Credit/debit card warning!!!

[dddave]

 

I confess to being somewhat lackadasical about carefully checking my bank statements so it was just dumb happenstance that I opened and checked my August statement the day it arrived. To my suprise there was a $650.00 retail debit card transaction from Bangkok dated late July. I had been in Thailand from January thru April and had not left the US since. While in Thailand, I had been careful with card usage. I avoided any card transactions with merchants, restaraunts or hotels, always paying in cash which I got using only major bank ATM's. I did however use the card at several travel agencies both in Bkk and Pattaya for domestic airline and tour package tickets.

 

I spent hours on the phone with the bank initiating an investigation and claim and just received notification today that my claim was upheld and the money credited back to my account.

 

Whoever used my card number sat on it for 3 or 4 months before using it hoping it wouldn't be picked up.

 

Learn from me and carefully check those statements long after you leave any risky destination.

 

dj

[BelgianBoy]

Says dddave:

---

Learn from me and carefully check those statements long after you leave any risky destination.

---

 

Risky destination ????

 

You are right insofar you always have to check your statements everywhere all the time, I do.

 

Only time I got scammed was in New York........

 

Also try never to loose your card out of eyesight when doing a payment !

 

Cheers !

[Guest]

Not just "risky destinations"...........everywhere.

 

Huge organized rings of number collectors worldwide. Not just a LOS problem.

 

Buying jewelry perhaps?...... A couple of years ago Amex sent out a letter apologising to their clients that in Thailand you would have to show picture ID for purchases over $500, as the rate of C/C fraud was so enormous.

[jp1]

This happened to me twice in the US but never in Thailand. I had no problem to recover the money each time.

[torrenova]

I've never had a problem in LOS but I know it goes on.

 

When I live in Mallorca, it was big business to scam the tourists, often for small amounts. The operation used to be either hit the card for as much as possible straight away or drip feed a few transactions over a length of time.

 

I suspect that many people are more careful scrutinising their statements in the first couple of months after returning from holiday. They may then be less careful.

[vinod]

Of late many of the gold shops in China Town require a passport as identy when buying gold when charging to CC. They are taking the copy of PP and making you sign that you have purchsed the gold along with the value.

 

As a fequent business travell to Bkk, I just use one CC on all my trips, this helps in tracking the cc. I also make an excel statement once I am back home and mail it to the bank certfying that these are the only expenses charged to cc. I use the cc at all sundry places including, at the NEP bars :: Touch wood I have not yet run into problem during the past 4 years with cc in Bkk

 

cheers

vinod

 

 

 

[Guest]

Sounds like you have it covered well. Others should take note.

 

I am most leery of travel shops, (only deal with a couple I've known a long time), any restaurant that uses paper transaction slips, and guest houses. 8 years ago (or so) 50% of all Amex C/C frauds outside of NA were in Thailand... hence the new rule.

 

Waiters and cashiers are regular scammers to the operations selling the carbon part of the old paper jobbies for $1-5 each...nice money.

 

Guest houses, 'locked' your valubles away while you went treking. By checking you airline tickets they knew when you were going home and would actually send your card on a shopping spree while you were enjoying the river rafting.

 

C/C fraud is a major concern for all legitimate hotel operations and F&B managers have to stay on top of proceedures constantly. We do more than just smooze with the guests. (But that's still the best part. )

 

Cheers

[Torneyboy]

Hi

 

Credit card fraud is very a big problem worldwide at the moment.

 

Checking you statement is a good start...also track your card online if you are able to.

 

Others i know ask for the paper/carbons to be given to them and they destroy them later.

[jasmine]

Hello,

 

There was an article a few months ago about a Thai bank who claimed their clients used ATM cards for some transactions. The amount was small, like 1000 Baht or so per transaction, but several clients got charged randomly. Some clients may have such transactions every other month and no one could prove that they didnot charge. It had become a pattern for severeal provinces, one of the victim was my brother and he and others in the same province filed complaints and such transactions stopped but the clients must be responsible for the prior charges.

 

Of course they blamed on the computers. I don't use ATM myself, but if ones do and some erronous transactions show up, what can ones do, especially in Thailand?

 

Cheers! ::

[lopburi3]

I don't believe ATM errors are very common here as I have only had one problem in the last 10 years using them at least weekly.

The one time there was an error it was due to charge being made to my US account but atm not having enough money to pay it all out. Receipt from atm was correct and US bank accepted it immediately.

One thing to be careful about is that often credit card charges are late (sometimes by months) so you want to be very sure that it is not really something you did charge long ago when an unknown bill appears.