Credit Card Safeguards

        While we were having a nice, socially distanced, meal with friends last night, at around 7 pm, somebody ran what I assume was a “trial” of one of our credit cards purchasing (or trying to purchase) some baby clothes online. Since we signed up for alerts in cases where a charge is made or attempted with the card not present, which was definitely the case since both were in our respective wallets, we got an e-mail from card services telling us about it. They refused the charge and we filed a fraud claim this morning. Since it was fraud, the card company also waived the overnight shipping fee for the replacement cards.

        There are several takeaways here. First, neither of the cards has been used in several weeks in any situation where a skimmer was likely to have been used. That said, more modern skimmers are hard to detect visually, but one way to insure you aren’t being “had” is to grasp the portion where the card is inserted and pull. If it comes off in your hand, or fells loose, report it to the merchant, gas station, bank, whatever. Skimmers are now so high tech that a drive through user can simply place the skimmer over the existing card portal. It will store card numbers and the thief can drive through later and retrieve it. If the card reader moves or jiggles at all, there is probably a skimmer attached. ATMs are very sturdily constructed, and none of their parts should budge. Skimmers, however, are often attached with tape, glue, or other unstable methods.

        The second point is potentially more troubling. Last year when Emily’s wallet “went walkabout” somewhere between Orlando and Paris (via JFK, the shittiest airport ever in a major US city) we, of course, had to cancel all the cards in her wallet with the potential to cost us money.

        First item: there were a series of very small charges on one of the cards, obviously a “test” of the card. Of more importance was that we discovered that, of the cards we both carry, one had identical numbers for both of us. That meant that cancelling her card meant cancelling mine as well. We carry three separate major cards. By sheer luck, when I called another card company prior to our setting off to Europe last year, to tell them not to be alarmed if they saw charges from Europe since  we were travelling, the young lady had inquired if I wished to put a pin number on the account. This was another card provider with another bank and while the card numbers were different, they were both for the same account. I did put a pin on the account, which turned put to be critical since Emily’s debit card, which we planned to use for cash withdrawals, was gone with the wallet and mine was back at home since it was cracked and I hadn’t replaced it yet. The pin on the card was our sole source of cash for ten days.

        Since all the other cards had same account/different individual card number status, all my cards were safe, except for the one with matching card numbers to Emily’s stolen card. Having put the pin on one of those turned out to be a lifesaver.      

        What we learned was:

        It is wise to insure loss and cancellation of one partner’s card doesn’t invalidate the entire account. The card with matching numbers is an AAA Mastercard, which  we use, and will continue using a lot, since when the “cash back” total reaches $500, AAA will send us a $700 gift card which can be used to pay for any AAA travel. (That’s 40% interest in less than a year for us). However, it isn’t the only card we have, and the others have discrete, and different numbers for the same account. Had we carried only the AAA card last summer, we’d have been stranded with no way to get cash or pay for anything. This card was the subject of last night’s fraudulent charge, but since card numbers are identical, it’s impossible to even try to figure whose card was compromised.  

        As important, always take advantage of the card services offer to be notified by e-mail any time a “card not present” transaction takes place. At least four times over the past 15 years, this has been invaluable to us, as about 3 years ago we had two cards compromised within a month. Neither and been out of sight or out of hand, but usage of one number was attempted at a Miami truck stop to purchase diesel fuel and the other at a phone center in Sao Paulo, Brazil.  Both card services alerted us, no charge, new cards sent. Still, there are devious bastards out there and skimmers in unexpected places, so read your bill, sign up for alerts, and carry at least one card (as a couple) with separate numbers for the same account.