New Card Scammers - A Must Read

A member of my family is subscribed to a mailing list ad receives emails about social changes and this one in particular was about card scammers. I read it and felt the need to show others.

PLEASE ALWAYS CHECK YOUR CARDS UPON RETURN AND AT POINTS OF SALE.

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This is a new one just sent to me People sure stay busy
Trying to cheat us, don't they?

SCENE 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 the locker
open,and thought to himself,
'Funny, I thought I locked the 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 started yelling at
them, saying that he didnot make the transactions.
Customer care personnel verified that there was no mistake in the
systemAnd asked if his card had been stolen...

'No,' he said, but then took out his wallet, pulled
out the credit card, and yep -you guessed it

• a switch had been made. An expired
  similar credit card from the same
  bank was in the wallet.The thief
  broke into his locker at the gym and switched cards.

Verdict: The credit card issuer said since he did not report
the card missing earlier, he would have to pay the amount owed to
them. How much did he have to pay for items he did not buy?
$9,000! Why were there no calls made to verify the amount swiped?
Small amounts rarely trigger a 'warning bell' with some credit
card companies.It just so happens that all the small amounts added up to a big
one!

SCENE 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 receiptAnd passed the credit card along.

Usually, he would just take it and place it in his wallet or pocket.
Funny enough, though, 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 cardto the counter
cashier, and the counter cashier immediately looked
downand took out the real card.

No exchange of words -- nothing!
She took it and came back to the man with an apology..
(This scenario actually happened to me at a local restaurant - Falls
Terrace - between the waitress and the front desk cashier.)

Verdict Make sure the credit cards in your wallet are yours.

Check the name on the card every time you sign for something
and/orthe card is taken away for even a short period of time.

Many people just take back the credit card without even looking
at it, 'assuming' that it has to be theirs.

FOR YOUR OWN SAKE,DEVELOP THE
HABIT OF CHECKING YOUR CREDIT CARD
EACH TIME IT IS RETURNED TO YOU AFTER A
TRANSACTION!

SCENE 3:
Yesterday I went into a pizza restaurant
to pick up an order that I had called in.
I paid by using my Visa Check Card which, of course,
is linked directly to my checking account.

The young man behind the counter took my 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. I noticed the
phone because it is the same model I have,
but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
Then I heard a click that sounded like my phone sounds
when I take a picture.

He then gave me back my card but kept the phone
in his hand as if he was still pressing buttons.

Meanwhile, I'm thinking: I wonder what
he is taking a picture of, oblivious to
what was really going on.

It then dawned on me: the only thing there
was my credit card, so now I'm paying close
attention to what he is doing..

He set his phone on the counter, leaving it open.
About five seconds later, I heard the chime that
tells you that the picture has been saved.

Now I'm standing there struggling with the fact
that this boy just took a picture of my credit card.

Yes, he played it off well, because had we not
had the same kind of phone, I probably would
never have known what happened.

Needless to say, I immediately canceled that
card as I was walking out of the pizza parlor.

All I am saying is, be aware of your surroundings at all times.

Whenever you are using your credit card take
caution and don't be careless.

Notice who is standing near you and what they are
doing when you use your card.

Be aware of phones, because many have a camera
phone these days.

FORWARD THIS TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN THINK OF.
LET'S GET THE WORD OUT! JUST BE AWARE.

Never let your card out of your sight...
check and check again!
Scary isn't it...