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Creative Design Studio (RKR4CDS)And yes Sabine, we've both agreed in the past - Macs Rule!
But don't tell everyone or they'll switch and we'll get targeted too!
Canna Bear PaintSomeone got into our bear business account last year, which my mother and I share. Turned out to be an inside job at our bank! Our original bank had been acquired by a second bank, and we had been sent new debit cards with the new bank's name on them. I was moving at the time and hadn't gotten around to activating my new card in a timely manner. Obviously someone at the bank did a system search looking for 'unactivated' cards, probably presuming that the account was not being watched (wrong), and started slamming the account with [INVALID] purchases. We caught it very early, and the money was refunded by our bank immediately.
I did learn something though. I would have caught it earlier still, as I'd been looking at our account statement online and saw a 'pending debit' of over $600 one evening. We figured we'd call the bank in the morning if it was still there. In the morning, it had disappeared. We presumed there was a computer glitch at the bank, and thought nothing of it. Turned out to be the jerk 'testing' the card before he started making actual purchases. So if you ever see something unexplained pending in your account for even the smallest amount of time, CALL YOUR BANK RIGHT AWAY! Yes, this is why it's great to be able to keep track of your statements online.
Aren't people jerks? 
Kelly
Bine-TeddiesAnd yes Sabine, we've both agreed in the past - Macs Rule!
But don't tell everyone or they'll switch and we'll get targeted too!
:crackup: :crackup: :crackup:
Don't worry Bobbie. People rarely listen to my advice. 
Matilda Huggington-beareThanks for the timely warning people 
It is wise to stay ever vigilant.
aerBearsYikes 
Aeri
After all my chirpy commentary advocating a "stay calm" attitude about internet credit card fraud earlier in this thread, guess who just found out, this morning, that someone in China had charged nearly $4000 on her credit card since December 27?
Ayup, that person would be me. Eek!
When my card was declined at the gas station this morning I knew something fishy was up, and thanks to all your contributions to this thread (and to Paula, for starting it), I was extra on-guard for fraudulent activity this holiday season, and so phoned my card company to check my balance and available credit (ZERO!) right away.
Whoever stole my card maxed it out, shutting it down to further use... but my card company didn't notice, despite the fact that these charges occurred in China, some of them on the same day I was shopping for craft supplies right here in Chico! Luckily, I won't be responsible for any charges found to be fraudulent, or their accompanying finance charges, overlimit fees, etc. Since most of the purchases took place in a town called something like Quin Dua, I think I'm off the hook. Nowhere like that near Chico! Keep fingers crossed for me, if you would.
I'm terrifically savvy and careful when it comes to phishing scams and I protect my card info vigorously, and we have heavy anti-virus and spyware protection, as well as a sturdy firewall on the computer. I only buy online from known sites with secure purchase pages, or I use PayPal, which I always access myself, rather than from a link. So I figured I was pretty much scam proof when it comes to this kind of thing.
After what I've read here, and now have experienced personally, I'm not sure that we can actuallyk do that much to prevent this kind of thing from happening, even if we're incredibly careful. So I want to reiterate Paula's recommendation that you all be diligent in monitoring your credit card balances and that you check each and every charge for validity. By looking at "my" recent transactions, it was clear to me that two separate $1000+ hotel/spa resort charges, and a restaurant charge for $640 -- and yet another for $250 -- all of them at places called J HUANG LEE or CHO HAO FOO were clearly NOT charges of mine, since we don't have hotels or restaurants with such names here in my hometown.
I'll never know where the theft of my information took place. And while it's easy to blame the internet, it's true, too, that the waiter I handed my credit card to last week, who took it out of my sight for ten full minutes, might be part of some huge ring of credit card thieves. Who knows?
Anyway... friends, keep an eye on your credit statements... and please be careful out there!
Amazing, that is 3 of us on TT within approx 1 week and from different countries!
Just imagine what is happening to others in the world! My card was maxed out as well but I wouldn't have known until my statement arrived because I hardly ever use that card!
Jane
Flip Shelli and Jane! What a nightmare! This thread has really highlighted how vulnerable our credit cards are. I hope your situations are resolved expeditiously. Good luck!
Er, I hardly dare say this ... but I do hope there isn't a common teddy bear related link between us which has led to our cards being targeted? The card I had defrauded is my business card for my All Bear account and it's used to purchase supplies, magazine subscriptions etc online. 
