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Sundancer

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Email from Amex, giving me a $2K credit on a Louis Vitton charge, made at one of their stores, which was then immediately reversed.

LV is not a place I would shop; now, I know I wouldn't - you can't call their stores! All the numbers go to a central customer service, and the best they'll do is promise an email response "within six hours". This, after gacking with their phone system and customer service for 30 minutes

Suspicious that it was a trial run for fraudulent charges, I called Amex, had the card killed, a new one overnighted, and LV blocked as vendor charging to my account. Took about four minutes.

I know, fraudulent charges wouldn't be on me anyway, but I don't want the hassle of dealing with it. A buddy changes banks every couple years, as the account numbers get floated about, and has his credit card account numbers changed at some interval, as well. I might adopt that practice.
 
I wind up with a new AMX card 18-24 months on my account for one breach or another cuz we use them so much everywhere. AMX is one of the best in dealing with fraud and replacements...unlike other Banks where you are the one that needs to prove everything, AMX for me has responded quick enough that there is no reason to proactively rotate.

If you set up email and text alerts, you will get immediate potential fraud notifications and can accept or decline with a quick click.
 
Not to jinx myself, but with the 3-4 credit cards I’ve ever owned, and two bank accounts . . . I’ve only had one instance of fraudulent charges which hit my bank account well over a decade ago and were removed within hours. I do tons of shopping online and in person, as well as travel around the country monthly for work.

Maybe I’m an anomaly but I have had the same accounts for 20 years.


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I have had three credit cards in my life. Two of which I have the same number with from day #1. Never had a fraudulent charge that went through.

Visa and master debit cards otoh seem to last a year at most before the bank has to send me a new one due to fraud. And I don't even use those cards for any purchases, only to get cash at bank owned ATMs. Those debit card issuers must have internal problems. If I didn't need the cards for the occasional cash withdrawal, I would tell the bank to keep them.
 
Not using a debit card at retail stores is my MO now - credit card or cash. Retail doesn't have the IT investment to follow best practices or configure for security.

State of the art has evolved enough that a hack is evidence of incompetence by the target org, except for insider compromises. . .

Concur on Amex handling of fraud - it's my go-to card on any online transactions.
 
I had an Amex Optima card about 24 years ago. When I moved to Oregon to go to work for Intel my wife (still in San Jose at the time) got a bill for the card that had a number of charges, totaling over $1500. All bogus. The card had never been out of my wallet. Getting Amex to reverse the changes was like pulling teeth. Once I got it cleared up (took over a month, IIRC) I closed the account and haven't had an Amex card in my name since.

BofA has closed credit cards and sent me new ones a number of time due to the cards being compromised in a data theft or three. No problem with them. The only problem was when they decided to send me a new ATM card, with the new one arriving after I was to leave on a business trip to the EU. No, they couldn't get one to me faster. So my wife asked the people at the branch bank how fast I could get a new ATM card if we opened a second account. Immediately, was the reply. So we did. Moved some money over to it and I used it to get local currency when I got to Germany.

I haven't had any significant problems getting charges reversed when necessary, except for that incident with Amex 24 years ago.
 
I've had many debit and credit cards compromised in the past, and except for one time, it was always the issuer who picked up on the fraud, blocked the charges, and took the initiative to call me and ultimately close and replace the cards. None of the replacement cards took more than a day to be printed and issued, and none of the charges except one were ever successful. With that one exception, the issuers declined or deferred the charges and called me to verify them.

The one exception was a counterfeited PayPal debit card that coincidentally was used in a Target store very near where I used to live in Queens, and where I still occasionally visited at the time. That charge wouldn't have triggered any red flags because it was made a place where I did in fact shop from time to time.

Because PayPal instantly emails and/or texts the user every time the card is used, however, I caught it and called them. The process of closing the card, ordering a replacement, and refunding the money to my account took less than five minutes. They also offered me the option to use the card one more time at a local ATM of my choice (they rattled off a list of every ATM in Sparrow Fart, New York over the phone), or to have money wired to my checking account, if I needed cash right away. It was an utterly painless experience.

That being said, it's possible that I got the white-glove treatment when I called PayPal. I've been their customer since before the company was even called PayPal. It was a service of some other parent company whose name escapes me at the moment. I also was one of their first merchant credit card processing customers, and a heavy user of their business debit card ever since it was introduced. It was my primary business payment card for routine and recurring expenses when I owned my consulting business. At the time, its 1 percent cashback rate was one of the best around. (It's still not bad.)

In all those years and all those dollars that I ran through PayPal one way or the other, I'd never before had a chargeback, complaint, dispute, or other untoward event as either a user or a merchant. So its possible that I got the VIP treatment when I called. Or not. Maybe they handle all fraud cases that way. I personally consider them a good outfit. Some disagree; but PayPal has always been good to me, and I've been with them since before PayPal was PayPal.

