credit card fraud

[Killswitch Engage]

myself and two friends recently, meaning this past month, had fraudulent charges on our credit cards. one thing that stuck out was not receiving the monthly paper statement and noting a change of address had been made. all of us are shooters and all buy from a few select places with these cards. we think we "may" have it narrowed down to where this is happening or coming from. has anyone on here recently had the same situation? i realize there are many ways to obtain the info and steal your shit. the only reason i think it is a merchant or their software being compromised is becuase of the low use of the cards and select places used.

so throw it up and if we see a trend we will say who or where we think the problem lies.

 

[cav has been]

Have you brought this up with the suspected merchant? Seems most would try and take action post haste.

 

[Donr13]

Yes I rarely use my cc but 2 weeks ago I had fraud, I had used the card with two venders during that week.

 

[diverdon]

How large were the fraudulent charges? How many of them were their? What kind of merchant were the fraudulent charges made at?

I do go over the charges each month but I would like to know what to look for.

 

[Donr13]

How large were the fraudulent charges? How many of them were their? What kind of merchant were the fraudulent charges made at?

I do go over the charges each month but I would like to know what to look for.

In my situation I had several charges in a row ranging from $1 - $170. Luckily my cc company froze the account after these charges as they threw up an alert. That called me and closed out the acct and reversed the fraudulent charges.

I'd say in total the last 4 purchases I have made have been from hide venders over the last 5-6 weeks.

 

[Killswitch Engage]

from $3700, $1000,$170....

we have not contacted the merchant because we dont know for certain where it happened. that is why we are checking with others that "probably" ordered from where we did so we can get a feel for what is going on.

heres the list of recent merchants between us.

ptg
midwayusa
bullets.com
southern precision aka bugholes

we have one narrowed down we believe and after reading a thread in reloading section it seems more suspect. maybe they have a sniffer on their software or something. i dont know

 

[Donr13]

The two that I have ordered from that match yours are midwayusa which was in the last few weeks and bugholes which was at the beginning of the year.

Other venders I have ordered from in the last couple weeks:
Cstactical
Sportoptics
Tab gear
Triad tactical
Brownells
Dsg arms

 

[Killswitch Engage]

thanks donr. keep em coming. i want to see if we can see a trend

 

[MDM]

I'm one of Killswitch's buddies. I only use my card for shooting related purchases. I found a charge on my acct yesterday for $1000 on the Home Shopping Network. Probably some fat ass trailer park queen buying a shit ton of cubic zirconia. When I logged on my account, I seen that my address had been changed to some place in GA and Im in OH. Wish I had wrote it down, but I just corrected it. Then this bogus charge shows up on August 1. Just seems more of a coincidence for 3 buddies to get fraudulent charges on our accounts in a weeks time when we only use our CCs for shooting gear and sparingly at that. I think someone's shit has been compromised. Id suggest everyone keep a close eye on your accounts, especially if you are a smith or home hobbyist buying parts for builds or reloading gear recently.

 

[Rustybroadhead]

I have bought quite a bit over the last 6 months from one of these vendors as I have been getting into reloading.... Will check my statement when I get home tonight. I don't think I have paid it yet

Thanks for posting this!

 

[Deadshot2]

Have you brought this up with the suspected merchant? Seems most would try and take action post haste.

I had a similar occurrence.

I have been using my CC to make numerous purchases online with a wide variety of vendors. From some as large as Amazon to others I'd never heard of before who use a third party "credit card billing service" and not a single issue.

I then made a purchase from a widely known vendor of reloading components among other things. Suddenly I found two fraudulent charges on my account dated two days after I used the card with this vendor. Whoever used the number kind of left a clue behind. A phone number that lead back to a town not far from the vendor. I contacted the vendor via e-mail and phone. Their only response was "not our fault, we've been assured that our site is secure". They weren't even willing to entertain the idea that it might have been an employee responsible for the theft of the credit card number (as well as the CVV number on the back).

It wasn't all that hard to get the issue resolved. A call to my Credit Card Company (same as my bank) telling them of the fraud, waiting for the necessary paper verification of the charges, and a fax back to the Credit card company of a statement that the charges weren't authorized. The credit card company over-nighted net cards to me after canceling the old.

I probably won't return to that online company unless I absolutely, positively, have to have, something they have in stock but if I do I'll be very careful to monitor my CC purchases after doing so. Even closer than my wife and I do on a regular basis even though we don't use our Credit Card all that much.


I won't name the company here as the Bank and Company where the fraudulent charges were made are handling it. No need to make this site or myself a target of a "Offensive Defense" by the company that couldn't keep the information under control.

 

[Triad]

As for Triad, we do not store/keep credit card information on file here, or on our server. When you place an order online, there is not a way for us to see, or access the card information. For someone to access card information given to Triad, they would have to hack the company we use for our credit card processing.

I check my accounts almost every day for activity. If you see something you dont like, CALL IMMEDIATELY!. If you contact the vendor listed ASAP about the charge, and it is fraudulent, you/they may be able to stop the package before it is delivered (for internet orders).

Card companies rarely hold the cardholder responsible for the bad charges. The business where the card is USED, ends up being the victim. Once the thief has the goods, there is no recourse for the business to recover their loss. Card holder gets the charge removed from their account, bad guy gets the stuff, and the vendor that took the card eats the cost of the order. In addition, most card companies charge a fee($25.00) when there is a chargeback(fraud), which is paid by the vendor. That means we suffer the loss of the items, PLUS get charged for being the victim. Shitty part is that nobody cares enough to do anything about it. I have tried several times to get law enforcement involved in intercepting orders made with stolen cards

Check you accounts OFTEN, call soon if something is fishy.....

 

[oldgrayone]

I got hacked 4 times between late 2011 through mid 2013. The third time I had a good idea what vendor it was and on the 4th time I was 99% sure. I no longer buy from Midway and haven't had a hack since I quit.

 

[W54/XM-388]

As for Triad, we do not store/keep credit card information on file here, or on our server. When you place an order online, there is not a way for us to see, or access the card information. For someone to access card information given to Triad, they would have to hack the company we use for our credit card processing.

I check my accounts almost every day for activity. If you see something you dont like, CALL IMMEDIATELY!. If you contact the vendor listed ASAP about the charge, and it is fraudulent, you/they may be able to stop the package before it is delivered (for internet orders).

Card companies rarely hold the cardholder responsible for the bad charges. The business where the card is USED, ends up being the victim. Once the thief has the goods, there is no recourse for the business to recover their loss. Card holder gets the charge removed from their account, bad guy gets the stuff, and the vendor that took the card eats the cost of the order. In addition, most card companies charge a fee($25.00) when there is a chargeback(fraud), which is paid by the vendor. That means we suffer the loss of the items, PLUS get charged for being the victim. Shitty part is that nobody cares enough to do anything about it. I have tried several times to get law enforcement involved in intercepting orders made with stolen cards

Check you accounts OFTEN, call soon if something is fishy.....

If I was a bit more cynical I might even suggest that the Credit Card companies like the way things are as they make money off fraud (by charging $25 to $50 extra sandpaper for lube charges) on the backs of victimized small business owners....

 

[Forgetful Coyote]

Did yall see on the news tonight where they mentioned they recently just found out some Russians stole like over a billion passwords or some such?

 

[AvsFan]

I had this happen to me @ Brownells...ordered a few items (the last time I ordered from them was at least 10 years ago). Anyway, the week after my order, my Credit Union's Fraud Dept. called me and asked if I purchased 2 round trip tickets from England to Turkey and if I made hotel reservations in Turkey for 4 days. Fuck no that wasn't me...they were able to freeze the charge ($390.00) for the Hotel but, the airfare had already gone through ($1,100.00).

Therefore, I had to formally dispute the airfare in writing, cancel my card, and request a new card. I called Brownells to inform them of the situation and they told me their website is encrypted with the latest software. They immediately indicated that it could have been at any merchant where I used my card. That's all fine & dandy, however, Brownells was the only merchant that I utilized that card in the last 6 months...go figure.

 

[trauma1]

I just went and deleted my midway cc just in case. Thank you for bringing this information forward!

 

[diverdon]

I have only used Midway in the last month. I do not have any fraudulent charges.

 

[longrangefool]

One of my cards got used today and they racked up a ton on it before they stopped it. They must have made a physical copy of the card because all the transactions were swiped except for the last one. I havent used that card in over 6 months...

 

[Killswitch Engage]

One of my cards got used today and they racked up a ton on it before they stopped it. They must have made a physical copy of the card because all the transactions were swiped except for the last one. I havent used that card in over 6 months...

Where last times?

 

[longrangefool]

That card is my business card so mostly travel and some software online. However, I've been on a spending spree lately with my main card on all the major parts and reloading sites mentioned already and havent seen any fallout. Go figure.

I guess my point for posting was that it doesn't necessarily start right after you use the card. No idea where they got my card number or how long they were sitting on it as I literally have not had a transaction on the card for over 6 months.

 

[woojos]

Last time this happened to me a merchant who stored credit card information was hacked, and my credit card info with a bunch of others was taken. The merchant did not alert its customers and I no longer do business with them.

A lot of older generation guys are afraid of online banking. Anytime there is a charge to any of my accounts, I get an email, and I can check it instantly on my cell phone. You can probably also set it up to send text messages. The sooner you catch it, the less damage can be done.

 

[Nuke Man]

Same for me! Some fucker ordered weight loss drinks to the total of $50. Also had an overseas charge from my cc company of .50 cents. It happened the day after I bought from a vendor on here. Could be a coincidence, I also had recently set this card up on paypal. Pretty easy getting it removed. Canceled cc account and set up a new one. Shit just pissed you off thinking some low life fuck is trying to steal from you. I also chewed my cc holder out because I have fraud alert set up where they text me if suspected and I text back to approve the purchase. Well every damn month I have to approve the Netflix charge, but some overseas purchase didn't set it off. WTF! Just watch your shit carefully I guess.

 

[vmpglenn]

MidwayUSA for me, earlier this week... Next day my card got flagged for fraud and it was indeed used for fraudulent purchases. Luckily the CC company caught the false transactions, backed them out, and issued a new card number.

 

[Deadshot2]

If you contact the vendor listed ASAP about the charge, and it is fraudulent, you/they may be able to stop the package before it is delivered (for internet orders).

This may be the case for incidents when tangible goods are ordered like a computer, game box, big screen TV, etc. In talking to my bank rep about my illegitimate charges she indicated that the "Big Game" is to charge things like "air time" for smart phones, etc. Basically "Gift Cards" that are electronically delivered. The charge is made, the "product" downloaded, and never to be seen again. One of the larges offenders, according to my rep, is Walmart.com. Not just the "air time gift card" but also the "Buy Online, pick up in Store", purchases. By the time one sees their statement, even if they look at it daily, the goods have been picked up or downloaded.

The "crooks" are outpacing the technology. For that reason my wife and I refuse to use a Debit Card. Once the debit card and pin are in the wrong hands your account(s) can be drained. With a Credit Card, the worst "damage" is $50, if they choose to charge it.

 

[Mark williams]

My wife's bank card got hit a few months back for various transactions for up to 3 thousand dollars. Bank finally called next day. We live in alabama and the charges occurred in California. Somebody also had it to where her phone would betide in to their phone. Never caught them and with lots of hassling bank returned money and change of phones seemed to stop everything.

 

[FS1]

If these were online store transactions I would run every malware program that you can find on your computers . There could be some spyware running and telling someone all your info.

