Credit Card Scams

Below are three (3) recent credit cards scams I have heard about. I thought I would pass these along so all of us can be informed and aware of these scams. They sure stay busy trying to cheat us, don’t they?

Scam #1: A friend went to the local gym and placed his belongings in the locker. After the workout and a shower, he came out, saw his locker open, and thought to himself, “Funny, I thought I locked my locker”. Hmm, 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 told them he did not make many of the purchase transactions. Customer service personnel verified that there 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 yes – you guessed it – a switch had been made.
A similar credit card from the same bank was in the wallet, but this card was expired and did not belong to him. The thief broke into his locker at the gym and switched cards.

Scam #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. However, this time 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.

Scam #3: A man went into a pizza restaurant to pick up an order that he had called in. He paid by using his Visa Check Card which, of course, is linked directly to his checking account. The young man behind the counter took the 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. The man noticed the phone because it is the same model he has, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Then he heard a ‘click’ that sounded like his phone sounds when he takes a picture. The young man then gave him back his card but kept the phone in his hand as if he was still pressing buttons. Meanwhile, the man is thinking: I wonder what he is taking a picture of, oblivious to what was really going on. It then dawned on him: the only thing there on the counter was his card, so now he starts paying closer attention to what the young man is doing. The worker sets his phone on the counter, leaving it open. About five seconds later, the man heard a ‘chime’ that tells you that the picture has been saved. The man is standing there struggling with the fact that this boy just took a picture of his check card. Upon leaving the pizza restaurant the man immediately cancelled his credit card.

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Recommendations: Make sure the credit cards in your wallet are actually yours and closely check the card each time as it is returned to you after use (never just assume it is your card). Be aware of your surroundings at all times, and whenever you are using your card notice who is standing near you and what they are doing when you use your card. Be aware of phones, as most have a camera in them. $

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