Why we need the EMV card

The tiny devices that steal credit card data are getting impossibly hard to detect

Excerpt:

ATM skimmers, the miniature devices that stealthily help fraudsters capture your credit and debit card data, are getting smaller and harder to detect. Skimmers have always been designed to blend in with any ATM they're attached to, but for years a discerning eye or tug of the card reader were often enough to uncover them. That's not the case anymore. Krebs on Security has been researching a number of devices recovered in Europe this year, and several of them were small enough to fit inside the ATM card slot itself. The ultra-thin profile of these "insert skimmers" makes them far less obvious to your average person making a quick stop at the cash machine.

And thieves often pair them with hidden spy cameras that are equally difficult to spot; many victims never realize their banking data has been compromised until fraudulent charges begin showing up. Other modern skimmers include mobile chips capable of sending off your credit card data in a text message, so the perpetrator can avoid the risk of returning to the host ATM and picking up the device.

The United States and its snail-like pace to adopting chip and PIN debit / credit cards can be blamed for the growing skimmer problem. Until the US is fully on board, international banks have little choice but to keep manufacturing cards with the vulnerable magnetic stripe. For now, the best protection is covering an ATM's keypad when entering your PIN — and keeping your eyes open for card slots that show signs of tampering.

Comment: Image source.  More on the EMV card. Kathee's big project is the EMV debit card.

Account Take Over

Comment: Viking Image Source
4 hours ago someone(s) changed the address on our credit card to 8709 Fusilier Rd, Maurice, LA (select bottom image for larger)

Um .... they knew about it for 2 weeks and did nothing!

Credit card skimming scam targets Rosedale food court locale; $100K lost Excerpt:

A scheme to skim credit and debit card numbers from customers at a Rosedale Center food court restaurant is responsible for about $100,000 in bogus charges, Roseville police said Thursday. Police are publicizing the case in hopes that they will hear from diners who used a credit or debit card at the Chinese Gourmet Express. ... Also, the restaurant's corporate office told Roseville's lead detective that its executives became aware of a computer breach about two weeks earlier, involving the theft of customer credit and debit card information but the had yet to notify law enforcement.

Comment: Chinese Gourmet Express What would Charlie Chan say?: "Always danger where men are evil, but knowledge best weapon for protection". Source

Fraud: Nip it in the Bud

Comment: On the value of checking one's credit card daily ... nip fraud in the bud! I checked the temporary and posted transactions today. See the image above. The $ 8.95 item is an adult content site. Unsure what the $ 57.86 is. I reported to Wells Fargo and they closed the card. New cards being Fed Ex'd out to us.

What I learned from Fraud on CC

Earlier Post

What I did right:

• I check my CC balances every day and keep an eye out for anything suspicious
  
• Because both my wife and I use common credit cards, we talk about our expenditures and know what each are spending (we have a weekly financial meeting every Tuesday night (about 15-20 min) to review all finances
  
• We use Mint to aggregate all spending in one place. Mint is a great service and I highly recommend it. As a matter of fact, it was on Mint that I first saw the fraud
  
• I called my CC provider immediately when I had suspicious activity. I also called the restaurant where I had last used the card (spoke to the manager there)
  
• Later in the day when I checked the Chase CC site directly and saw additional fraudulent activity, I called Chase and canceled the card (its replacement is to arrive today)
  
• I followed up yesterday with a call to the Chase fraud department
  

What I could have done better:

• I immediately shredded the card Monday night. This turned out to be a minor mistake as when you call Chase they want the CC # or at least the last 4 digits. Additionally the hot line number for the card was on the back and I had a hard time finding the correct number at Chase to call
  
• When I called Chase and had the phone menu system, I was unable to get to a real person without the card #. Ultimately I was able to get the last four digits of the card # from our WF bill pay system
  

Fraud on CC

A first for me .... credit card fraud

I checked out my Chase card this morning and there was a charge to http://www.billccnow.com/ on my card. Looks like some kind of portal to a porn site. Later (4:30 pm) I checked again and there were 2 more charges for $ 58 each. I called Chase and they canceled the card.