Saturday, April 16, 2011
I've just woken up to find out my credit card has been compromised. I ripped open my statement of account to check the transactions (as I keep my transaction receipts and try to check the SOA religiously when am at home). I was surprised to find out I had been charged numerous dubious PAYPAL transactions listed on dates I knew perfectly well I wasn't even online!
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On my end, I've already called the bank and the card has been blocked.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I should go for online bills so I can check once in a while the transactions I had supposedly done.
Lucky that my credit card limit has been increased because I'd never have been able to charge my own transactions for the last month if the *&!@?#! person had used up all of it.
In the meantime, inconvenience on my part as the investigation is now ongoing, my credit card is blocked, and I have to wait for the replacement, which due to the timing, might take until after Holy Week.
I do have a suspicion about its timing...but I will not voice until the investigation is over.
So to my dear friends and buds, take care to check and double-check!
heck, I'm not even registered with PAYPAL...
ReplyDeletemakes you wonder how such a thing can happen..when I don't input my credit card details in some dubious sites, and I have only done online transactions with vendors I've known and transacted with for some time (say Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines)...
one or two nefarious charges was done even while I was in Vietnam...when I didn't have a computer to do any buying online....tsch!
also, w/ say Ceb Pacific website, there is actually another security feature wherein you'd have to see a personal message and input your password (to be safe its a valid site and transaction), so I'm also interested to know how the heck something like this can happen inspite of the features they put in place.
the thing though is am not even happy with how people print or write out on paper the credit card details (those na mano-mano or those who write on their receipts)....the last 4 digits should be enough because we don't know who else can see these things....
If online purchases is really your thing, I was told that a good strategy is to get a card with a low limit. That way, once na sagad mo na yung limit mo (which you should be aware of), kahit ma hack pa yan di na rin yan magagamit ng kung sino pa. At kung talagang marami kan binibili online, having two or three separate credit cards with low limits will allow you do multiple purchases.
ReplyDeletegood idea...but actually online purchases ko lang is just mostly airline tickets...I shy away from other online purchases ever since my Victoria's Secret package last decade pa yata...which racked up a huge amount sa customs and tax sa post office...never mind, another rant against our government which I don't want to get into and have gone around by promising never to buy something online na pa-deliver ko dito sa Philippines...
ReplyDeleteanyway, I have another card naman, na way back pa to sa 90s which I've kept as backup din...the funny thing is that siguro since its been so long, they've also kept increasing its credit line....
I agree. Whenever I pay or purchase online (which is rarely) I use my card with the lost limit so that if it gets card jacked, it would be less painful. So Cat when you said you were lucky that your credit was increased dap at NBA san a Hindi. You would have been able to detect the anomaly right away because your transaction would have been declined.
ReplyDeleteSometimes it is because your computer has a "spyware" which can keep track of your credit card usage. Keep your PC clean regularly. Here is a link with some useful tips to avoid CC scams/frauds: http://credit.about.com/od/privacyconcerns/tp/avoid-credit-card-fraud.htm
ReplyDeletehmm...but the weird part was that...my credit card transactions are from my work laptop..which is up to date with virus and other software protection (medyo strict kc HP)...
ReplyDeletehmm...so as per yours and Chito's advice..either pa-decrease ko CL ko ko...apply ako ulit ng card na iba? (have to check sa HSBC)
ReplyDeleteApply ka ng low cl
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear about your predicament Cat; it's really hard when this happens. This happened to us too! a big amount was charged in our CC. The good thing is we caught it immediately kasi when they (the culprits) were about to use the card for another big purchase, an employee called us for verification...you see the purchase was done in Florida...we're not even in Florida that time! CC was cancelled and we got a replacement afterwards..
ReplyDeleteAlso, its' good to have a CC designated for online shopping only, that way it is easier to keep track of your expenses and purchases.
noted, after this debacle is sorted out, try ko another...
ReplyDeleteand to think I actually returned the other credit cards I had and just kept two na lang in the hopes of managing it more easily...
hirap nga rin ng online..yung sa inyo di naman online na bilihan?
ReplyDeleteI noticed may SG nakasulat pa...sabi ko e di naman kaya to SIngapore...
argh...so forgetful of me...meron pala akong BPI na pang sa internet na gamit supposedly (they gave me that card)...
ReplyDeletebut since I use HSBC most of the time (dahil sa PAL Mileage points) I don't also use that other card...
which come to think of it useless din, kc it would be drawing off I think from my BPI card na credit line...hmmm...
thanks Suzanne!
There you go...that should do it para ma track mo ang online shopping mo...
ReplyDeleteAng hirap din kasi, even though we try to be very careful...it happens pa rin....
indeed, since 1990s pa credit card to...I suppose this was bound to happen as more time passes
ReplyDeleteBTW, we were not responsible for the amount that was charged in our CC. The CC company took care of it...one way of keeping the customers happy...take care Cat and good night ..it's midnight na pala ( Texas time)...
ReplyDeleteok, that makes me hopeful they are going to reverse those charges kc di naman 500 pesos lang ang labas :-) at marami pa...
