Latest airport scam in Chiang Mai

[mike graham]

I flew to KL on 16th June and bought cigarettes witha credit card

On arrival at my hotel in Kuala Lumpur my Credit card was refused

I call SCB and they informed me that over 45000 Baht had been spent whilst I was in the air and they cancelled the purchases and issued me with 

a new card withi a week

I spoke to the fraud dept and they infomed me that this form of cheating was becoming very common as the scammer could get access to the card 

whilst you were in the ir and you  could not be contacted They informed me that one customer flew from CM to Hong Kong and could not respond whilst IN THE AIR to attempts to contact him. The "spend" was over 100,000 baht! The people at duty free have the  CC  numbers on the front and GLANCE at the CCV on the back. Then call it in to a cohort and they use it to rip you off

 

so beware and use cash not a CC

[KhunBENQ]

Another variant of the "gas station" CCV/CVV scam thread of recently.

Not much CM airport specific. Guess it's now everywhere.

Remove/scratch off that crazy dangerous three digits.

Handing over a CC/debit card with the magic number is like handing over the keys to your account.

Edited August 5, 2018 by KhunBENQ

[Maradona 10]

Finally some useful info on here...pretty clever I suppose knowing you will be in the air.

 

Maybe time banks stopped issuing cards without the 3 digits on the back and ask you to memorise it, you have to memorise your pin anyway.

[Vacuum]

1 hour ago, mike graham said:

beware and use cash not a CC

I've advocated this for years....

[Snow Leopard]

1 hour ago, KhunBENQ said:

Another variant of the "gas station" CCV/CVV scam thread of recently.

Not much CM airport specific. Guess it's now everywhere.

Remove/scratch off that crazy dangerous three digits.

Handing over a CC/debit card with the magic number is like handing over the keys to your account.

 

That's really good advice. Brilliant. Never thought about it before. I will pass this on to other people as well. 

 

I haven't heard about a CC scam from a DF in a while but quite a few years ago the same thing was going on whilst transiting Changi.

[scorecard]

54 minutes ago, Maradona 10 said:

Finally some useful info on here...pretty clever I suppose knowing you will be in the air.

 

Maybe time banks stopped issuing cards without the 3 digits on the back and ask you to memorise it, you have to memorise your pin anyway.

A few years back KL international airport was one of the most risky 'locations' to use credit cards.

 

I didn't know this, I bought some toys in one of the airport shops, when my next CC statement arrived, massive spending (all within one hour / same day) in Seoul, Hong Kong, KL and Sydney.

 

On the date / time all the 'transactions' happened I was home in Bkk. 

 

I contacted VISA quickly and then responded with a request for clear scans of my passport pages and some type of proof that I was in Bkk on the 'transactions' date, which I could easily provide.

 

Within I guess 24 hours VISA advised me all the bogus charges had been cancelled, all the merchants involved had been seriously fined and their access to use VISA cancelled forever, and full details forwarded to police agencies in all the countries involved.

 

I never again used a cc at KL airport.

 

 

Edited August 5, 2018 by scorecard

[trainman34014]

Learned my lesson 13 years ago and since then have never used a card to buy Duty Free anywhere in Thailand and neighbouring countries; they are all thieves !

[Lacessit]

The OP could have saved himself a lot of angst by giving up smoking.

[chingmai331]

the high price of nicotine addiction 

[stament]

Interesting, thanks for the heads up

[McTavish]

Same happened to me at KLI2 Duty Free when I flew thru to Oz last year.  It was easy to figure out as I'd only used that particular Oz CC once since its issue.  I only noticed the fraud when viewing transaction history and found iPhone gift card purchases (a common fraudulent online purchase).

 

Bank reissued a new card and deducted all charges.  I covered the CVV code with a small Thai-impossible-to-remove sticker as a precaution and will not permit a salesperson to take my card away for payment processing as is common in large stores and airport DFS.

[jaiyen]

Too many people suffering from "Little Willy Syndrome" Thinking they are special cos they use plastic to buy everything costing more than $1. I have seen someone buy a litre of milk with a credit card !! It will backfire on you eventually. Cash will always be best.

[DoctorG]

Governments are trying to invoke a cashless society so they can more easily track the black and criminal economy.

The downside will be ever increasing card frauds.

[McTavish]

6 minutes ago, jaiyen said:

Too many people suffering from "Little Willy Syndrome" Thinking they are special cos they use plastic to buy everything costing more than $1. I have seen someone buy a litre of milk with a credit card !! It will backfire on you eventually. Cash will always be best.

A stupid statement given the context. 

When traveling, a CC affords one the benefit of purchase without changing cash money at poor fx rates.  My CC carries no annual fee and no transactional charges for FX at better than exchange booth rates.

[Jeffrey346]

20 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

Another variant of the "gas station" CCV/CVV scam thread of recently.

Not much CM airport specific. Guess it's now everywhere.

Remove/scratch off that crazy dangerous three digits.

Handing over a CC/debit card with the magic number is like handing over the keys to your account.

Great idea. I suggest to anyone who is going to scratch off the 3 digits take a photo of the back of the card in case you forget the numbers. 

[Dazinoz]

52 minutes ago, jaiyen said:

Too many people suffering from "Little Willy Syndrome" Thinking they are special cos they use plastic to buy everything costing more than $1. I have seen someone buy a litre of milk with a credit card !! It will backfire on you eventually. Cash will always be best.

"Little Willy Syndrome" from using a credit card.....what a stupid statement. When I do, I use mine as a convenience (credit card that is...other for pleasure.)

Edited August 6, 2018 by Dazinoz

[Nemo.]

Happens at restaurants. Me and a friend both ended up spending money in San Francisco and Europe within hours of payi g for the meal.... bank spotted it and cancelled my card. Inconvenient though. I complained on facebook page of this restaurant as a warning to others.

