[poncho-mike]

My wife and I only have two credit cards.

One is for personal use, and we only use it for gas for the cars, groceries, and purchases at large stores like Lowes, Home Depot, etc. We only use the credit card online for Amazon purchases.

The second credit card is used for the rental house purchases. It has not been used in months. I use it for materials used to keep up the house and for gas to and from the house when I have to fix something. It is never used online.

Yesterday my wife asked me if I had purchased anything on the credit card associated with the renal house because there was a bill due. I used it this weekend, but it's been months since I had to do anything on the house. I checked the bill, and found a $20 charge for some service I never heard of for this month and last month. I called the credit card company, and they cancelled the card and issued a new one.

I can't figure out how someone managed to get the card numbers for a card I haven't used in months. The last charges on this card were almost six months ago. I'm just curious if anyone else is having these issues.

[gtokid1968]

It happens now days often!
I think they just put numbers some kind of scammer device until they get lucky!
Often mine will get hit for a small amount (like 10 cents) if it goes through, they hit it again for a bigger number.
It happens to me 1-2 a year!
I use my card for everything, so I always have a backup in my wallet.
I am sure you did nothing wrong; it just happens nowadays.

[lugnutx2]

Seeing how everyone's information is everywhere on the internet, wouldn't be too difficult for a hacker to find it. I'm on my 3rd card in 5 years, like you I get hacked long after I use the card.

[grandam1979]

I have a card I use for work gas materials ect.. I have had new cards come a few times without asking or being notified they where coming and not because of expedition date. When I called and asked they said “possible” card breach.

[sdbob]

Mine got hacked near Chicago. Made couple thousand in purchases. Co. knew it wasnt me. They called stopped card and issued a new one. Whew!

[lemans67]

I have my credit cards set up to send a text alert with any use. It usually dings before I leave where I have used it. I also got in the habit of checking the acct almost daily. I have had several cases of card fraud. I once had a card used to buy tickets from Dublin to London. Then they cashed in the refundable tickets. Cost me nothing, the bank covered it. That got me into having the text alerts setup.

[poncho-mike]

I set up the credit card that I use with the rental house to alert me to purchases over $100 via email. The problem is that many of the unauthorized charges are initially low dollar values, and if they get away with it then the fraudster goes crazy.

What I don't understand is how a card that hasn't been used in six months anywhere, and never online can get the numbers stolen. Could it be a breach of security by a retailer?

[carcrazy]

Is your card information on your computer???

[poncho-mike]

The credit card information that got stolen has never been on a computer.

That's what confuses me so much. This same credit card number was stolen two years ago, and I got a new credit card. It is only used for the rental house, and there have been only about a dozen charges on it, only associated with the rental house. It's not on Amazon or any online service. It mainly gets used at gas stations, Ace Hardware, Lowes Home Improvement, and Home Depot. Those are the only locations this card has ever been used since the number was changed. And until Sunday, it had been six months since it was last used.

[rwfisher]

Sometimes these card numbers are sold off in huge lots ( Yeah it’s that bad ) and it is months before they ping the card with small unflagged charges to see if their noted. Last year I was apparently in Florida purchasing 2 new IPhones with mine even though I was laying in a hospital bed in Vermont.

[sdbob]

I went to Home Depot about 15 yrs ago to apply for part time job. There computer was down so they said take down info on scraps of paper they had,ok. I looked on opposite side of scrap paper here it was daily print out copy of what someone had bought, all of the info was there,all of it. I called store after I noticed it. I cant imagine now with some of the the apathy out there!

[1965gp]

I was on a trip once and left my wallet at a bar (go figure….). I ordered new credit cards to be sent to the hotel since I was there for a couple days.

The next day I got a fraud alert for a card I had not received and had not activated! I called them and they asked if the charge was mine (some political donation that I normally would not do) and I said no not at all. They cancelled it and sent another card.

The customer service lady said (as was mentioned) that sometimes it is random and other times it is them getting hacked. So it might not have had anything to do with you at all.

Ironically I found my wallet the next day. Felt like an idiot.

[Formulabruce]

My wife just went through this. New card, next day she calls phone company to update it for billing, and they already had it.

[Bob Dillon]

Originally Posted by poncho-mike

Those are the only locations this card has ever been used since the number was changed. And until Sunday, it had been six months since it was last used.

Did you buy gas with the card on that day? Credit card skimmers on gas pumps are quite the popular scam here in Californa.

[Heybuck]

Our family made a world trip 4 years back. Took 2 credit cards. One to use, spare always left in hotel safe etc. While travelling, carried the spare card in my pants pocket. Other cards in my wallet with other cards, licence etc. Got to Florida, disneyworld put second card in hotel safe.
Next day while waiting for a ride I got a text message asking about activity on the spare card. 4 seperate purchases all near Orlando. Before I could reply I got a second text saying my card had been locked. Call home bank. Yep. Locked.
The ONLY place my card could have been scammed was at Orlando airport. I was told the scammers carry hidden card readers in portable bags. Cards which have no protection are readable and recorded by their equipment.
Soon as we got home I bought card protection sleeves for all our cards. Never had another problem.
HOWEVER, what we were alerted to is the danger of having your passport electronically scanned by a scammer. Keep your passport securely in a passport protection envelope. Getting your credit card scammed is nothing like getting your identity stolen. You can get a new card the next day. Identity theft never goes away.

[AC445]

At Christmas we gave a relative a $100 card. She tried to use it a week later an was told only $.98 was left. My wife called Visa and it took several weeks to get it replaced.The agent said it was common.