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08thunders wrote:

marksiwel wrote:3. How can I protect myself from this?

pay cash

Basically.

I'm thinking of signing up for the Credit Report/ID Theft thing, 15 bucks a month is a heck of alot cheaper than 500 bucks.

I'm also going to try and not order as much online or use paypal.

I am assuming we shop at the same Wally world, I for sure will be paying some close attention to my account!! Sorry this happened to you and please keep us informed of any outcomes!

marksiwel said: It didnt happen in the same Wal Mart it happened in Neberska!

How did we get a 51st state? I missed the memo. :-)

SIA

marksiwel said: It didnt happen in the same Wal Mart it happened in Neberska!

What I meant is if his CC number got jacked at the local WW

Honestly, you'd probably be off contacting WalMart. They're pretty serious to security when it comes to their stores. On the TWTex board there's a member who is a senior member of the WalMart Security Team. Some of the stories he's posted are incredible with how much shrinkage major retailers have to deal with.

I doubt that you're number was skimmed from a WalMart. It just happened to be the first place the thief used it. A lot of skimming will come from smaller businesses that use wireless routers. Hackers can break into the signal pretty easy and snatch card numbers and PINs. They go online and sell that information to others who prints phoney cards and sell those on the street. I credit card magnetic writer is fairly inexpensive. Right now you can buy one on Amazon for $500.

flb_78 wrote:Honestly, you'd probably be off contacting WalMart. They're pretty serious to security when it comes to their stores. On the TWTex board there's a member who is a senior member of the WalMart Security Team. Some of the stories he's posted are incredible with how much shrinkage major retailers have to deal with.

I doubt that you're number was skimmed from a WalMart. It just happened to be the first place the thief used it. A lot of skimming will come from smaller businesses that use wireless routers. Hackers can break into the signal pretty easy and snatch card numbers and PINs. They go online and sell that information to others who prints phoney cards and sell those on the street. I credit card magnetic writer is fairly inexpensive. Right now you can buy one on Amazon for $500.

Allready contacted Wal Mart, they say they have the camera footage, hopefully the Cedar Park PD gets my case to the quickly.
I just want them to catch they guy, so I can sue the pants off him (already contacted my Lawyer, aka my Brother-in-Law, whats fun is he can call this Pro bono work and get paid from his Firm)
if they wont/dont do anything, we are thinking of getting the video from Wal Mart, seeing we can hire a PI to find the guy and take him to civil court.
If we did it MY way we would need any of that we'd just need this

flb_78 wrote:Hackers can break into the signal pretty easy and snatch card numbers and PINs.

This...it's very much a reality and very easy to do...not advocating it, but just making you aware. There are tools and with these tools, bad people can do bad things.

This is why it's a good idea to run your debit card through the credit card system. If your card has a visa or mastercard logo, you are protected under their zero liability protection. If you run it through the debit system, and have to enter your PIN, you are not protected to the same extent.

KC5AV wrote:This is why it's a good idea to run your debit card through the credit card system. If your card has a visa or mastercard logo, you are protected under their zero liability protection. If you run it through the debit system, and have to enter your PIN, you are not protected to the same extent.

KC5AV wrote:This is why it's a good idea to run your debit card through the credit card system. If your card has a visa or mastercard logo, you are protected under their zero liability protection. If you run it through the debit system, and have to enter your PIN, you are not protected to the same extent.

Great point. If you're not adverse to credit cards in general, it may be worthwhile to get a dedicated credit card that you use only for online purchases, hotel stays, restaurants, etc. Last year I stayed at a hotel near Disneyland and fortunately we booked our room with an actual credit card that we don't use for many purchases. As I was reviewing our statement a few months after that, I noticed a couple of charges to Ticketmaster that we did not make. We called up our credit card company, contested the charges and called the local PD. Our credit card company reversed the charges immediately, canceled our cards and issued us new ones. Because these tickets were purchased online, we figured it was one of the hotel employees because they had access to our address and all necessary billing information to make a charge to the card.

We gave all of this information to the local PD and the detective on the case said we gave him some good information. Last we heard, an arrest was pending. Hope that criminal enjoyed his Laker games.

Considering all of the problems I've heard about people having with fraud, stolen credit cards and such, I am thinking it wouldn't be such a bad idea to primarily use cash. It's a shame how important credit is to getting a mortgage and car loan these days.

Also check your cards for an RFID chip. If the back of your card has a short "signature strip" it likely has a chip in it. If it says "pay pass" or something similar on the back, or you can "wave" it at a reader, it has a chip in it. The general consensus is that anyone with an RFID reader can swipe your info if they are within a few feet of you, unless you have a "tin foil hat" wallet that can block the signal.

The easiest way to "fix" the problem is with a small hammer and a center punch. Flip the card over and look above the first 4 numbers of your account number and to the right of the short signature strip. As you tilt the card in the light (like you do to see the hologram that's on the front of some cards) you will see a little square, about a quarter inch to a side. That's the chip. Set the punch on it, with the card on a hard surface, and give it a sharp tap (No John Henry swing, just a good rap). You'll shatter the chip inside, and leave the card otherwise undamaged.

The most fun way to do it though is in the microwave. 3 seconds (NO MORE!) on high and the chip is toast. Unfortunately, it most often also ruins the mag stripe, and when the antenna catches fire, it comes through the front of the card. Plus, when the chip explodes, it leaves an unsightly bulge in the card that you have to hammer back flat as well as you can.

We had someone steal our check order form about a year ago (we caught it before anything was taken, but still ) and I am ultra paranoid about that stuff now. Or am I really paranoid if it does happen???

Good luck getting the creep.

KC5AV wrote:This is why it's a good idea to run your debit card through the credit card system. If your card has a visa or mastercard logo, you are protected under their zero liability protection. If you run it through the debit system, and have to enter your PIN, you are not protected to the same extent.

Wal-Mart will not let you choose "credit" if it's a debit card. The merchant fees kill any profit.

chabouk wrote:

KC5AV wrote:This is why it's a good idea to run your debit card through the credit card system. If your card has a visa or mastercard logo, you are protected under their zero liability protection. If you run it through the debit system, and have to enter your PIN, you are not protected to the same extent.

Wal-Mart will not let you choose "credit" if it's a debit card. The merchant fees kill any profit.

I've never had a problem with it. If I remember correctly, when you swipe the card, the screen prompting you for your PIN will appear. Hit the Cancel button and you will be given the option to run the card as credit.

SQLGeek wrote:

chabouk wrote:

KC5AV wrote:This is why it's a good idea to run your debit card through the credit card system. If your card has a visa or mastercard logo, you are protected under their zero liability protection. If you run it through the debit system, and have to enter your PIN, you are not protected to the same extent.

Wal-Mart will not let you choose "credit" if it's a debit card. The merchant fees kill any profit.

I've never had a problem with it. If I remember correctly, when you swipe the card, the screen prompting you for your PIN will appear. Hit the Cancel button and you will be given the option to run the card as credit.

That's correct.

chabouk wrote:Wal-Mart will not let you choose "credit" if it's a debit card. The merchant fees kill any profit.

I do it several times every pay period. Our "payroll card" charges a fee if used as debit, but not as credit.

OTOH, I've given up trying to use the payroll card for gas; if your balance is below the arbitrary auth amount the station has set, you'll get an extra "decline fee" after it declines your purchase. Using my bank card the same way, it just declines for free, and I can go get them to run it for the $30 my Blazer will hold.