Scam Alert

[thebayratt]

I was in New Orleans this past saturday on a B&M tour. We went to four shops and had a blast!
We ate at a resturant/bar in the 'Quarter called Yo Mama's. I had one of the best peanut butter burgers I've ever had! I paid with my debt card and never thought twice about it. Went to four shops and all the cigar purchases were done on my credit card (except for one and I watched the card and it never left my sight), and the drinks were paid in cash.

Tonight, I check my debit card account and I am in the negative... WAY in the negative! I look and I have two charges I don't remember making. One for "peoplefinders.com" and one right after it at "walmart.com"... Hmmm....

Im thinking someone wrote down my debit card number and used it at peoplefinders to get my home (billing address) on a "trial offer". They then claimed not to like the site and got a refund. So im cleared up on that, it was only $14.95.
Then they went to Walmart.com and hit me up for $384 n change!!!! So they entered my card number, and billing address (gotten from peoplefinders) and shipped the item(s) to them as a "gift". Some gift!

A gift that left me high-n-dry and I didn't have any money to feed my family for supper tonight. Luckily, the misses had some money stashed away so we could eat... I was so aggrevated that I didn't eat my pizza....

I called and finally got ahold of VISA so they could cancel my card so I couldn't buy them any more "gifts". Now I am going to be charged NSF fees of $25+ for each transaction past when the account went to negative...

Now, tomorrow I have to miss work and hopefully they will give me sick time for the loss time to go to my bank with my case number from VISA and get the ball rolling for them to investigate the charge(s). Hopefully I can get my money back, its just a matter of how long it will take to get it!

Im not 100% sure of where my card number was aquired at, but read into the story... you'll catch on.

Im so aggrevated right now, I could eat rocks! :angerFU:

Moral of the story:
NEVER give anyone your credit/debit card in a "tourist" town.....


The bad thing is, I am not a tourist and I will be back..... very soon!
The good thing is, I don't have the gas money to go to New Orleans tonight; because I really want to go! :jitb:

 

[sonarman]

Sorry to hear man, these things usually get worked out but the a-hole never gets caught. Thanks for the heads up!

 

[jwintosh]

so sorry to hear. it's happening a lot!! you should not be liable for fraudulent charges. you may have to file a crime report with your local law enforcement.

 

[thebayratt]

Yeh, but I still am going to pop back into the place here real soon and look at her dead in the face and say "remember me!?"

 

[njstone]

You should be able to get the "gift" address from Walmart. Then just show up there and demand all the money. That's certianly what I'd do.

If the item hasn't arrived yet, you could even track the order and try to be there when it's delivered.

 

[thebayratt]

You should be able to get the "gift" address from Walmart. Then just show up there and demand all the money. That's certianly what I'd do.

If the item hasn't arrived yet, you could even track the order and try to be there when it's delivered.

Tried, I have the invoice number, but need the email addy they used to track it. I need both.

 

[blessednxs65]

Sorry to hear this, it sucks to the max. And while I know you are peeved, allow cooler heads to prevail. Let the Law Enforcement folks handle these cretins. No use you winding up o the wrong side of the law, tempting as it may be, it is not worth it. As it was stated earlier, you should not be responsible for the fraudulent charges.

FWIW: go to Walmart and buy one of those disposable VISA cards and pay as you go. At times its a hassle but, it helps prevent nightmares like the one you're dealing with.

Hang in there bro.


---
- Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[krulos]

Your bank will take care of the NSF charges, too. If you can't get the day off, just stop by on your lunch break - it should only take 5 - 10 minutes to dispute it.

One of the disadvantages of debit cards is you usually do have to wait a few days for the charges to be refunded. With a credit card the charge can just be taken off before you're billed for it.

 

[cvm4]

What Tim said ^^^

 

[thebayratt]

What Tim said is what I am hoping will happen. Hoping it will be a short ordeal.

I kind of wished she would have gotten a little more. Then after $500 Im sure its a felony and I would deffinately involve the law.

 

[rduke10]

Ask them if they can give you provisional credit for the dispute. Also, it might help to file a police report and take a copy with you, may help speed up the process. Might be a good idea to call the bank before you go because everybody requires different things.

 

[Starz26]

I have had this happen several times an a call to my bank always lead to an immediate cancel or the card, refund of amount stolen and any fees incurred.... I hate hearing stories where one has to go through all you are having to.....

Iirc, debit cards are still a visa/mc product so you are only liable for 50.00 of the loss, all fees refunded. I remember hearing debit cards may be slower, but nit in my case.

Good luck to you and I hope you were able to enjoy the rest of your vacation..

If the bank gives you any run around, seriously look at another bank....

 

[ciggy]

Yeh, but I still am going to pop back into the place here real soon and look at her dead in the face and say "remember me!?"

Your bank will take care of the NSF charges, too. If you can't get the day off, just stop by on your lunch break - it should only take 5 - 10 minutes to dispute it.

One of the disadvantages of debit cards is you usually do have to wait a few days for the charges to be refunded. With a credit card the charge can just be taken off before you're billed for it.

That sucks bro! I've had this happen before and both of the above worked out for me.
I really hate thieves :argh:

 

[njstone]

I think Eric is right, you may need to pay a $50 charge but that should be all

And as far as law enforcement getting involved ... not gonn happen. I guarantee that unless something pops involving a current suspect, the case williston likely not even be persued at all.

I had someone pass a forged USPS money order of nearly $700 TO a USPS carrier for a COD. That's multiple felonies. The case was not even considered--meaning they wouldn't even take my evidence.

 

[The EVP]

Which stores were they? I'm going to be in NOLA Saturday night and Sunday.

 

[keinreis]

I had something similar happen a few years back, and the bank didn't hesitate to knock off the NSF fees, plus after a bit of begging they put the money back into my account. It is a thing where they will give you the money during the investigation, but they make sure to let you know if they do not find that the purchases fraudulent they will take the money back.

 

[TreeFrog Frank]

That sucks... Sounds like you've gotten some good advice here.


But, I have to admit, when I saw the title of this thread, I totally thought it was going to be about cigar companies trying to pimp a cigar as something it isn't... with false pretenses....

... but glad I was wrong.

 

[CigarSaint]

Shawn, sorry to hear that!! I only use DEBT CARDS for ATM's nothing else... I've had mishaps on my credit card and they'll usually take care of that quickly. Debt Cards are just bad, bad, bad.

 

[smokingIsh]

NOLA = Cash Only for me!

I agree with CigarSaint. Its always best to just use cash in questionable establishments. Trust is not an affordable commotidy anymore.

 

[Kenman25]

I have gone through something kinda similar...I was actually out of the country when mine happened. Took a week for me to catch it but when i did i got all the help i needed from the Bank.

My bank (chase) took care of everything and refunded money twice actually. Your bank should do the same..

Good Luck! This whole identify and credit fraud is getting old quick, kinda crazy how easy it is to steal information like that.