Credit Card Fraud – Prince George RCMP looking for 2 female suspects using forged credit cards

Both credit card fraud suspects are described as females about 20 years old. One is Caucasian with long blong hair and thin braids and appears to be pregnant. The second female has a darker complexion, short, black hair, and a thin build. RCMP ask anyone with information about these suspects to contact 250-561-3300.

Between Dec. 4 and 6, the two women used a forged Sears Mastercard and a President’s Choice card in several Prince George retail outlets. The suspects ask that the cards’ numbers be entered manually, explaining that the magnetic strip doesn’t work. When cashiers become suspect, the two suspects grab the card and flee.

Both suspects are described as females about 20 years old. One is Caucasian with long blong hair and thin braids and appears to be pregnant. The second female has a darker complexion, short, black hair, and a thin build.

A Wasatch County woman who prosecutors said bilked thousands of dollars from a couple by posing as a wedding planner in the Park City area pleaded guilty Monday to several felony charges in 2 separate fraud scam cases.

Tania Clark, 37, entered the pleas in 3rd District Court after prosecutors agreed to waive several of the charges against her.

“She’s got sentencing coming up,” Summit County Attorney David Brickey said about the hearing scheduled for Clark Dec. 20.

Clark pleaded guilty in one case to unlawful acquisition, possession or transfer of a financial card and theft by deception, both second-degree felonies.

She stole about $28,000 from an Arizona couple by posing as a wedding planner in the Park City area, Brickey said.
Investigators claimed Clark was supposed to use the money “for room reservations, a photographer and alcohol to be served during the wedding in September.”

She instead used a stolen credit card to pay the Canyons for the room reservations, according to prosecutors.

MORE >>>> http://www.parkrecord.com/ci_16379099

A study released this year by SpiderLabs, a part of the data-security consulting company Trustwave, found that 38 % of the credit card hacking cases last year involved the hotel industry. The sector was well ahead of the financial services industry by 19 percent, retailing 14.2 percent, and restaurants and bars 13 percent..

Hackers hit hotels because that is where the richest vein of personal credit card data is. At hotels with inadequate data security for fraud, “ the greatest amount of credit card information can be obtained using the most simplified methods, ” said Anthony C. Roman, a private security investigator with extensive experience in the hotel industry.

“It doesn’t require brilliance on the part of the hacker,” Mr. Roman said. “Most of the chronic security breaches in the hotel industry are the result of a failure to equip, or to properly store or transmit, this kind of data, and that starts with the point-of-sale credit card swiping systems.”

The sophistication of such systems can vary widely from one hotel to the next, even within the same corporate chain, making it an easy route for hackers.

MORE >>>> http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/06/business/06road.html?_r=1

The biggest drawback of using a credit card is the risk of fraud and identity theft. Unlike debt (which is incurred consciously) credit card fraud can happen at any time, and frequently with no warning to the card holder until it’s too late. And the consequences range from the merely annoying, such as having to call and cancel your stolen card, to the downright catastrophic, such as identity theft.

Credit Card Fraud Tip 1 : Use Virtual Credit Cards
Leaving your card at home is all well and good to prevent in-person fraud, but what about shopping online? By using virtual credit cards ( which have a different number than your regular credit card and expire after one use ) you can remove the one thing from the equation that attracts criminals: a viable card to steal. Thieves who intercept virtual credit card numbers will soon find that they no longer work, which will send them on their way toward the next victim-in-waiting. Best of all, most banks and credit card companies ( including PayPal ) now offer virtual cards for little or no cost.

Credit Card Fraud Tip 2 : Shred Your Mail
The surest way to prevent criminals from getting their hands on such documents as bank statements or utility bills is to shred them before they leave your home. Do not, as many foolishly do, simply toss those papers in the trash and figure that no one will really stoop so low as to empty your garbage cans to find them. Professional identity thieves can and will do just that, because they know from experience that it pays off in spades. Don’t take that chance. Instead, invest $40 in a small paper shredder and make it a rule of the household that nothing hits the trash can without being shredded first.

