Being a consumer today is difficult plight for all of us. We have to be on alert constantly and one step ahead of any possible scam. I got hit with one this week that surprised me. I wanted to write about it, because I think it’s an easy one to unwittingly fall victim to.Now retired, I only keep two credit cards and rarely use cash anymore. Credit cards give the best record of all spending at tax time. I shop at store called Sam’s Club for all my grocery needs.
When I got my credit card bill this month, I noticed an entry for $100 Quick Cash. It was listed as a separate entry/transaction on the same day, at the same store. My grocery charge was on the line just above the Quick Cash charge.
Knowing I had not gotten cash, I called the Credit Card Customer Service to dispute the bill. They removed it from my charges, canceled the card and issued me a new card.
Regardless, I wanted to know what happened. So I took my bill and receipt to the Sam’s Club manager. There were 3 possibilities:
1. Computer error- not probable.
2. Fake Card- not likely. I hadn’t lost my card and the Quick Cash transaction happened at the same time I was at the store.
3. Cashier Theft- 100% probability
This is what happened: The clerk asked me for my credit card and I handed it to him. He checked out my groceries and directed me to sign on credit card pad. While my attention was diverted to signing, the clerk swiped my card through a second time at his register. He made a $100 withdrawal and pocketed the money. He handed me my credit card back and I left the store.
Pretty slick crime, huh? Actually- pretty stupid. The Sam’s Store computer was able to:
A. Identify the employee - Every transaction (to open a cash drawer) puts the employees identification number on it.
B. All Signatures on Credit Card transactions are recorded. -No attempt was even made to copy my signature.
C. Record of the exact time the transaction was made. - The Quick Cash swipe occurred a minute and half after the grocery transaction, when I would have been signing the receipt.
The employee will be fired. An investigation is being launched by Sam's Clubs for thefts to other customers and criminal charges are being filed against the employee.
Lesson learned: Never hand credit cards to any cashier. Swipe your card through yourself and put it back in your wallet. If they need to see it for I.D., show it to them. Don’t allow anyone to take it from you. And always check the charges on your credit card bills carefully.
Got a scam we need to watch out for? Tell me about it.
The little painting at the top –is just one of my illustrations for the paranormal book I talked about in a previous blog. I thought it had an ominous tone and as an artist, I love pictures with my blogs. Please visit the Red Chair Gallery. I’m offering a 10% off any painting until Dec. 1, to bloggers only.
31 comments:
I love that painting, it's creepy and so cool. I don't answer the "unknown caller" calls, they can leave a message or just forget about it, fine by me. But then I don't even own a cell phone...who would call me? I'm sorry that you got scammed, but being that you are the smartest Momma in the whole world, (my hero) you spotted it and he will now pay the price for being a total jackass. I really am mising you, I think I need a Vikki fix. Hope your weekend is great, I'm going to be posting new auctions (I sold one! the blue footed birds) and trying hard to come up with some more revenue streams for the family. Any of your brillant insights would be welcomed...unless you would like for me to just build a house out on your back 40 and move in. Mate Man is better than a gard dog and twice as deadly! :) LOL all my love.
Hi Vikki,
I'm glad you wrote this post. We use our credit card for everything too, including at our Sams store here.
We like using our credit card for all the same reasons you mentioned in your post, plus there's just one payment to deal with each month. It eliminates writing checks everytime we make a purchase. The credit card company even pays us instead of us paying the company interest. As long as we pay off everything each month. Unfortunately, just last month, somebody charged our credit card worth almost $800.00 in airline tickets. Luckily, those airlines don't even fly in our regional area, which made it easier for us to appeal it to the credit card company. I'm happy to inform you that the company took those charges out from our account and then issued us new cards.
Hi Heather,
You’re such a sweetheart. I agree with you on ‘unknown callers’. The one that really gets my tether up is ‘blocked phone calls’ appearing on my caller I.D. That’s just rude and I refuse to answer those! My phone company has a ‘blocked call’ feature that demands the caller identify themselves and their number or the call wont even ring through.
I’ll write you a letter this afternoon. I miss you also. I have a new idea for the immediacy!
Vikki
Hi Tashabud,
Wow! I hope you canceled your card and got a new one? That sounds like someone had your info? Scary stuff!
I have‘Life Lock’ along with all the security measures my credit card companies offer. I can’t even order a small trinket off the Internet without an all points bulletin erupting. That’s fine with me. Life Lock is terrific because all they do is watch for any charges made in and on your credit. They also go after scammers.
Vikki
Thank you for the heads up. I'll be more careful in the future.
I do love that painting. But then, it's yours, and invariably, I love all your stuff.
It is spooky, onimus more than spooky, foreboding.
I love it.
Hi Lou,
Thanks.
According to the Credit Card Company this kind of thing isn't unusual. Scary!
Vikki
This scam is one about which many of you may have heard; however, a friend of mine just got burned fairly recently.
Earlier this year, in an effort to acquire some extra income, I placed an ad on craigslist indicating my willingness to provide services in a number of different areas. Almost immediately, I started receiving responses; however, there was something a little troubling about them. Each one seemed a little ambiguous and vague. In one instance, someone purportedly working for a poverty or disaster relief agency in Africa told me that they were about to return to my hometown, where they had a home which had been empty for months. They even provided photos. They wanted me to take the steps to contact a local contractor to perform a number of tasks around the home in preparation for purported owner's return.
Interestingly, the only money they had was a $3,000 CASHIER'S CHECK from the relief agency, which the student's boss was willing to make payable to me. The student agreed to send me the check, allow me to deposit it and withdraw my fee, and return the rest to them.
Interestingly, I got suspicious because I rec'd roughly 6 similar e-mails within 24 hours. All from different foreign countries, and most with poor spelling and grammar. There was a central theme. Send me the cashier's check and return the rest.
Interestingly, there was a news report on the local TV news about fake cashier's checks, and it caught my attention. Apparently the receiving bank cashes the check because it appears to be legit; then some time later when they determine that it is not, they come back against the depositor looking for reimbursement.
I never responded, but a buddy of mine tried to sell some firewood after cutting down a monstrous tree in his yard. They pulled the scam on him. To its credit, craigslist.com has been trying to fight this scam and notify the public to beware. Beware.
Hi Logisitician,
The Nigerian Scams are something that most artists are familiar. I’ve probably received 6 just in 2008. They come via my gallery site. They state they want to buy the most expensive painting or ‘numerous paintings’. Rarely do they say ‘which’ painting, but they have ‘the check’ ready to send and they need your personal info immediately. The
emails are always written in extremely uneducated verbiage.
One way to get off their mailing list is to simply request their name, phone number and address for verification. They won’t bother you again.
There’s many government and private online list of all kinds of scammers. You can add their URL.
Vikki
Hey Vikki,
Thanks for the heads up about this! Since reading your post, I had to hand over my card twice because the card swipe machine was behind the cashier counter... but I watched it like a hawk. In the 2nd case, the card was swiped 4 times, and I had to verify they only charged me once, but I would have been oblivious before, whether it was an accident or not.
Great painting too, the blue glow is spot on, and the lettering is perfect... so ominous!
~Michael
Hi Michael,
Isn’t that wild? It’s one of those things you’d never suspect- and the fact that he actually did it right in front of me is mind blowing. By nature -we trust cashiers- and that's obviously a mistake. Sam’s Club didn’t even blink and eye- they knew exactly what happened, which leads me to understand I’m not the first.
Vikki
Vikki, you do some of the most original paintings I have seen!
Thanks for the heads up , I immediately checked my new statement! and yes I have been hit by LOTS of scammers from my blog, mostly from Nigeria but lots from Asia as well.
It's been fun looking through your recent posts! I've been gone for awhile again......RW
Cool painting. As heather said, "It's creepy and so cool." Thanks for the heads up about the credit card scam. I'm usually pretty clueless at the store, I just want to get OUT of there.
Hi Robin,
Thanks for your comment. I’m checking all my receipts and invoice like a hawk now.
It’s a very different world we live in, huh?
Vikki
Hi Peggi,
Thanks. I identify with shopping clueless- Never in my wildest dreams did I think a cashier would do something like that. Sam’s Club thanked me over and again for taking the time to let them know what was going on. The manager was hot on this employees tail when I left the store.
Vikki
Vikki that guy was truly stupid!! it was a matter of time before someone would catch him, thankfully you noticed the charge, many don't even check their credit card statement.
The painting is really nice!!! I do admit I answer any call. My cellphone is also my business phone so I have to answer. Twice I had to call the police for a threat on my voice mail and my son's voice mail. Scary!
Hi Manuela,
Wow! A threat on you voice mail had to be terribly frightening. . It’s just a very different world with a different type of bad guys. It seems the morals and basic character values have sunk to an all time low today with so many people. It’s really very sad.