[Peterw42]

My CC/debit and online banking app are linked, in the app I can lock/unlock the cards, turn on/off online purchases etc. When I use CC/debit to buy something online, open the app and turn on online purchases, make the purchase then turn online purchases back off. Most of the time I have cards locked in the app. Its a great feature if you are like me and often misplace a card only to find it again, you dont need to go into a mad panic and cancel cards, wait for a replacement etc. 

I presume most banking apps offer something similar. 

[soistalker]

Cash. Just use cash. 

Handing over your credit card to someone making $4 an hour is insane. 

[Jeffrey346]

34 minutes ago, hyku1147 said:

Is Lazada safe?

I have made many purchases on Lazada and never had a CC/DC issue.

[Dazinoz]

47 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

My CC/debit and online banking app are linked, in the app I can lock/unlock the cards, turn on/off online purchases etc. When I use CC/debit to buy something online, open the app and turn on online purchases, make the purchase then turn online purchases back off. Most of the time I have cards locked in the app. Its a great feature if you are like me and often misplace a card only to find it again, you dont need to go into a mad panic and cancel cards, wait for a replacement etc. 

I presume most banking apps offer something similar. 

What bank do you use for that?

 

[Jeffrey346]

15 minutes ago, Dazinoz said:

What bank do you use for that?

 

I looked at my SCB and BKK Apps and do not see that option...

[Dazinoz]

2 minutes ago, Jeffrey346 said:

I looked at my SCB and BKK Apps and do not see that option...

Thanks for that. I am with BKK

 

[tifino]

any smart ozzie would get a Secure Sentinel subscription, which protects your: CCs and other financial cards, Passports, Licences, phones and a variety of other valuable items. On first noticing fraudulent use, they are only a phonecall away, around the world.

Protection is Instant, and the most you'd might be liable for is the first $50...

[Peterw42]

12 minutes ago, Jeffrey346 said:

I looked at my SCB and BKK Apps and do not see that option...

Sorry, I should have mentioned Australian cards and app. 

[Dazinoz]

6 minutes ago, tifino said:

any smart ozzie would get a Secure Sentinel subscription, which protects your: CCs and other financial cards, Passports, Licences, phones and a variety of other valuable items. On first noticing fraudulent use, they are only a phonecall away, around the world.

Protection is Instant, and the most you'd might be liable for is the first $50...

I used them for awhile but had problem with them, can't remember what now. I found most banks good. I had transactions on a Commonwealth Bank credit card and the first I knew was the bank contacted me with the suspect transactions and they had already been cancelled and so had card and new one was on its way.

 

[Katia]

2 hours ago, jaiyen said:

Too many people suffering from "Little Willy Syndrome" Thinking they are special cos they use plastic to buy everything costing more than $1. I have seen someone buy a litre of milk with a credit card !! It will backfire on you eventually. Cash will always be best.

Except for our Western credit-bsed society, where not having a credit card makes your life difficult, from not being able to rent a car to not having anything to build up the almighty credit score, which affects everything from your housing to employment to insurance (unless you have loans you can pay off to build your credit instead).

 

I've had people specifically advise me to get a credit card, charge a few small things every month, and then pay it off each month.  Ridiculous thing to have to do, but it's been NOT having a credit card that has bitten me in the ass several times, and eventually I'm going to have to break down and get one, despite not needing it, if I want to stay "credit worthy."

 

Also, some people-- like me in the U.S.-- use a debit card like a credit card. I almost never carry cash in the U.S.

[Dazinoz]

7 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

Sorry, I should have mentioned Australian cards and app. 

I still have a couple Oz credit cards but don't use here and have a Thai one too. I changed my base address in Oz last week so was trying to change details online. One card vendor would not allow my Thai number to be used so had to phone them. No real problem.

 

My wife and I had a credit card in Australia and i phoned one day to make a change. I can't remember but I think it was for my wife supplementary card on my account. While doing the change on the phone I asked my wife something and when bank staff heard that then refused to carry out the change. I think it was something simple like change colour of card. I like security but sometimes goes too far.

[Seeall]

22 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

Another variant of the "gas station" CCV/CVV scam thread of recently.

Not much CM airport specific. Guess it's now everywhere.

Remove/scratch off that crazy dangerous three digits.

Handing over a CC/debit card with the magic number is like handing over the keys to your account.

 

2 hours ago, Jeffrey346 said:

Great idea. I suggest to anyone who is going to scratch off the 3 digits take a photo of the back of the card in case you forget the numbers. 

yeah, good one.. I can't see any use for the cvv unless online purchaces..

[tifino]

3 minutes ago, Katia said:

Except for our Western credit-bsed society, where not having a credit card makes your life difficult, from not being able to rent a car to not having anything to build up the almighty credit score, which affects everything from your housing to employment to insurance (unless you have loans you can pay off to build your credit instead).

 

I've had people specifically advise me to get a credit card, charge a few small things every month, and then pay it off each month.  Ridiculous thing to have to do, but it's been NOT having a credit card that has bitten me in the ass several times, and eventually I'm going to have to break down and get one, despite not needing it, if I want to stay "credit worthy."

 

Also, some people-- like me in the U.S.-- use a debit card like a credit card. I almost never carry cash in the U.S.

and if you are strong enough to be always able to pay off every purchase as soon as you get home - you are effectively using your Credit Card, as a Debit Card (which sure makes one feel better)     The having a Credit Card is many times necessary to, for example, rent a vehicle. A CC is seen as a real piece of ID, that the merchant feels they can reliably get the money out of you; whereas a true Debit card (when it zeroes out, there's nothing for the merchant to take! )