3 creative scenarios:
SCENE 1.
People sure stay busy trying to cheat us, don't they?
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 card 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!
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 folded
the receipt and passed the credit card along. 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 cards in your wallet 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.
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 wit h 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 canceled that card as I was walking
out of the pizza parlor.
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. Be aware of phones, because many have a
camera phone these days.
When you are in a restaurant and the waiter/waitress brings your
card and receipt for you to sign, make sure you scratch the number
off. Some restaurants are using only the last four digits, but a
lot of them are still putting the whole thing on there. I have
already been a victim of credit card fraud and, believe me, it is
not fun. The truth is that they can get you even when you are
careful, but don't make it easy for them.
FORWARD THIS TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN THINK OF. LET'S GET THE
WORD OUT! JUST BE AWARE
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