@Dalmus wrote:I read an article online earlier this month that proffesional ID thieves can figure out all the details they need in just seconds if all they have to start with is the first six digits of a card number. It involves using "intelligent" bots on hundreds of e-commerce sites in succession to intelligently guess at verification data. Its kind've creepy, really.
Maybe that's what's happening here... Especially to people who have cards that are SD'd. The number was compromised months or longer ago, and it just made its way to somebody wanting to exploit it.
(The article can be found on Ars Technica)
Yeah, I saw that article as well. I think these days, with online shopping and all, that it's impossible to truly keep all your info secure. On the CC front, best thing is probably to work with reliable lenders that take care of their customers.
That is awesome to hear and I have been watching my items like a hawk. I am leery of resteraunts now.
@happypill wrote:Woke up this morning to a text alert from Capital One. Sometime overnight, someone spent $400 on makeup on my Venture card. I haven't used that card much lately and it hasn't left my possession so not sure where someone could have stolen the info. I contacted Capital One via chat and they took care of it in about 5 minutes, including expiditing a replacement card.
Just a reminder to everyone to keep an eye on their accounts as this seems to be the time of year where stuff like this happens more often.
@Dalmus wrote:I read an article online earlier this month that proffesional ID thieves can figure out all the details they need in just seconds if all they have to start with is the first six digits of a card number. It involves using "intelligent" bots on hundreds of e-commerce sites in succession to intelligently guess at verification data. Its kind've creepy, really.
Maybe that's what's happening here... Especially to people who have cards that are SD'd. The number was compromised months or longer ago, and it just made its way to somebody wanting to exploit it.
(The article can be found on Ars Technica)
+1
I tend to think that a lot of credit card fraud likely starts like this. Back in the summer my grandparents had a charge show up on a card that had literally been in the SD for several years, and I suggested to them then that I highly doubted anybody had 'stolen' their number... some crook had just stumbled on it using a number generator.
I did a thread a week or so ago about a 'phantom' charge showing up on my Discover. It was for $929 at Land's End; ironically I've never shopped there. The authorization stuck around for over a week, but it finally dropped off (it never posted) so I didn't have to go through the hassle of a dispute. I'm assuming Land's End stopped the transaction on their end when the address info didn't match.
I'm now watching my Discover card daily, and after the holidays I'll likely be giving Discover a call to get the number changed. 