ReplyDeletethank you and have a good sleep!
my AMEX & Citi Bank cards were compromised recently, but they informed me immediately...i asked how they found out, they checked my credit history & knew i do not make online purchases...Citi replaced the card & i got it the next day, AMEX after 3 days.
ReplyDeleteOur experience is that Citibank is quick on checking dubious or suspicious purchases. It happened to Hugz once. Citibank called him about an online order he supposedly placed at a store in London. He doesn't make online purchases. He told Citibank he did not know about the purchase, So they quickly cancelled his card and sent him a new one. Only for him to find out later that it was an order for special drawing paper that he asked one of our sons to order online using his card. LOL!
ReplyDeleteLike you, the only big purchases that we make online through credit card are for airline tickets. But I am guilty of making online purchases. Small amounts lang. So far so good. Knock on wood.
Nakuuuu, papagalitan na ako ngayon ni Hugz nito. Never na ako dapat bumili online with the cards, hehe.
whaaaaaaaattttt!!!!! thats terrible sisterette! baka nga nagkaroon ng spyware comp mo.siguro dapat ipa reformat mo na muna yan. so sorry about what happened to you.
ReplyDeletethe nice thing about my Amex is that..I don't use it much..hahaha...so obvious na obvious talaga if may magtangka...brrr! grabe na pala level of scams ha...
ReplyDeletebtw po, so did you find out sinong gumamit etc.?
wahaha!
ReplyDeletegosh, I don't even buy mga online na dito lang sa Pinas...hmm....
ReplyDeletedon't worry Ms. G i-block natin si Sir B from reading this post again...mwahaha!
thanks Che!
ReplyDeleteam really puzzled because looking at the facts -
1) the transactions started on the day we left for Vietnam
2) I did my online transactions from my work laptop (as I pointed above, strict ang HP, so am pretty sure the anti-virus and other protection software should be ok)
3) my online transactions for the longest time are only Cebu Pacific and PAL
4) the only time I deviated from buying an airline ticket which was not from the work laptop was when I bought the Legaspi ticket (for the Sorsogon trip)..and that was April 10, weeks after the first transaction which wasn't mine...
so...ewan...even for those who don't do online transactions...if they can even have their cards compromised..you can just never be too careful...
and a P.S.
ReplyDeleteeverytime you surrender your card, even sa restaurant, there is always that risk...
remember the card numbers and the 3-digit security number found at the back of your card can be seen by anyone who handles that card...
during my time, remember there was even the manual swiping (parang carbon na paper)...so makita lahat ang number din...
fair game as they say...
Hi-tech na sila ngayon. They just take a photo of your card (via their cellphones). Dati, pag medyo matagal ibalik yung CC, medyo nakaka-duda. Pero ngayon medyo panatag ang loob kasi mabilis ang balik ng card. Pero lingid sa kaalaman ng karamihan, it takes only less than 30 seconds to take its photo. They then create/produce a new card which they eventually use.
ReplyDeleteARGH! more than 12 transactions ang chi-narge sa card, tapos I have to fill out dispute forms and such ...grrrr
ReplyDeleteif I know voodoo and that darn person, I'd have put the voodoo doll full of holes into the oven already....
Konting tiyaga lang yan. Think you have a strong argument there. It looks like the "charging" pattern is not you.
ReplyDeletenakakaiyak talaga...more than 20K for the month of March was charged, and I bet sa April meron din...
ReplyDeleteI certainly am not going to pay for it no...and I've just been emailed saying if I received the packages, I had to return to the vendor...
hello! I sincerely hope that was a generated-email or else am going to call their call center again and give them a nice speech even if I am in the middle of so many things I can bite of people's heads at this time...
they really ought to come with a better way to do even credit card verification...
ReplyDeletewhen you make a call, dumadami na nga ang questions hehehe..
before, birthday, mother's maiden name...ngayon pati iba pang info...
which is good, because you know with people sharing stuff on the WWW...e pwede pa yan malaman ng iba...
I've seen a system where the waiter/waitress (I forgot what establishment I saw it) has a portable/wireless POS and the credit card is processed right in front of you. This way, you always have an eye on your card. Sana maraming establishments na ganito na ang sistema.
ReplyDeleteah..the same as when you buy the pizza and they deliver it to you sa doorstep...
ReplyDeleteYes. Or like the car-battery delivery.
ReplyDeletewith technology progressing by leaps and bounds, I should think they can find better ways of protection for credit card holders...even for online purchases...
ReplyDeleteIf you're referring to CC card companies, asa ka pa.
ReplyDeletehay, one more na which I don't like pa...I've confirmed again nga di nga its one or the other - you either get the e-statement or the paper stmts...
ReplyDeletethere I was hoping pwede naman online makita or ma-check.....
why is it that sometimes when a company gets big enough, parang making things easier for the customer is way off the goal..
Sa malili-it na kumpanya, a customer is a living, breathing human being, pero sa malalaking companies, a customer is a number, part of statistics or an element in a graph.
ReplyDeleteI feel so...cosseted :-)
ReplyDelete