I got a call from my bank the day before Thanksgiving. I had left my phone in the truck, so they just left a message telling me to call them immediately concerning charges to my bank card. I didn't get the message until after the bank had closed, so I spent all that nite and all Thanksgiving Day and nite worrying about it.
Friday morning I called them and they said they had already canceled the card and I needed to come to the bank. I was told that there is a group, out in California, that set at a computer all day punching in numbers until they find one that works. They will log on to a utility company site, in this case the water company, because in most cases all they need to access an account there are a name and address that they can get out of the phone book. They punch in credit card numbers trying to pay on the account until they find one that works, and then use that number until they max it out, or the card is cut off.
The bank caught it because they had paid $10 to California Rural Water. They said it is pritty common and when they see these type charges, they automatically shut the account down. The only place I ever use it is at Farm Supply Stores and they had already used it at two big women's stores, but for some reason that didn't throw up any flags. :lol2: I guess if they had used it at Victoria Secret it would have. :lol:
