet or pocket. Funny enough,
though, he actually took a look at the card and, lo and behold, it
was the expired card of another person. He called the waitress and
she looked perplexed. She took it back, apologized, and hurried
back to the counter under the watchful eye of the man. All the
waitress did while walking to the counter was wave the wrong
expired card to the counter cashier, and the counter cashier
immediately looked down and took out the real card. No exchange of
words --- nothing! She took it and came back to the man with an
apology.
Verdict: Make sure the credit cards in your wallet at yours. Check
the name on the card every time you sign for something and/or the
card is taken away for even a short period of time. Many people
just take back the credit card without even looking at it,
"assuming" that it has to be theirs. FOR YOUR OWN SAKE, DEVELOP THE
HABIT OF CHECKING YOUR CREDIT CARD EACH TIME IT IS RETURNED TO YOU
AFTER A TRANSACTION!
SCENE 3.
Yesterday I went into a pizza restaurant to pick up an order that I
had called in. I paid by using my Visa Check Card which, of course,
is linked directly to my checking account. The young man behind the
counter took my card, swiped it, then laid it on the counter as he
waited for the approval, which is pretty standard procedure. While
he waited, he picked up his cell phone and started dialing. I
noticed the phone because it is the same model I have, but nothing
seemed out of the ordinary. Then I heard a click that sounded like
my phone sounds when I take a picture. He then gave me back my card
but kept the phone in his hand as if he was still pressing buttons.
Meanwhile, I'm thinking: I wonder what he is taking a picture of,
oblivious to what was really going on. It then dawned on me: the
only thing there was my credit card, so now I'm paying close
attention to what he is doing. He set his phone on the counter,
leaving it open. About five seconds later, I heard the chime that
tells you that the picture has been saved. Now I'm standing there
struggling with the fact that this boy just took a picture of my
credit card. Yes, he played it off well, because had we not had the
same kind of phone, I probably would never have known what
happened. Needless to say, I immediately canceled that card as I
was walking out of the pizza parlor.
All I am saying is, be aware of your surroundings at all times.
Whenever you are using your credit cards, take caution and don't be
careless. Notice who is standing near you and what they are doing
when you use your card. Be aware of phones because many have a
camera phone these days.
When you are in a restaurant and the waiter/waitress brings your
card and receipt for you to sign, make sure you scratch the number
off. Some restaurants are using only the last four digits, but a
lot of them are still putting the whole thing on there. I have
already been a victim of credit card fraud and, believe me, it is
not fun. The truth is that they can get you even when you are
careful, but don't make it easy for them.
