Comments on: Two Great Credit Card Tips From a Reader

By: J. Money

J. Money — Fri, 06 May 2011 15:24:43 +0000

That’s interesting… although, why not just charge and get some goodies FIRST rather than wait a while and get them later? Don’t you still end up with the same things? (If you are a thief, of course, which I am not ;))

And thanks for stopping by! Nice to have you here.

By: valleycat1

valleycat1 — Thu, 05 May 2011 21:13:25 +0000

New here, via The Daily Brainstorm.

I’ve been told that someone that steals a CC will use it a time or two for a small charge (such as the $1.00 online charges, or a few gallons of gas) to see whether it has been reported stolen – THEN they start the big purchases & make several quickly, so they get the goods before the CC company or you realize what’s going on.

By: USAA

USAA — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 18:02:02 +0000

You’re welcome! We’re here for you. And of course you know, the feeling is mutual! :)

By: J. Money

J. Money — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 02:38:11 +0000

I got my alerts set up now!! Woo!!! @USAA - Thanks for popping in USAA!!! Just adds to me affection for y'all ;) @wldflr - Yeah it's scary!!!! And I HAVE one of those square up things for my iPhone!!! hahahaha.... I actually like them cuz now *anyone* can take money (legally) when they need too ;) Check it: https://eliteedgemoney.com/2011/03/square-up-credit-card-payments/ (But yes, we ALWAYS have to be on the look out. Glad y'all set up notifications! I did too :))

By: wldflr

wldflr — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 19:31:36 +0000

When I tell friends & family this story, some people were like “I never buy stuff on the internet so this will never happen to me.” And then I reply, “do you ever eat in a restaurant and hand over your credit card to a waitress who disappears with it for several minutes? Well, guess what? Your info could be stolen just as easy…have you seen those tiny new credit card scanners that plug into a cell phone (https://squareup.com)? Scary!!!

Another co-worker had her info stolen when a second co-worker “borrowed” her credit card out of her work desk for just a few minutes and then put it back right back into her purse.

My sister had an actual bank employee use several of those “convenience checks” that credit cards mail out to you and ran up several hundred dollars in my sister’s name. The bank employee had access to sis’s electronic signature (on file) but physically went into a bank branch to cash one – on video – proving that it wasn’t my sister. They caught the woman and filed charges.

I tell everyone that it’s only a matter of time WHEN your info is stolen not IF it will be stolen. You have to be proactive, not reactive. Hubby got right online to his Capital One acct. and set up his alerts.

By: USAA

USAA — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 19:04:45 +0000

Keeping our members’ information safe is a top priority at USAA and we have a host of tools and services to do just that. Credit card holders are encouraged to sign up for customized alerts (text or e-mail) to let them know when charges are being made on their card.

You’re right, it is a great idea to give us a heads up if you’re traveling. For members traveling overseas, USAA cardholders can let us know about their trip by registering a travel notification on usaa.com or by calling us at 1-800-531-USAA.

Here are some helpful resources from usaa.com where you can learn more about protecting your accounts and get tips for traveling smart: http://budurl.com/u33c http://budurl.com/82np

By: J. Money

J. Money — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 16:50:15 +0000

@DIYMILF – Oh yeah, sounds like it! Annoying at first, but better to be safe than sorry with that kind of money. Also nice companies are watching out for people liket that too :) Although, probably more so that THEY don’t end up with the loss! haha…
@aj – Yeah, I prefer that too :) Although PayPal drives me crazyyyy!!! They kept freezing our account w/ Love Drop in the beginning and would take DAYS for us to get access to it again…arghhh… and nothing due to fraud either, they kept miscategorizing it or something on their end. Never dealt w/ their debit/credit cards, but prob. won’t either due to this ;)
@Amy Saves – Haha… maybe they had a lot of pictures to develop? ;)
@kh – Rawr! I think everyone got the point ;) And actually, “hacked” can mean a lot more than just computer stuff too with the way it’s used these days. Esp. like “money hacks” that PF bloggers use – tricks to save more money and what not.
@Paula @ AffordAnything.org – Indeed!! I like how you say the “old-fashioned way” too, haha… crazy how technology is changing things. For the good and the bad!
@Sarah – Weird! yeah, I mean you can’t just go over there during lunch time or anything, haha…
@fifi – Coool! Does that mean you went to Egypt?? Forgot that’s on my top 5 list!!! Mmmmm…

By: fifi

fifi — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 15:39:22 +0000

I forgot to tell my bank when I went abroad once and after a few day, my credit card would not work any more. Luckily, I still had a debit card, otherwise I never would’ve gotten that papyrus with my name written in heiroglyphics :)

By: Sarah

Sarah — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 07:39:05 +0000

Interesting…last summer, I left the state for Hawaii for 2 months, and it didn’t trigger anything…but maybe it’s different if it’s within the country? But really though, Hawaii might as well be another country.

By: Paula @ AffordAnything.org

Paula @ AffordAnything.org — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 06:35:42 +0000

My credit cards have been the subject of fraud a scary number of times …. starting when I was 17 and had my card stolen the old-fashioned way (by a purse-thief who broke into my car), and continuing up through a few months ago when my account was hacked the new-fangled way. Each time, the credit card company has alerted me promptly about suspicious charges. Wahoo for the fraud protection department!!