possible CC fraud while buying brew supplies

Not sure where to post this but I thought I would start here. Mods can move the post if need be.

Last night, I was shopping for parts for a boil kettle valve spigot and also for a counterflow chiller. I made 4 legit charges with 4 separate companies that I have found through reading threads here. I bought a hose from amazon, a lawn mower part from sears parts direct (not for brewing), and some copper tubing and some kettle spigot fittings from 2 other merchants that I dont want to call by name.

This AM I got a call from my CC company to say they had put a block on my card due to suspicious transactions. I was annoyed because I knew I had used the card and didnt want to deal with the hassle. But when I reviewed the list of charges, there was a 5th charge that I couldnt identify and so I decided to leave the block on the card until I get it figured out.

The charge came from a company called "Compra Mercado" for $57.69. The CC people said that the company is listed as a direct marketer out of Mexico. This amount is about the same amount as the other charges I made.

I have been back through my shopping spree in my mind several times and through my email inbox but cant match this charge up with something that I bought. I suspect that it is in fact a fradulent charge and that somehow with the 4 legit transactions I processed last night, my data got compromised and it resulted in this charge.

So here are my questions for the forum...

1. Does anyone recognize this company and is it possible that this is a legit charge and I just cant remember what I bought?

2. Has anyone else had any experiences like this? I did see the AHB thread but AHB is not one of the companies that I was doing business with in this instance.

3. Do you think I should call the merchants that I did business with and ask them about this?

Thanks.

I'm not going to comment on your particular scenario, because it's really hard to say what's what. I will however share my experience with a stoled CC# after making an internet transaction. A couple years ago, I ordered some beer kits, a plane ticket and 2 concert tickets online, on the same day (tax refunds rule). The next day my CC company called and said there was suspicious activity on the card, the person on the phone started listing the charges. All of which were legit until the last, a charge for the same amount as the plane ticket from a 'wholesaler' in the Carribean (D.R., if I remember correctly). Obviously this charge was unauthorized and I had my card # cancelled and had a new one issued immediately. As it turned out, someone was able to snag my info as I was placing orders online. I don't know about any of that fancy computer hacker $hit, but I assume that this sorta thing is fairly common. I've known other's who've had their info compromised after placing orders online.

Don't immediately suspect recent transactions. Sometimes credit card "lifters" will wait a while before using a stolen number in an effort to not raise suspensions to certain websites or merchants.

It's very conceivable that a hacker that found a hole in a website would want to get a decent number of credit cards before using them, as this would prevent easy discovery after using only a few.

Mercado = market. Someone cloned your credit card and used it in a small market in Mexico. I had the same happen to me last year, except it was used in the NYC subway to buy subway passes.

MC

Misplaced_Canuck said:

Mercado = market. Someone cloned your credit card and used it in a small market in Mexico. I had the same happen to me last year, except it was used in the NYC subway to buy subway passes.

MC

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That's what I'm thinkin'. When it happened to me, the transactions were online, just using my # and stuff, but my mother had her debit card cloned like that. Someone kept using it at a small corner store in MI, mom lives in Ft. Worth. People do some insane $hit to get by in this world, always gotta be careful.

low-life bastards. hope you get this sorted out

Or one of these sites had a compromised ad (flash vulnerability) was watching the transaction information pass though.

Apologize if this seems like too obvious of a question, but did the sites URLs start with http or https?

I was hacked in a similar fashion a few years ago. Before that I never noticed whether there was an "s" after the http. the s denotes a secure site. I always check now, and so far have not had a second problem.

A-Juice said:

is it possible that this is a legit charge and I just cant remember what I bought?

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How drunk were you?

I've had this happen before. The only thing you can do is have the CC company cancel your card and send you a new one.

I have had similar experiences in the past... (yes more than once).
Credit card companies are a pretty sharp bunch... there computer programs actually pattern you
and can flag "uncharacteristic" charges. There are numerous things that will flag your account for review.

It's also VERY possible, like others mentioned, that NONE of those transactions were at fault.
You may have been "cloned" buying gas through a "fake" swipe reader, or any number of other ways.
Thieves also use sophisticated programs that will run thousands of card#, exp date, & CCV codes until one "hits",
then they will quickly charge until it gets rejected.

Banks are aware of this, and simply accept the losses as a cost of doing business and pass those cost on to you through fees, etc.

PHONE BILLS are a HUGE scam. I will not post details other than to STRONGLY suggest you check you monthly detail carefully.
Call your phone company and ask them how to prevent unauthorized charges. It's easy, but not automatic... you need to request it.
You'd be shocked at what the phone companies allow, it's actually a HUGE industry, a large percentage of it fraudulent.

thanks for the input everyone.