Credit Card Fraud Tip 3 : Do Not Submit Credit Card Numbers to Bank Emails
As a general rule, most banks and credit card companies will never request your account numbers via e-mail. Such requests will occur over the phone or, more likely, in person. No matter how official, credible, or authoritative an e-mail or website appears to be, if it is asking for sensitive information–especially in connection with a “ routine security check ”–you can safely assume that you are being scammed and back away. In fact, most banks (on their real websites) explicitly state that they will never approach you for this information in any such manner.

Credit Card Fraud Tip 4 : Review Your Billing Statements Periodically
There is one way to detect early warning signs of credit card fraud: periodically reviewing your billing statements. While most people instinctively toss their statements in the trash ( because, after all, they know what they charged ), this is in fact the only way to detect whether fraudulent charges have been made. A simple, 5 minute review of your statement will make crystal clear whether the card has been used improperly, and it can mean the difference between canceling your card while there’s time to limit the damage or being completely unaware until disaster befalls you.

Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine, do both sides of each license, credit card, etc. You will know what you had in your wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call and cancel. Keep the photocopy in a safe place.

A corporate attorney sent this out to the employees in his company. I pass it along, for your information.

We’ve all heard horror stories about fraud that’s committed using your name, address, SSN, credit, etc. Unfortunately I [the author of this piece who happens to be an attorney] have first hand knowledge, because my wallet was stolen last month and within a week the thieve(s) ordered an expensive monthly cell phone package, applied for a VISA credit card, had a credit line approved to buy a Gateway computer, received a PIN number from DMV to change my driving record information online, and more.

But here’s some critical information to limit the damage in case this happens to you or someone you know. As everyone always advises, cancel your credit cards immediately, but the key is having the toll free numbers and your card numbers handy so you know whom to call. Keep those where you can find them easily. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where it was stolen, this proves to credit providers you were diligent, and is a first step toward an investigation [if there ever is one].

Here’s what is perhaps most important: [I never ever thought to do this]. Call the three national credit-reporting organizations immediately, place a fraud alert on your name and SSN. I had never
heard of doing that until advised by a bank that called to tell me an application for credit was made
over the Internet in my name. The alert means any company that checks your credit knows your information was stolen and they have to contact you by phone to authorize new credit.

By the time I was advised to do this, almost 2 weeks after the theft, all the damage had been done.

There are records of all the credit checks initiated by the thieves’ purchases, none of which I knew about before placing the alert. Since then, no additional damage has been done, and the thieves threw my wallet away this weekend [someone turned it in]. It seems to have stopped them in their tracks.

The numbers are:

Equifax: 1-800-525-6285

Experian (formerly TRW): 1-888-397-3742

Trans Union: 1-800-680-7289

Social Security Administration (fraud line): 1-800-269-0271

As the price of gasoline continues to rise, rules to prevent credit card fraud at the nation’s pumps are confusing consumers who just want a full tank of gas.

Caps on transaction amounts—or the total dollar amount of gas a customer can pump into their car—are limiting some drivers of gas guzzling vehicles.

Credit card companies say the policies, which aren’t new, are designed to ensure that merchants and consumers are protected from fraudulent transactions that could occur at a gas pump.

When a customer uses their credit card at a cardholder activated terminal, such as a gas pump, the transaction is authorized without knowing the final bill of sale.

Typically, consumers who use their credit card are not liable for any fraudulent purchases, and gas merchants are not liable either.

But credit card companies have established a protective layer by setting caps on how much gas a consumer can pump at any one given time.

That means in the event of any fraud, “the merchant is protected from bearing the cost of the fraudulent transaction,” said MasterCard spokeswoman Joanne Trout.

But only up to a certain amount.

For MasterCard customers, it’s $75. Visa and Discover users have a $50 pay-at-the-pump limit. Transaction limits vary for corporate card holders and American Express users.

Not all gas stations have to abide by the cap. And there are no limits if a customer goes inside and pays with their credit card at the counter.

source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,283098,00.html