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DPChallenge Forums >> General Discussion >> I'm Being RIPPED OFF !
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 07/15/2007 11:43:31 AM · #1
Beware:

About two weeks ago I tried to use my credit card at the store and the clerk said it was "no good". I called the CC company and they had me answer many questions. After they were satisfied I was their customer, they told me they saw some strange activity on my acct.

They asked if I could identify about 10 transactions. I listened and decided they were bogus. They ranged from $1.95 to $25. They stopped the card, issued a new one and sent me some forms to fill out to dispute the charges.

During the following week I started to receive those "get rich quick" disks in the mail. I matched them with the cc charges. I then got a box of childrens books in the mail...and matched that to a charge on the acct. I did not order any of these items !!

I received my new card and activated it last week. I check the card today online and see that there is already an unknown "subscription" charge of $55 on it !!!!

I called the cc company and they gave me an 800 # of the merchant. I called the merchant and got a recording. Said business hrs M-F please call back. Also said thanks for calling DOBA.COM.

I went to DOBA.com and it is one of those wholesale companys where you use EBAY to sell and then the company ships your product "without you ever seeing it". I HAVE NEVER BEEN TO DOBA.COM BEFORE TODAY!!!

I can't wait to call them Monday ! I know I am safe b/c of the cc policy of not making me pay for things I didn't order. However, this is ridiculous !

Check your CC statements!

KS
 07/15/2007 11:51:26 AM · #2
Have you purchased anything on Ebay lately? Just a thought. ** This is a HUGE reason why I don't use my debit card as this can happen, but when using a debit card...your money is gone from your account and the bank won't give it back until they have researched and are satisfied. With a credit card, you aren't out anything. (Used to work for a finance company.) Best of luck!
 07/15/2007 11:53:51 AM · #3
Well my cc is used online for many things including DPC ! I know I don't have to pay the charges. However, why do these bozos think that thay can get away with this? Maybe they hope you will not check your statements and just "pay the bill".

KS

Originally posted by bergiekat:
Have you purchased anything on Ebay lately? Just a thought. ** This is a HUGE reason why I don't use my debit card as this can happen, but when using a debit card...your money is gone from your account and the bank won't give it back until they have researched and are satisfied. With a credit card, you aren't out anything. (Used to work for a finance company.) Best of luck!
07/15/2007 12:00:41 PM · #4
Originally posted by kenskid:
Well my cc is used online for many things including DPC ! I know I don't have to pay the charges. However, why do these bozos think that thay can get away with this? Maybe they hope you will not check your statements and just "pay the bill".


That's correct. The individual charges are so small they fall through the cracks. Most people don't check that closely.

R.
 07/15/2007 12:05:39 PM · #5
if U get a copy in the mail of the book "Doctor Jeckle and Mister Hyde" I would o see a doctor
 07/15/2007 12:14:08 PM · #6
Strange, though, that they ship the merchandise to you. Sure it's not someone from within your house?
Usually either they would want the product shipped to a different address if it's someone that stole your information. Or if it's the company that's doing it, why would they send out anything at all?
 07/15/2007 12:15:17 PM · #7
I hear ya bro! I was wondering that myself..."did I order this crap and forgot about it"? I REALLY did think that! However, after the 8 different disks from DIFFERENT companies and childrens books came in, I knew I was being ripped!

Originally posted by Oded:
if U get a copy in the mail of the book "Doctor Jeckle and Mister Hyde" I would o see a doctor
07/15/2007 12:17:42 PM · #8
It is not anyone in my home. No one of age that knows how to use cc.

But...after seeing the charges and talking to my cc company...it seems that someone didn't rip my card off...it is "legit" companies charging my card for items I did not order.

Search Doba and see how many complaints they have against them!

Originally posted by pcody:
Strange, though, that they ship the merchandise to you. Sure it's not someone from within your house?
Usually either they would want the product shipped to a different address if it's someone that stole your information. Or if it's the company that's doing it, why would they send out anything at all?


Message edited by author 2007-07-15 12:18:17.
 07/15/2007 12:21:23 PM · #9
Some credit card companies will issue you a "temporary" CC number you can use for online purchases -- the purchase will go through that one time, but your real number is never revealed to the merchant, so they can't try and submit more phony charges later.
 07/15/2007 12:32:57 PM · #10
That's for me !

Thanks,

Originally posted by GeneralE:
Some credit card companies will issue you a "temporary" CC number you can use for online purchases -- the purchase will go through that one time, but your real number is never revealed to the merchant, so they can't try and submit more phony charges later.

07/15/2007 01:09:15 PM · #11
My wife works at a bank and deals with disputes. She read your post and has come to the following conclusion.
An individual did not steal your cc number because products are being sent to you and they would need to have your 3-digit security number (on the back of card) to make online purchases. Being that the merchant has that information leads her to believe you may have a keystroke trojan embedded on your computer. If thats the case it has recorded you entering a legit cc purchase and now has your cc info to make fraud charges.

If you have not done so check your computer for stealth keystroke logger programs on your computer. Until you are 100% sure their are none or have fixed the problem, do not enter your cc number on your computer. Only do by phone.

