CREDIT CARDS 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. Hmmmmm."

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 did not make the
transactions. Customer care 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 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 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 receipt
and 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 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.

Verdict: Make sure the credit cards in your wallet are yours. Check the
name on the card every time you sign for something and/or the card is
taken away for even a short period of time. Many people just take back
the credit card without even looking at it, thinking 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 flat 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 cards, 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.

When you are in a restaurant and the waiter/waitress brings your card
and receipt for you to sign, make sure you scratch the number off. Some
restaurants are using only the last four digits, but a lot of them are
still putting the whole thing on there. I have already been a victim of
credit card fraud and, believe me, it is not fun. The truth is that they
can get you even when you are careful, but don't make it easy for them.

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

Eric Hindle

AVP/Credit Analyst

Sunrise Bank of Arizona

4350 E Camelback Rd Ste 100A

Phoenix AZ 85018

Ph: (602) 522-5741

Fx: (602) 956-6258

Em: Eric.Hindle@sunrisebankofarizona.com

Catherine

did you check snopes.com first?


in my state you are only liable for the first $50, as long as you report the card as soon as you notice it is missing....that could take a day or two...


I hope someone steals my identiy, they will just have a low credit score and some old past due medical bills to pay

Three weeks ago I had a $367.00 charge on the POAC debit card account. From Macy's in California. Luckily, the POAC brings in pennies a day and we didn't have anywhere near that amount in the account, so it was declined. However, after I immediately reported that card stolen, I requested another one. Which paypal said would take 1-2 weeks. Well, it never came and I called last week, and they said 2-3 weeks. Well, now it's 3 weeks and I still have no access to the POAC account. I'll call today so they can tell me 3-4 weeks.

Anyone with kids im sure has piles of stickers around their house, they may say Barbie they may say Harry Potter but take a sticker and put it on the front of your card but dont just stick the sticker take some clear nail polish and coat the front it will keep the sticker from falling off or being removed this is a quick and easy way to varify that its your card.

DONT BE A VICTIM....FIGHT BACK!!!!

I think Muslims don't believe in buying on credit. Someone could verify this.
Maybe that's the real war on terror.
But the Saudi royals own Citibank.


hmmmmmmmmmmmm