The advent of chip cards and changes in my plastic use have been 100 percent effective in curbing card fraud in my case. Back before they were commonplace, I started refusing to use any card that didn't have a chip, and refused to shop at stores that still used MagStripe. That left USAA and AmEx as the only cards I used for a while. All my cards except one (a single-store card) now have chips, which makes me happy because none of the chip cards have ever been compromised.

What would make me even happier would be chip-and-PIN, which would prevent a card from being used if I physically lost it. The signature requirement at POS terminals is bogus. Literally any scribbled gibberish will work. Chip-and-PIN, on the other hand, is almost impossible to defeat. It's the standard pretty much everywhere else in the plastic-using world. I guess Americans are too stupid to remember PINs.

I also continue to refuse to allow most merchants to store my card numbers unless they're store-only cards that can't be used elsewhere. I make exceptions only when there's something in it for me. For example, VZW and ATT have discounts for automatic billing, and my AmEx Simply Cash card pays 5 percent back for payments to wireless providers; so that one's a no-brainer. E-ZPass is another exception because my travel habits are irregular, and letting them store a card prevents my E-ZPass from ever being declined at a toll.

I'm noticing that a lot of issuers now offer the option of turning a card off without actually canceling it. Navy Fed, for example, offers that option on either the Web site or the app. I've never actually used it, but I can see where it could come in handy. There have been times when I've temporarily misplaced cards because I either slipped them in my jacket pocket after an in-person purchase, or left them in my desk drawer after using them online, rather than putting them back in my wallet. Then the next time I needed the card, it wasn't there. The option to turn temporarily-misplaced cards off rather than canceling them would have come in handy while I was looking for the cards.

Capital One also offers the option of generating one-time numbers for online purchases. I should use that more, especially for merchants I'm unsure about.

What it comes down to is that it's a minefield out there. A plastic combat zone. Chip cards have been a major and largely-successful salvo in the battle, but the war hasn't been won yet.

Rich
 
I've had many debit and credit cards compromised in the past, and except for one time, it was always the issuer who picked up on the fraud, blocked the charges, and took the initiative to call me and ultimately close and replace the cards. None of the replacement cards took more than a day to be printed and issued, and none of the charges except one were ever successful. With that one exception, the issuers declined or deferred the charges and called me to verify them.

The one exception was a counterfeited PayPal debit card that coincidentally was used in a Target store very near where I used to live in Queens, and where I still occasionally visited at the time. That charge wouldn't have triggered any red flags because it was made a place where I did in fact shop from time to time.

Because PayPal instantly emails and/or texts the user every time the card is used, however, I caught it and called them. The process of closing the card, ordering a replacement, and refunding the money to my account took less than five minutes. They also offered me the option to use the card one more time at a local ATM of my choice (they rattled off a list of every ATM in Sparrow Fart, New York over the phone), or to have money wired to my checking account, if I needed cash right away. It was an utterly painless experience.

That being said, it's possible that I got the white-glove treatment when I called PayPal. I've been their customer since before the company was even called PayPal. It was a service of some other parent company whose name escapes me at the moment. I also was one of their first merchant credit card processing customers, and a heavy user of their business debit card ever since it was introduced. It was my primary business payment card for routine and recurring expenses when I owned my consulting business. At the time, its 1 percent cashback rate was one of the best around. (It's still not bad.)

In all those years and all those dollars that I ran through PayPal one way or the other, I'd never before had a chargeback, complaint, dispute, or other untoward event as either a user or a merchant. So its possible that I got the VIP treatment when I called. Or not. Maybe they handle all fraud cases that way. I personally consider them a good outfit. Some disagree; but PayPal has always been good to me, and I've been with them since before PayPal was PayPal.

The advent of chip cards and changes in my plastic use have been 100 percent effective in curbing card fraud in my case. Back before they were commonplace, I started refusing to use any card that didn't have a chip, and refused to shop at stores that still used MagStripe. That left USAA and AmEx as the only cards I used for a while. All my cards except one (a single-store card) now have chips, which makes me happy because none of the chip cards have ever been compromised.

What would make me even happier would be chip-and-PIN, which would prevent a card from being used if I physically lost it. The signature requirement at POS terminals is bogus. Literally any scribbled gibberish will work. Chip-and-PIN, on the other hand, is almost impossible to defeat. It's the standard pretty much everywhere else in the plastic-using world. I guess Americans are too stupid to remember PINs.

I also continue to refuse to allow most merchants to store my card numbers unless they're store-only cards that can't be used elsewhere. I make exceptions only when there's something in it for me. For example, VZW and ATT have discounts for automatic billing, and my AmEx Simply Cash card pays 5 percent back for payments to wireless providers; so that one's a no-brainer. E-ZPass is another exception because my travel habits are irregular, and letting them store a card prevents my E-ZPass from ever being declined at a toll.

