Help, My Credit Cards Keep Getting Fraud....

[signaturecardmember]

Hey Guys, Hoping you can maybe provide some ideas I have not thought about or just give me closure as to what is happening. In the past 10 years or so I have maybe had my card information stolen a few times, and another few times had new cards sent to me because of internal problems but no false charges occurred.

Out of nowhere this week my Slate card was used twice, the first one cleared a few days before, for a plus size womans store lol This card has never left my house, never been used for anything except the initial balance transfer promotion. Got a new card UPS'ed to me and came in yesterday, it is the new style and looks sharp but not as unique as the vertical card.

Next, was my AMEX Gold card. I was just issued a new one of these with the chip. The new card has a different 4 digit PIN code. Other then taking advantage of the $10 back for $75 wireless bill spend, it has not been used or left my house. It was a $1000 paypal charge, Paypal emailed me a reciept with me as the shipping address. Called AMEX right away and they took card of it and are UPS me a new card.

Today, right after i sit down for lunch I check my email and my Discover card has also been stolen for about $1k each at Lowe's and $1k at Fry Electronics. Thankfully, the card worked for lunch. This card is one I use constantly though so I could see how the # could be stolen.  About to call them now.

Please shed some insights on how this might be happening so I can prevent others from being stolen as well. No one has access to the physical cards so I know that is not it except the Discover when I use it.

[Anonymous]

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@signaturecardmember wrote:

Hey Guys, Hoping you can maybe provide some ideas I have not thought about or just give me closure as to what is happening. In the past 10 years or so I have maybe had my card information stolen a few times, and another few times had new cards sent to me because of internal problems but no false charges occurred.

Out of nowhere this week my Slate card was used twice for a plus size womans store lol This card has never left my house, never been used for anything except the initial balance transfer promotion. Got a new card UPS'ed to me and came in yesterday, it is the new style and looks sharp but not as unique as the vertical card.

Next, was my AMEX Gold card. I was just issued a new one of these with the chip. The new card has a different 4 digit PIN code. Other then taking advantage of the $10 back for $75 wireless bill spend, it has not been used or left my house. It was a $1000 paypal charge, Paypal emailed me a reciept with me as the shipping address. Called AMEX right away and they took card of it and are UPS me a new card.

Today, right after i sit down for lunch I check my email and my Discover card has also been stolen. Thankfully, the card worked for lunch. This card is one I use constantly though so I could see how the # could be stolen.  About to call them now.

Please shed some insights on how this might be happening so I can prevent others from being stolen as well. No one has access to the physical cards so I know that is not it except the Discover when I use it.

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That's crummy. I think that's possibly the only *good* thing about having poor credit - this has never happened to me, and god luck to anyone who tries!

You say most of these cards have never left your home. I am guessing that you pay the bills online, is that right? I think that's your common denominator - you might have a virus (including possible keystroke logger?) on your computer. 

Cnet.com has a lot of free tools that are tested and trusted - you can read reviews and download from their site. Malwarebytes.com and ccleaner are two tools in particular that I use. Another good tool is Adblock plus - it gets rid of a lot of pop ups that you might inadvertently click on without wanting/meaning to, as well as embedded ads. I honestly had no idea how well it worked until I got a smart phone and saw all the annoying ads while browsing on there. 

If you run into problems downloading or running these tools, or even getting to websites that deal with how to remove malware, then that can be a good indicator that you do indeed have something foul on your computer. I've never had that happen to me, though, so I'm not quite sure how to deal with it.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Check where you are shopping and using these cards at and also, see if your computer has been breached -security wise.  I'd pull a freeze on all reports just to be on the safe side.  The last thing you want is people applying for things in your name...

[Anonymous]

I had the same problem a charge for .78 cents card cancelled.

[Anonymous]

Anyone allowed in your home when you're not home, like pet sitter/maid service/etc? Anyone on your computer? 

[Anonymous]

+1 to keystroke logger or other computer compromise (by someone you know or someone you don't) or someone in your home (be they friend or otherwise)

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

+1 to keystroke logger or other computer compromise (by someone you know or someone you don't) or someone in your home (be they friend or otherwise)

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...a friend who wears plus size clothes?

I also agree with the fact there could be a keystroke logger on your computer.

[signaturecardmember]

Thanks for all the ideas so far, def no one has access to the cards, esp anyone that would shop there.

I thought about the keystroke or computer problem. However, the Slate card I have never used for anything and the updated American Express has only been used for the cell phone bill but I pay it over the phone so that is most likely not it either. I also dont store any information on my computer.

I love ABP by the way, been using it for years and very careful how I access information. I will keep scanning anyways.

Please keep the ideas coming!

[Anonymous]

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@signaturecardmember wrote:

Thanks for all the ideas so far, def no one has access to the cards, esp anyone that would shop there.

I thought about the keystroke or computer problem. However, the Slate card I have never used for anything and the updated American Express has only been used for the cell phone bill but I pay it over the phone so that is most likely not it either. I also dont store any information on my computer.

I love ABP by the way, been using it for years and very careful how I access information. I will keep scanning anyways.

Please keep the ideas coming!

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Keystroke loggers don't steal anything from your computer, they just literally log every key you type, so if you've ever typed any of the card numbers in your computer it would have captured that (assuming you have one on your computer).

[Anonymous]

3 different cards with 3 different lenders in the space of a week or two... the chances that all 3 banks had breaches in such a short time are pretty small, but possible, I suppose. The cards you mentioned are from big banks, so there are big dividends for the bad guys if they are successful. Smaller still is the possibility that at least one of the places where you have used each of these cards would have been breached. Still, I think we would have heard something from at least one of the banks/retailers by now. They tend to hop on those types of things very quickly. 

The common denominator continues to be you - not in the sense that it's you and you're lying, just that it makes the most sense that the breach is coming from inside the building, so to speak. By your account, your home is the only place that all 3 cards have been. If you're confident that it's not a virus or malware of some sort, or otherwise could not have been geaned from your computer since you don't check accounts/pay online, then who has access to these cards? Could a teenager offspring have taken them without your knowledge, maybe given them to friends? Peer pressure can be a powerful motivator. When I think of some of the shennanigans I pulled at that age... Don't necessarily rule anyone out just because you think they couldn't have done it (and I know that's hard and you might not want to hear that, but this is your name on the line. If this keeps happening, and you keep contesting fraudulent charges, you run the risk of lenders taking AA against you.)

Are you keeping these cards locked up? You mentioned that at least one of them has the chip. There's a lot of chatter about being able to scan them from a distance. Have you looked into keeping them in protective sleeves, and possibly getting yourself a small safe (which only YOU know the combo to) to keep them in if you haven't already done so?