A friend went to the local gym and placed his belongings in the locker.
After the workout and a shower, he came out, saw the locker open, and
thought to himself, 'Funny, I thought I locked the locker.
Hmm, 'He dressed and just flipped the wallet to make sure all was in
order.
Everything looked okay - all cards were in place..
A few weeks later his credit card bill came - a whooping bill of
$14,000!
He called the credit card company and started yelling at them,
saying that he did not make the transactions.
Customer care personnel verified that there was no Mistake in the system
and asked if his card had been stolen...
'No,' he said, but then took out his wallet, pulled out the credit card,
and yep - you guessed it - a switch had been made.
An expired similar credit card from the same bank was in the wallet.
The thief broke into his locker at the gym and switched cards.
Verdict: The credit card issuer said since he did not report the card
missing earlier, he would have to pay the amount owed to them.
How much did he have to pay for items he did not buy?
$9,000! Why were there no calls made to verify the amount swiped? Small
amounts rarely trigger a 'warning bell' with some credit card companies.
It just so happens that all the small amounts added up to big one! So
what
do we learn? Gym shorts with zipper pockets for C. Cards! No valuables
in any gym locker!
SCENE 2.
A man at a local restaurant paid for his meal with his credit card.
The bill for the meal came, he signed it and the waitress gave him
his
receipt and a credit card.
Usually, he would just take it and place it in his wallet or pocket.
Funny enough, though, he actually took a look at the card and, lo and
behold, it was the expired card of another person.
He called the waitress and she looked perplexed. She took it back,
apologized, and hurried back to the counter under the watchful eye
of
the man.
All the waitress did while walking to the counter was wave the wrong
expired card to the counter cashier, and the counter cashier immediately
looked down and took out the real card.
No exchange of words --- nothing! She took it and came back to the man
with an apology..
Verdict: Make sure the credit card waitress gives you is your own, also
go thru cards in your wallet to make sure all are yours.
Check the name on the card every time you sign for something and/or
the
card is taken away for even a short period of time.
Many people just take back the credit card without even looking at it,
'assuming' that it has to be theirs. LAST RULE: tell a few state and
city agencies
and the local cops so they all can try a sting at that cafe.
FOR YOUR OWN SAKE, DEVELOP THE HABIT OF CHECKING YOUR CREDIT CARD EACH
TIME IT IS RETURNED TO YOU AFTER A TRANSACTION!
SCENE 3:
Yesterday I went into a pizza restaurant to pick up an order that I
had
called in. I paid by using my Visa Check Card which, of course, is
linked directly to my checking account.
The young man behind the counter took my card, swiped it, then laid
it
on the counter as he waited for the approval, which is pretty standard
procedure.
While he waited, he picked up his cell phone and started dialing.
I noticed the phone because it is the same model I have, but nothing
seemed out of the ordinary. ?Then I heard a click that sounded like
my
phone sounds when I take a picture He then gave me back my card but
kept
the phone in his hand as if he was still pressing buttons.
Meanwhile, I'm thinking: I wonder what he is taking a picture of,
oblivious to what was really going on. It then dawned on me: the only
thing there was my credit card, so now I'm paying close attention to
what he is doing.
He set his phone on the counter, leaving it open. About five seconds
later, I heard the chime that tells you that the picture has been saved.
Now I'm standing there struggling with the fact that this boy just took
a picture of my credit card.
Yes, he played it off well, because had we not had the same kind of
phone, I probably would never have known what happened.
Needless to say, I immediately cancelled that card as I was walking
out
of the pizza parlour.
All I am saying is, be aware of your surroundings at all times.
Whenever you are using your credit card take caution and don't be
careless.
Notice who is standing near you and what they are doing when you use
your card. Now adays in EUROPE they do the card at your table!
You don't have to get up, like debit cards..right into a portable box.
Be aware of phones, because many have a camera phone these days. JUST
BE
AWARE Never let your card out of your sight.....check and check again!
<===BACK
TO THE "HOW NOT TO GET SNOOKERED" 'INDEX PAGE
He cancelled it. How the
Hell did he get ON to us?