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There are so many ways now to steal credit card information. Hackers can do it online, using public wi-fi thru eavesdropping, stealing your card with your personal belongings, phishing thru emails and so on and so forth. The one thing that catches my attention is loosing your credit card information in a restaurant. After we eat and feeling full we tend to not pay attention to a lot of things including the actions of people around us including the waiters. I don't think anybody in a restaurant will really catch a server steal anything from the costumers unless they physically snatch your purse or wallet, which I think is a very remote possibility. But servers can do it without resorting to violence at all, and you won't even know it.
Cases like this are in the news for awhile now but it is always good to remind us that it can happen to us too anytime. In Clearwater Florida, a restaurant waitress was arrested by police for stealing infos of costumers for several months and only four people came up to complain about it. I Washington, six servers of a trendy restaurant were implicated for stealing credit card information from customers and run up a $700,000 tab from Barney's NY and high end stores like Gucci. This was discovered by the Secret Service which conducted the operation. They found out that the waiters, after stealing the important infos will then sell it to a "fraud ring" for $200 each information. A waiter in New Orleans stole 50 credit card information and sold it to three men for $220/each. In Buffalo NY a waiter used the credit card himself to make counterfeit credit cards himself. Some servers who are not part of the syndicate directly will sell the infos for money and some will use them themselves. Either way it is still not good for customers.
So how do they do it? There is this gadget called "credit card skimmer" that can scan your credit card information by swiping your plastic card thru it. By doing this all your secret information will be recorded and decoded in a program in a computer. With the stolen informations, the thief can use it purchasing online or making counterfeit cards with your name on it. Some skimmers are so small (see picture on right) that a waiter or waitress can keep them in their apron, pants or shirt pocket and scan your card unknowingly. You don't need practice to do this.
What can we do to avoid this? Not much actually. It's hard to catch the act but there are ways to detect it. Make sure you monitor your credit or debit card transactions EVERYDAY. Yes everyday, it's a pain but that's the best way to catch it so they don't drain your account. And the best way to check it is online. I'm sorry to say that there are still consumers who do not believe in computers and the Internet but this is the best and fastest way to do it. Another way to avoid it is by knowing how a skimmer looks like. There are lots of skimmer pictures that you can see on the internet now. The third way to avoid scams like this is to pay attention to your servers action after you hand them your card. Make sure that he/she do not put your card in his/her apron or pocket before going to the cashier's desk because they don't have too. You do not want to make a scene in a restaurant but if you suspect something you can call your credit card company to make a hold on it. This way you don't need to confront the waiter and avoid embarrassment in case your suspicion is wrong.
So next time you eat out and don't have available cash, remember this blog. It might save you a fortune.
See you next blog.
There are so many ways now to steal credit card information. Hackers can do it online, using public wi-fi thru eavesdropping, stealing your card with your personal belongings, phishing thru emails and so on and so forth. The one thing that catches my attention is loosing your credit card information in a restaurant. After we eat and feeling full we tend to not pay attention to a lot of things including the actions of people around us including the waiters. I don't think anybody in a restaurant will really catch a server steal anything from the costumers unless they physically snatch your purse or wallet, which I think is a very remote possibility. But servers can do it without resorting to violence at all, and you won't even know it.
Cases like this are in the news for awhile now but it is always good to remind us that it can happen to us too anytime. In Clearwater Florida, a restaurant waitress was arrested by police for stealing infos of costumers for several months and only four people came up to complain about it. I Washington, six servers of a trendy restaurant were implicated for stealing credit card information from customers and run up a $700,000 tab from Barney's NY and high end stores like Gucci. This was discovered by the Secret Service which conducted the operation. They found out that the waiters, after stealing the important infos will then sell it to a "fraud ring" for $200 each information. A waiter in New Orleans stole 50 credit card information and sold it to three men for $220/each. In Buffalo NY a waiter used the credit card himself to make counterfeit credit cards himself. Some servers who are not part of the syndicate directly will sell the infos for money and some will use them themselves. Either way it is still not good for customers.
So how do they do it? There is this gadget called "credit card skimmer" that can scan your credit card information by swiping your plastic card thru it. By doing this all your secret information will be recorded and decoded in a program in a computer. With the stolen informations, the thief can use it purchasing online or making counterfeit cards with your name on it. Some skimmers are so small (see picture on right) that a waiter or waitress can keep them in their apron, pants or shirt pocket and scan your card unknowingly. You don't need practice to do this.What can we do to avoid this? Not much actually. It's hard to catch the act but there are ways to detect it. Make sure you monitor your credit or debit card transactions EVERYDAY. Yes everyday, it's a pain but that's the best way to catch it so they don't drain your account. And the best way to check it is online. I'm sorry to say that there are still consumers who do not believe in computers and the Internet but this is the best and fastest way to do it. Another way to avoid it is by knowing how a skimmer looks like. There are lots of skimmer pictures that you can see on the internet now. The third way to avoid scams like this is to pay attention to your servers action after you hand them your card. Make sure that he/she do not put your card in his/her apron or pocket before going to the cashier's desk because they don't have too. You do not want to make a scene in a restaurant but if you suspect something you can call your credit card company to make a hold on it. This way you don't need to confront the waiter and avoid embarrassment in case your suspicion is wrong.
See you next blog.
1 comment:
This happened to my parents a few weeks ago. Sad, but true. Luckily, I do check my account daily.
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