Vikki
Thank god you pay attention to your statement. I'm sure it was not the first time the idiot did it. When they get away with it once or twice, they start getting bold. $100. is a lot for that kind of scam, people notice that.
I came here through Lceel's link.
You are a woman with a vision.
I'm very curious to see the Kid.
It's going to be amazing, I know.
I said that as a comment on your blog, not only on this post.I browsed through it and I love your work!
Scam AND Stupid Criminal. My gosh, I shop at Sam's and have often given my credit card to the cashiers without another thought. I do keep a close eye on the purchases made on the credit card bill. I'm glad you checked into this, as most people will not give it a second thought!
Thanks for the heads up. I'm really bad at keeping an eye on my card. Coming from this small island there's not much credit card fraud yet, but I was just in Miami and know it was out of my sight at the grocery a few times. Will check my bill carefully.
Hi Aleta,
It’s so nice to hear from you. I love Sam’s and none of us give it a thought. Unfortunately we have to today.
Another interesting note: the manager pointed out that Sam’s Club puts an employee by the exit, who compares our receipt to the number of items in our basket. That’s not just for the stores protection. If you have 15 items on your receipt and there’s only 12 in your basket...?
Vikki
Hi Tash,
Thanks. I've done a lot of research on this in the past week. Unfortunately this isn’t a new problem. You know those credit key pad that sit at the front of the counter for the customer to swipe their own card? I always thought they were for our convenience and to speed up the process. That’s the least of it. They were created by the credit card companies to ‘minimize theft’.
Vikki
Hi Eric,
Didn’t you tell me that you were a cop? I was wondering how much time this guy could possibly serve for something like this?
I know with things like identity theft there are few contemporary laws in place to really prosecute. As a society, we need to change that and we need to change it quickly. These creeps need to be taken out off the streets and put in prison.
Vikki
Hi Jientje,
Thanks for your comments and welcome to my blog! I’ll go visit yours also. Don’t you love Lou? He’s such a great talent and nice man.
Yes- Lou and I have created a face for the Kid- but you must remember: The Kid is totally Lou’s vision and creation. I’m just the artist in this case.
Vikki
Smart of you to catch this. And thank you for the heads up. I only own a debit card. It's that or cash, or I don't get it.
One of the advantages of having a small income is that you know where every dime is and would miss it if it's gone!
I'm also in Heather's corner with answering Unknown Callers! Just the name is ominous and this painting carries the same dread and heavy feeling with it.
If you have to hide who you are, you're up to no good anyway. You've already introduced yourself as not divulging the truth about your identity. Why listen to anything else you have to say?
D
Hi Dina,
Thanks- I know what you mean about the ‘unknown caller’. Just the phrase is ominous. Although, more frequently than not, it may just be a cell phone and they haven’t put there name in-but I still don’t like it. I don’t answer them either.
The one that really makes me angry is ‘blocked number’. They have to initiate the blocked number function and then make a call. No way in (you know what) will I answer anyone who calls me blocked!
Vikki
Hey,
I love the painting and so would my 17-year-old, I can't wait to show it to him.
Good thing you check your credit card statements, so many people don't. And, it's a good thing you followed-up with Sam's, I might not have done that. But now I will!
Wayne’s World-
Hi Jeri, Thanks. The motivation for me to follow through was simply that I love shopping at our Sam’s Club. Thinking that was probably what happened, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to shop there again unless I knew for sure and got the problem resolved.
Vikki
Vikki, to answer your question, it will depend on the amount of theft. Say for just yours, $100.00 would put it in the misdemeanor range and he probably won't even see a jail. Now if they can accumulate more victims, and prove a cumulative larger amount, he could spend some time.
Of course it all depends on the laws in your state, and the "social climate" for a lack of a better term. How hard the prosecutors are pushing crimes like this compared to others. Jail overcrowding and so on.
Then the suspects history will play a part also.
Sounds pretty sad doesn't it. The really bad part is it seems the system favors those who have lots of experience with it. They learn all the tricks and back roads to plea bargains. The more trouble a person has and the more time they spend in the system, the more likely they are to walk.
Hi Eric,
Thanks for the scoop. It is a pretty sad state of affairs. I had seen one statistic on New York felony cases. Something like only 8to 10% ever go to trial. And of course we’ve all seen the results of states putting criminals back out in society due to overcrowding in prisons. There’s something very wrong there.
One thing that’s really got to change is the law in regards to identity theft. Many of those criminals only get a slap on a wrist for destroying people’s lives.
Vikki
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