Stolen Credit Card Number

[Siki]

Has anyone else had problems with their credit card number being “poached” by a vendor in Bangkok and then subsequently used to make purchases in another country?

I just discovered that my credit card number had been used to make unauthorized purchases earlier this week. I believe the lady at my bank (credit card issuer) said that the charges were made in Spain.

I only use my credit card to get cash advances at two local banks. The problem, then, is with some employee at one of these banks.

Does anyone know how to minimize your exposure or prevent this kind of thing?

[naka]

Some ways to minimize fraud are

1. Take money from ATM and pay for goods in cash. This is the safest method.

2. Never let the card out of your sight, if they say they are going out

the back to swipe your card, insist you go with them.

3. Only use the card at large reliable establishments, never ever in small hotels,

shops or eateries.

Naka.

[HarryHacker]

Some ways to minimize fraud are

1. Take money from ATM and pay for goods in cash. This is the safest method.

2. Never let the card out of your sight, if they say they are going out

    the back to swipe your card, insist you go with them.

3. Only use the card at large reliable establishments, never ever in small hotels,

    shops or eateries.

Naka. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I would add, only use ATMs that are attached to a bank, rather than a stand alone ATM.

[Ajarn]

Great advice.

I use my cc a lot, mostly online. More than simple convenience, in my case. Never had any fraud experiences, but I do sweat bullets when buying stuff from even reputable online sellers in Thailand, like tohome.com and pantipprice.com. I just made an online cc purchase with verasu.com in Bkk yesterday, and am crossing my fingers...

Thank god my American cc protects me from most any fraud that might occur.... I hope!

[Rags]

The above advice is good if you only use your card for limited transactions.

However, for those of us that use the card as a preferred method of payment, then I would have thought that one is always at the mercy of the vendor.

After all, they automatically have your card details on record (especially if they take an imprint of your card) and they could illegally use or market such information. I guess it's even worse if you have just purchased something to be delivered and you provide them with your home / billing address...

[Siki]

The above advice is good if you only use your card for limited transactions.

However, for those of us that use the card as a preferred method of payment, then I would have thought that one is always at the mercy of the vendor.   

After all, they automatically have your card details on record (especially if they take an imprint of your card) and they could illegally use or market such information.  I guess it's even worse if you have just purchased something to be delivered and you provide them with your home / billing address...      

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This card was used only for cash advances that I made in person in the two banks on Sukhumvit Soi 3.

Does anyone know if thieves have to have any other data (than what is on the card) in order to make charges? If they have to have additional information then it narrows the culprits down to that bank where I have an account.

I am in touch with my bank in the US and it appears that they will correct the problem but I am not sure.

Any experience with this type of thing?

[Rags]

The above advice is good if you only use your card for limited transactions.

However, for those of us that use the card as a preferred method of payment, then I would have thought that one is always at the mercy of the vendor.   

After all, they automatically have your card details on record (especially if they take an imprint of your card) and they could illegally use or market such information.  I guess it's even worse if you have just purchased something to be delivered and you provide them with your home / billing address...      

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This card was used only for cash advances that I made in person in the two banks on Sukhumvit Soi 3.

Does anyone know if thieves have to have any other data (than what is on the card) in order to make charges? If they have to have additional information then it narrows the culprits down to that bank where I have an account.

I am in touch with my bank in the US and it appears that they will correct the problem but I am not sure.

Any experience with this type of thing?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I would have thought that for internet or telesales, that after the card data, the billing address is the next most important piece of information.

There is also a 4 digit number printed on the card that is not embossed (i.e. raised above the surface), which is sometimes requested during transactions.

Sounds as though your bank are on the case.

Hope it all works out for you...

[Spee]

I would add, only use ATMs that are attached to a bank, rather than a stand alone ATM.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I would also add that another strategy often employed for dodgy areas and online purchases, is to set up a special account (whether ATM, credit or both) and put a very small daily or weekly limit on it, perhaps 10,000 baht.

Then you use this card, if you must use a card at all. This way if something bad does happen, then you only get stung a bit instead of potentially a lot.

In all fairness, I would also add that this kind of behavior is not exclusive to Thailand.

Just yesterday or the day before, there was a Yahoo news article from one of the news services, about a USA bank employee being busted for identity theft of many thousands of the bank's customers accounts.

The simple fact is that you have to extra careful where ever you plan to use plastic. And you need to have something set up with your bank and/or credit issuer to protect yourself. My bank knows that I am on the road all the time, and they only expect to see certain kinds of charges on my account, and only from certain areas. You should see to it that your bank protects you in a similar way.