Even though Internet cc transactions are one of the safest ways to use your cc, sometimes this does happen. Using your cc in the real world has been proven to be riskier than online.

She does have one question. Have you entered this new cc with 3-dig code on your computer since you received it and if so what computer if you have more than one.

There is one other thing that may have happened. Banks and cc companies have seen a large increase of cc fraud that has been linked back to the gas pumps. Even though the merchant (gas station) is legit the boxes at the pump is a third party product. And it has come to their attention that some of these boxes are being used to get cc information to customers and is being sold on the black market.
07/15/2007 01:16:25 PM · #12
Is it possibly you have it linked to a paypal account and they've hacked/phished that somehow?
 07/15/2007 02:38:54 PM · #13
I understand your post on all counts....

...what baffles me now is that the charge from doba.com was charged on July 5th. My "hacked" card was stopped on 5/29/07 so the new charge from doba.com looks like it was done on my "new" card. This was the first charge on the new card. I didn't use it locally or on the web !

CC company says to call doba.com to get info as to what the charges are for and then call them (cc company) back to dispute.

I'm protected but this is strange!

As far as a trojan goes...I have many layers of legit protection but I know things slip by. I'll check to be sure.

Kenny
Originally posted by swhiddon:
My wife works at a bank and deals with disputes. She read your post and has come to the following conclusion.
An individual did not steal your cc number because products are being sent to you and they would need to have your 3-digit security number (on the back of card) to make online purchases. Being that the merchant has that information leads her to believe you may have a keystroke trojan embedded on your computer. If thats the case it has recorded you entering a legit cc purchase and now has your cc info to make fraud charges.

If you have not done so check your computer for stealth keystroke logger programs on your computer. Until you are 100% sure their are none or have fixed the problem, do not enter your cc number on your computer. Only do by phone.

Even though Internet cc transactions are one of the safest ways to use your cc, sometimes this does happen. Using your cc in the real world has been proven to be riskier than online.

She does have one question. Have you entered this new cc with 3-dig code on your computer since you received it and if so what computer if you have more than one.

There is one other thing that may have happened. Banks and cc companies have seen a large increase of cc fraud that has been linked back to the gas pumps. Even though the merchant (gas station) is legit the boxes at the pump is a third party product. And it has come to their attention that some of these boxes are being used to get cc information to customers and is being sold on the black market.
07/15/2007 03:14:22 PM · #14
What baffles me is why your credit card company would put a hold on your credit card over 10 small purchases done over the internet. That is not strange behavior to most credit card companies. That part of the story just seems strange.

Also, just because someone got a hold of your credit card number and used it without your permission, that does not mean they would have your address. So how did they get that to be able to ship stuff to you? Doesn't make sense either.

Either your kids (if you have any) or other family members have been using the credit card without you knowing it and giving the address to send the goods too or there's more to the story than we are hearing.

Call me skeptical, but I've worked credit card fraud issues before and some parts of the story just don't make sense.

Mike
 07/15/2007 03:20:48 PM · #15
Mike,

The cc company noticed that I have never spent $1.95 on my cc in all the time I've had it. Then suddenly 4 or 5 charges for less than $2.00 shows up...this set the cc security in motion which worked rather well.

Also...It seems my card is not being used by a "stranger" or family member but by the "get rich quick" people. Somehow one of these bozos got a hold of my card and seems to be passing it around (or selling it on a list). My CC company says these are "legit" companies that are charging "unwanted" services/subscriptions to my acct.

I am in no danger of losing anything at this point b/c the cc company is "on it" and is working with me.

Originally posted by MikeJ:
What baffles me is why your credit card company would put a hold on your credit card over 10 small purchases done over the internet. That is not strange behavior to most credit card companies. That part of the story just seems strange.

Also, just because someone got a hold of your credit card number and used it without your permission, that does not mean they would have your address. So how did they get that to be able to ship stuff to you? Doesn't make sense either.

Either your kids (if you have any) or other family members have been using the credit card without you knowing it and giving the address to send the goods too or there's more to the story than we are hearing.

Call me skeptical, but I've worked credit card fraud issues before and some parts of the story just don't make sense.

Mike


Message edited by author 2007-07-15 15:20:59.
 07/15/2007 03:28:33 PM · #16
My guess is that the small items are being ordered, even to your address, to test the number of the card to see if it's active. There will no doubt be other charges tried, so it's good you changed you card.

If the credit card company says that the newest charge is on the new number, and if you have entered that number into your computer or used it on the internet already, then Scott's wife is on the money, you probably have a key logger. I would certainly go for a new number.

But also be careful on your computer--your online banking, investments, etc. may also be hit if you have a keylogger.

I discovered a keylogger on our family computer a while back--very few programs detected it. AVG antivirus did not. I think either Spybot search and destroy detected it, or AVG antispy, when I was getting serious looking for problems. So take the time to really sweep the computer, and make sure you change your passwords on any financial accounts (from another computer!)
 07/15/2007 03:30:54 PM · #17
Have all the "illegibly" illegal purchase coming from the same company? Or type of companies?
 07/15/2007 03:45:54 PM · #18
All charges were from same type of company...."get rich quick on the internet" types...One was from a book company. I got the books and will put them back in the mail saying "did not order". CC company says to do that.

