[Huakai]

To avoid some of the worry, you can buy a prepaid debt or credit card to use when shopping online or even on day to day purchases. These are reloadable cards and if the number was stolen, the amount they would have access to would be limited to only as much as you have on the card at the time.

[SandrA9810]

Well with our Citi card, they allow you to have a "fake" account number when purchasing things online. It's a temporary approval number that can only be used once. Or if you set up an online shopping account, you can have a different number for every store, but it won't be the same number as your real account number.

I think the worst thing was with our Target Visa card. We were planning a trip to disney a few weeks before Christmas. Well the day we wanted to leave, Kari was working. So in the morning I filled the entire gas tank. Then took her to work, did what I needed to get things ready. That night as we headed out, we stopped at a 7/11 to buy snacks and refill our mug with soda. Then we saw a gas station with really cheap gas and decided to top off on the tank. Well we headed up i-95 only to run into construction. The car ended up over heating, and we were a couple hours from home. Shockingly enough, a co-worker, was heading to palm beach to visit some friends. And saw us walking on the side of the high way. So he took his dinky little car and pushed our van off the highway, and to the next 7/11 that was right off the exit and stuck around till AAA got there. Meanwhile we bought him a soda and a snack. Well he brought us back home after all said and done. The next day we decided to go out, hoped on the bus to the mall. Go into american greetings and see the coolest Care Bears (the ones with the little scarf and santa hat on). We just had to have one each. So we go to pay, with the target visa card, that was used four times already the night before, and got declined. We freaked out so much cause there was like a 600$ limit available.
Well those four transactions caused our account to be frozen, but then Kari gave them our life history and they unfroze the account, because our card wasn't stolen.

On another thing. Becareful with your mail too. Some one stole Kari's parents mail, and got the account numbers for everything. And of course during the next couple of days, they used the card normaly, and realized that the bill didn't show up. They contacted the company, and found out some one had stole the number, and then tried to do a transfer to another credit card account. That's how they busted them. But now they replaced the mail box for one with a lock.

[Princessbaby]

Yikes! How scary. I don't think companies pay much attention when a card says "check ID". Half the time I use a card my signature is not matched to my card. Also, those do it yourself swipe machines don't even require a cashier to even handle your card. I have always been nervous about that! A good reminder to check you credit report every so often. I know that when I was expecting my daughter I went on a huge shopping spree and after a few stores the cashier had to call on my card because we were spending so much in a day (hey after 2 boys and this one was a girl...well...it got out of hand with the shopping ). I was annoyed at first, but now I'm glad they did it!

[rlcarmichael]

Originally Posted by JD Dis

Actually, there is a service like that out there and Chase will have the details if you'd be interested in signing up. I'm a marketing manager for the credit card portfolio of a bank here in the midwest and we offer a product called Identity Protection to our cardholders. Basically the way it works is the service will monitor your files at the three major credit bureaus and will notify you on a daily basis if an application for credit has been made in your name. It also has an insurance component to it that will pay for attorney fees should you have to fight to get your identity back. Some people like the assurance that they're being covered, others would rather "risk it" and feel safe with the 0% liability most banks have with their credit cards.

One thing that would help would be if the darn credit agencies would stop SELLING our personal information. I have placed freeze on my files for the "pre approval" reporting and yet I see from a report I got that it is STILL being done.

Call the credit reporting agencies. Report the fraud and ask for a fraud alert be placed on your file.

I got over $6k in fraud charges from last WDW trip - pretty sure it was rental car clerk.

Couldn't even get Orange Co (Orlando) police to take report.

This is a really serious problem and utilmately will cost us as consumers, even though the bank reverses charges.

[Pixie]

Well i think it was 2 years ago i got a thing in the mail for a credit card. I'm only 15 (13 at the time) and to young for a credit card. We just threw it away and went on as usual. then the next month we got another thing in the mail from that company and tossed it also. We kept getting them for a few more months and then the company began to call. I guess someone found that form in the garbage and signed me up for a card. And to top it all of they had my address. they spent $26,000. we are still working on getting it all cleared up. My parents can't wait till i'm 18 to see if we are going to have problems getting me a card or not.