New ways of Stealing

Be sure to read Scene 3. Quite interesting.

This is a new one.People sure stay busy

trying to cheat us, don't they?


SCENE 1.
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 care 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 car 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 with the
fact that this boy just took a picture of my creditcard.


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 cancelled
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.