[Abandon]

my mother had her credit card stolen, but my dad refused to report it to the police. The thieves were spending less than my mother ....

If someone has your credit card details they can write them on to a new slip, and instead of your signature, write "telephone sale" and the bill will go through. However, you are not obliged to pay this bill without your signature. You can refuse to pay it quite legally and it is then up to the company who is charging to sue you for the money - but still, if your signature is not on the slip they cannot force you to pay.

[petedk]

This is a world wide problem and not just Thai.

My friend often travels to China and has the same problem. His bank often calls him and asks for proof that he was in Thailand on a certain date. Now he simply cancels his credit card on returning to Bangkok.

I have also known people to have their credit cards copied in Denmark.

The problem isn't just at street vendors. I used the fitness center of a well known hotel on Sukhumvit and used a credit card that I seldom use. 14 days later other purchases (only about 30.000 Baht) were made using this credit card.

I have a Visa card from Denmark that has my picture on it and also contains a micro chip. From what I understand they plan to introduce these chips world wide and then we'll have to use a pin code with every purchase. It'll take years to implement world wide but the idea seems ok.

Meanwhile we just have to be careful and check our statements.

[Zarkow]

FYI, CC# without CCv2 goes for below $4 a piece. With CCv2, dending on credit-limit, it can go to $10 for instance.

This are the actual market-rate for bying CC-numbers in Europe, gathered on a world-basis.

To get a CC# with CCv2 (the four small numbers printed on the back), all the cashier have to do is either drag the card for you (and momerize the code and the right it on the slip) or like some, print 'abort' on the cashier-machine and then say "I can try it for you", and voila, get the CCv2.

In most European web-shops you need to enter CCv2 when bying items with creditcards. But outside Europe the webshop-safety seems to be a little dodgy at best.

A 'populare' way to get CC# is also to use the latest flaws in shoping-systems. Just another month ago a less used shoping-system had a flaw where it was acctually possible to gain access to the admin-control, and then query the sql-database for all customers CC# and shipping-adresses.

Needles to say, this was a goldmine for many involved.

The advice of having multiple creditcards, one you can afford to 'lose', is a very good one.

[Boxer]

I think most Good Credit Card issuers like Visa are trying their best to protect us. Using my card on two recent occasions in Thailand i have had calls from my Bank in UK before the transaction is given authority. On another occasion my number had been used in UK not by me, the Bank found it before i did and asked me if I had been in that part of the country, I had not and they credited all the amounts immediately and issued new card. But it is a case of dont use it unless you have to in Thailand, make other arrangements.

FYI, CC# without CCv2 goes for below $4 a piece. With CCv2, dending on credit-limit, it can go to $10 for instance.

This are the actual market-rate for bying CC-numbers in Europe, gathered on a world-basis.

To get a CC# with CCv2 (the four small numbers printed on the back), all the cashier have to do is either drag the card for you (and momerize the code and the right it on the slip) or like some, print 'abort' on the cashier-machine and then say "I can try it for you", and voila, get the CCv2.

In most European web-shops you need to enter CCv2 when bying items with creditcards. But outside Europe the webshop-safety seems to be a little dodgy at best.

A 'populare' way to get CC# is also to use the latest flaws in shoping-systems. Just another month ago a less used shoping-system had a flaw where it was acctually possible to gain access to the admin-control, and then query the sql-database for all customers CC# and shipping-adresses.

Needles to say, this was a goldmine for many involved.

The advice of having multiple creditcards, one you can afford to 'lose', is a very good one.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[frenchFARANGbkk]

This is a world wide problem and not just Thai.

My friend often travels to China and has the same problem. His bank often calls him and asks for proof that he was in Thailand on a certain date. Now he simply cancels his credit card on returning to Bangkok.

I have also known people to have their credit cards copied in Denmark.

The problem isn't just at street vendors. I used the fitness center of a well known hotel on Sukhumvit and used a credit card that I seldom use. 14 days later other purchases (only about 30.000 Baht) were made using this credit card.

I have a Visa card from Denmark that has my picture on it and also contains a micro chip. From what I understand they plan to introduce these chips world wide and then we'll have to use a pin code with every purchase. It'll take years to implement world wide but the idea seems ok.

Meanwhile we just have to be careful and check our statements.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This microchip is technology is from France and used since the beginning there, but not used worlwide because the banks didn't want to buy it.

But even with a chip your card can be randomly copied, and they make a fake card that accept any code (process also from France!).

So even if you don't use your credit card anywhere, if you are very unlucky, you can have unknown debit on your account, but the bank should refund if cannot give evidence YOU bought the stuff.