Also as far as the keylogger...I haven't entered or used the new card yet. The charge from doba.com was the first and it was bogus! CC company is looking in to this.

Originally posted by swhiddon:
Have all the "illegibly" illegal purchase coming from the same company? Or type of companies?
07/15/2007 03:48:13 PM · #19
Originally posted by swhiddon:
Have all the "illegibly" illegal purchase coming from the same company? Or type of companies?


I hate to do this, Allegedly. Illegibly means not readable.
 07/15/2007 03:51:36 PM · #20
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
Originally posted by kenskid:
Well my cc is used online for many things including DPC ! I know I don't have to pay the charges. However, why do these bozos think that thay can get away with this? Maybe they hope you will not check your statements and just "pay the bill".


That's correct. The individual charges are so small they fall through the cracks. Most people don't check that closely.

R.


Also, if it's a debit card, disputing those charges through the bank can cost $15-20 each. When people discover that fighting an unauthorized $2 charge is going to cost them $15, they usually just let it go, and these companies know that. That's why the charges are usually very small.

Message edited by author 2007-07-15 15:52:37.
 07/15/2007 04:04:44 PM · #21
Originally posted by Rebecca:
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
Originally posted by kenskid:
Well my cc is used online for many things including DPC ! I know I don't have to pay the charges. However, why do these bozos think that thay can get away with this? Maybe they hope you will not check your statements and just "pay the bill".


That's correct. The individual charges are so small they fall through the cracks. Most people don't check that closely.

R.


Also, if it's a debit card, disputing those charges through the bank can cost $15-20 each. When people discover that fighting an unauthorized $2 charge is going to cost them $15, they usually just let it go, and these companies know that. That's why the charges are usually very small.


Not to hijack the thread, but I'm especially curious with this: my daughter is going to college and we just got her a debit card. But I'm wondering if she has the same protections she would have if with a credit card. Which is safer from fraud, in terms of protections afforded by the bank?
 07/15/2007 04:18:55 PM · #22
The credit card is always safer online, but it really depends on what you want out of it. A debit card is harder to contest and will cost you money to do so with the bank, while a credit card has built-in protections and they'll usually just wipe it out with no fees attached. As to why, well, debit cards are not earning any interest for the bank, and banks are not non-profit organizations, so they must charge at least what it costs them to do it themselves. A credit card company is making so much money off your interest charges that they'll reverse it for free to keep you from closing your account down. So in the case of potential fraud, it may come down to which is likely to be easier for you as a consumer: the $15-$20 charge per dispute on a debit card that otherwise will only cost you $20-$50 per year, or the annual interest expense on a credit card that will just zap it for you.

Something else to consider, for a college kid, is that many credit card companies have built-in security features that debit cards do not - like software that tracks your purchases and alerts you when something doesn't fit your usual spending pattern (example: Capital One, junk mail kings that they are, earned my loyalty when they called me because point-of-sale transactions started popping up in NYC. Turned out to be a cloned card.) or lock your card out if someone puts in the wrong expiration date too many times (which Chase did to me last week when the moving company repeatedly keyed it in wrong). You only have 90 days to report an unauthorized transaction and kids don't tend to be very good at checking their statements, so that's something to consider when making a credit vs. debit decision.

Message edited by author 2007-07-15 16:25:26.
 07/15/2007 04:32:03 PM · #23
A low limit credit card would also start to build a good credit history. I think it would be a good idea for a college student. Low limit is the key word though...
 07/15/2007 04:40:48 PM · #24
Originally posted by DrAchoo:
A low limit credit card would also start to build a good credit history. I think it would be a good idea for a college student. Low limit is the key word though...


Or even a prepaid credit card? She's still building credit history and can't possibly go beyond her/your means. Credit card companies seem to have a nasty habit of raising the limits every so often, and for a young'un that can be sometimes hard to resist :)
 07/15/2007 05:08:56 PM · #25
Originally posted by nshapiro:
Originally posted by Rebecca:
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
Originally posted by kenskid:
Well my cc is used online for many things including DPC ! I know I don't have to pay the charges. However, why do these bozos think that thay can get away with this? Maybe they hope you will not check your statements and just "pay the bill".


That's correct. The individual charges are so small they fall through the cracks. Most people don't check that closely.

R.


Also, if it's a debit card, disputing those charges through the bank can cost $15-20 each. When people discover that fighting an unauthorized $2 charge is going to cost them $15, they usually just let it go, and these companies know that. That's why the charges are usually very small.


Not to hijack the thread, but I'm especially curious with this: my daughter is going to college and we just got her a debit card. But I'm wondering if she has the same protections she would have if with a credit card. Which is safer from fraud, in terms of protections afforded by the bank?


Read the agreement for the debit card that comes from the bank. Ask about fraud protection etc. Banks want you to use their debit cards, so many are offering fraud protections similar to what the CC companies offer.
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