Also if it was a phone transaction where you gave your number by voice then I would highly suspect a employee is grabbing your info. Only use debit if you scan the card yourself never let a debit transaction be done out of your sight.

 

[BoilerUP]

If these were online store transactions I would run every malware program that you can find on your computers . There could be some spyware running and telling someone all your info.

+1...probably a keylogger type of malware.

I've purchased from Midway & Amazon in the last week with no issues thus far.

 

[I Am Hero]

I'm not point any fingers at anyone but my friends just recently had his CC info jacked. He very rarely uses his card and he shopped at only about 3 places:

Bugholes
Midway
Amazon

I see other people mentioned Bugholes and Midway as well. I'd be curious to see if it was either of those places. He got lucky as they only charge a total of about $30 at two different places before his bank caught on and shut it down.

 

[gaphighpower]

FYI

I use one CC for all my OL purchases and NEVER give out my number/exp date/secuity code

Citi offers a service/app that generates virtual account numbers that can only be used ONCE. Plus, you can set dollar limit and expiration date.

It's worked relatively well for years. Except, in the past, Citi proactively shut down the card for "suspicious activity".

Cyber thieves are some nefarious fcks...

 

[Deadshot2]

FYI

I use one CC for all my OL purchases and NEVER give out my number/exp date/secuity code

Citi offers a service/app that generates virtual account numbers that can only be used ONCE. Plus, you can set dollar limit and expiration date.

It's worked relatively well for years. Except, in the past, Citi proactively shut down the card for "suspicious activity".

Cyber thieves are some nefarious fcks...

BoA has a similar service but you have to have an online banking account to use it.

One word of caution. Make sure your "virtual account number" is a One-Time Use ONLY or you can end up the same problems as a regular card. Only difference is that the "use everywhere" virtual card will eventually be used at several online merchants which opens up the risk.

FWIW, the PayPal system sucks. The thief may not drain your bank account but they will sure end up draining your PayPal account.

Citi proactively shut down the card for "suspicious activity".

This happened to me one time. The wife and I went to Las Vegas and checked into Caesars for two weeks. The desk clerk ran the card for pre-authorization and I had to explain on the phone to the card company that yes, it was me, yes, I was going to end up with a bill of $3,000 or more at the end of my stay. Actually I kind of appreciated their diligence. (BTW, the wife won enough money in the casino that the trip was paid for).

 

[Doogie]

Bugholes order here back in April and Amazon in June. Card hack was about a month ago, right after I had given my card info to Manners, but right before they had charged it. Had to call them up and get them a new card #. Charges were going to some blackberry unlocking (getunlocked.com in PA) website, who actually called to see if I had made the charges.

 

[LoanHarvey]

I just made a purchase from Midway on August 1st, and on the 5th someone bought a plane ticket to Nevada, probably going to Vegas, LOL!

 

[7mmRM]

KillSwitch,

I've had both of my DC/CC accounts stolen in the last month. I haven't bought anything from bullets.com in a while, but definitely have the others.

E.T.A. I do all my PTG stuff over the phone. If that makes any difference.

 

[Killswitch Engage]

hmmm. thanks for all the input guys

 

[Trevor300wsm]

I haven't ordered anything online in a good while. Last week I made a order to Bullets.com and this morning I started getting fraudulent charges on my account from some type of online web hosting site. It was a few charges for $49.95 each. Bank caught it and shut the card down.

 

[Boxcar]

Amazon and Midway. 2 Days after the amazon purchase my DC was hit for 3 separate purchases to GNC and the Vitamin store, I also had one purchase of a City bus pass in Austrailia. All the purchases where made in the course of 24 hours.

 

[HKpirate]

FWIW my Anti Virus ALWAYS flags bugholes site even when it comes up in a Google search it warns me about using the site. So far all of the listed companies are alright with the only exception being Bugholes.