I'm noticing that a lot of issuers now offer the option of turning a card off without actually canceling it. Navy Fed, for example, offers that option on either the Web site or the app. I've never actually used it, but I can see where it could come in handy. There have been times when I've temporarily misplaced cards because I either slipped them in my jacket pocket after an in-person purchase, or left them in my desk drawer after using them online, rather than putting them back in my wallet. Then the next time I needed the card, it wasn't there. The option to turn temporarily-misplaced cards off rather than canceling them would have come in handy while I was looking for the cards.

Capital One also offers the option of generating one-time numbers for online purchases. I should use that more, especially for merchants I'm unsure about.

What it comes down to is that it's a minefield out there. A plastic combat zone. Chip cards have been a major and largely-successful salvo in the battle, but the war hasn't been won yet.

Rich
Rich, while I agree with most of what you wrote, please note that even chip-and-pin is vulnerable. Fraud has been a growing issue in Europe even with C&P. Yes, it seems to make it harder, but really it just changes the game. As with skimmers here, there are ways bad guys can get the PIN and ways things can be hacked. If it can happen there, it will happen here.

On another note, my experience with AmEx has been very good in regard to fraud. Without regurgitating details, I've had several cases over the years (2 happened in NYC).... And AmEx was involved in prosecuting at least one ring. OTOH, Chase has blocked some legit charges multiple times.... I now rarely use them since they and the merchants have made it very hard to deal with the issue for online sales.
 
Chase has always temporarily blocked the account and notified me whenever a charge around $2-$3 by a suspicious entity has been made on my card. That type of transaction is a trial by the bad guys, and quickly followed by a large hit.

The computer generated notification by text or call comes literally seconds after the bogus charge.
 
Twice I've had AMEX feel my card was compromised (definitely was in the second instance) and just call me to tell me they were reissuing the card (fortunately, AMEX gives all cardholders unique numbers, unlike my other cards where my wife and I share the same card number). They will send it first class unless you're desperate and then they'll overnight it to you. At least now I have one of the new METAL versions of the card.
 
Twice I've had AMEX feel my card was compromised (definitely was in the second instance) and just call me to tell me they were reissuing the card (fortunately, AMEX gives all cardholders unique numbers, unlike my other cards where my wife and I share the same card number). They will send it first class unless you're desperate and then they'll overnight it to you. At least now I have one of the new METAL versions of the card.
AmEx can also issue a temporary card in one of their offices (If they have one nearby) if you are really desperate. Or at least they did before the chip cards. They did it for me when there was a fraud case mid-afternoon and I was boarding an international flight the next AM. Picked up the card about an hour after the call.
 
Chase has always temporarily blocked the account and notified me whenever a charge around $2-$3 by a suspicious entity has been made on my card. That type of transaction is a trial by the bad guys, and quickly followed by a large hit.

The computer generated notification by text or call comes literally seconds after the bogus charge.
Chase will also block online purchases from electronics retailers, even without small charges ahead. My most recent incident with them was trying to set up prepay hotspot with Verizon (who also handled it very badly) that prevented setting up the account. I've had them do it with Apple's online store and with Google a number of years ago, and a couple of others. By the time Chase notifies you, the vendor has canceled the order, and some may block further charges from you. If you redo the order with the vendor, Chase sees it as a new charge and blocks that, too.

I just don't even bother with Chase for that kind of purchase any more. Plenty of other vendors with better anti-fraud systems.
 
Chase will also block online purchases from electronics retailers, even without small charges ahead. My most recent incident with them was trying to set up prepay hotspot with Verizon (who also handled it very badly) that prevented setting up the account. I've had them do it with Apple's online store and with Google a number of years ago, and a couple of others. By the time Chase notifies you, the vendor has canceled the order, and some may block further charges from you. If you redo the order with the vendor, Chase sees it as a new charge and blocks that, too.

I just don't even bother with Chase for that kind of purchase any more. Plenty of other vendors with better anti-fraud systems.

I canceled Chase many years ago for similar reasons. They're staffed by idiots and have bizarre policies.

Rich
 
A couple of times USAA has called me and told me they found a fraudulent charge and have cancelled my current card. Expect your new card tomorrow or the day after.

Once I called USAA and reported a charge that wasn't mine. Card cancelled, new card arrived a couple days later.

Every time I drive across Canada, I call USAA to let them know I will be in Canada. Every time after the first charge they text me asking if this is my charge, I text back yes, and no problems. Same for traveling to the Philippines.
 
For th
A couple of times USAA has called me and told me they found a fraudulent charge and have cancelled my current card. Expect your new card tomorrow or the day after.

Once I called USAA and reported a charge that wasn't mine. Card cancelled, new card arrived a couple days later.

Every time I drive across Canada, I call USAA to let them know I will be in Canada. Every time after the first charge they text me asking if this is my charge, I text back yes, and no problems. Same for traveling to the Philippines.

In my opinion, USAA and Navy Fed are the only two bank card issuers any veteran really needs. I suppose no bank or credit union is perfect, but USAA and Navy Fed come closer than any others I've dealt with.

Rich
 
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