I wasnt drunk but I was comparing quite a few sites and adding stuff to carts and checking the shipping charges and such before the final purchase decisions were made. A little confusing at times, but I think I know what I bought and from whom.

The card has been cancelled by my bank and I have applied for a replacement.

I didnt think to look for https instead of http but checking it now, that wasnt the problem.

It might not be related to the brew supply websites at all but i wanted to check on it here.

thanks again

I had my CC get used for a match.com membership and $7 at itunes immediately after the first time i paid with a CC at a local HBS.

But i figure it's more likely that my digits were lifted days earlier.

damn credit union wants me to sign an affidavit that i do not use itunes, but gave the match.com money back immediately. What are they implying?!

Weird. I had a transaction disallowed at my local HBS last Saturday. Ended up paying with cash and after contacting them they said the activity was suspicious. What's so suspicious about $46 worth of supplies when I've bought stuff there every other week for the past several months?

Don't feel too bad, I got a new card the first of last month, had it activated and used it in a BK drive thru. Before I got home (15 min) the little turd had used the card number to buy 1500 worth of online gaming credits

Most cards get lifted in person. usually they are lifted by an employee of a store you went to in the past. many times if you log in with a pc, droid, iphone, etc... at a cyber cafe or hotspot they can be lifted if you place an order on any website you increase your chances. It's better to use a specific card with a low limit that is not attached to banking info then your debit card. Even better is to get a refillable card at the store for online purchases. Less monetary protection but id theft is limited.

I keep two active credit cards, one for in-person use and the other for internet and automatic payment use. If either has a problem I can temporarily use the other until I get a new card. I've had fraud on each one in the past. Both times the CC company caught it.

That's why I don't pay with a CC in a drive through for any reason.... ever...

There are numerous ways someone could have used your card information. Even if you did nothing wrong, you have to rely on the retailer's computer system which is ALWAYS vulnerable in some way. I pity the poor fool who works at a restaurant and thinks they can get away with using someone's credit card information right away. That idiot is not going to have a very good life...

also think of what kind of person does this sort of thing. low life dirtballs. anyone who steals is a loser. obviously they are, if they are stealing. BTW dont forget about computer viruses. another easy way for hackers to get your info. i like to be robbed in person, at least i have a chance to fight or flight, and i can see who's at least Fu@#ing me

dpalme said:

Don't feel too bad, I got a new card the first of last month, had it activated and used it in a BK drive thru. Before I got home (15 min) the little turd had used the card number to buy 1500 worth of online gaming credits

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I hope you took this evidence to his boss and got his ass fired.

My little sister has started handling chargebacks for the online retailer she works for and is losing faith in humanity over it. There aren't just a lot of people using stolen cards out there, there are people who buy stuff from her employer and then dispute it as many times as they can get away with. They do try to blacklist people who have more than one chargeback.

scottab said:

Most cards get lifted in person. usually they are lifted by an employee of a store you went to in the past. many times if you log in with a pc, droid, iphone, etc... at a cyber cafe or hotspot they can be lifted if you place an order on any website you increase your chances. It's better to use a specific card with a low limit that is not attached to banking info then your debit card. Even better is to get a refillable card at the store for online purchases. Less monetary protection but id theft is limited.

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Yeah, I sort of suspected the lackey who works at the LHBS, but i also sort of don't think he's that bright. They use a normal mag-stripe card reader that is probably attached to the computer next to it, though, and that computer came up way compromised with viruses later that week. So it may have been the LHBS, but not their fault.

grimzella said:

i like to be robbed in person, at least i have a chance to fight or flight, and i can see who's at least Fu@#ing me

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Reminds of that saying about common courtesy and "reach-arounds".....
carry on

TimpanogosSlim said:

... though, and that computer came up way compromised with viruses later that week. So it may have been the LHBS, but not their fault.

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At that point it is their fault. POS systems shouldn't be used for surfing the internet, ever!

stamandster said:

At that point it is their fault. POS systems shouldn't be used for surfing the internet, ever!

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Two thumbs up, double liked, +1'd etc...

scottab said:

Two thumbs up, double liked, +1'd etc...

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or at least have a technician come in and scan your pc's if you cant do it yourself. Viruses are very stealthy these days, and as mentioned above, its best to have a sales pc surfing away or better yet dont even connected it to the internet. use a zon box and have the customer swipe their own card.

Just to put closure on this issue in case anyone is interested...

It looks like the suspected charge was only a "hold" and never actually resulted in a charge to my account. What I think I may have done was filled out an order form and added stuff to my cart and then entered my payment info but cancelled the transaction instead of confirming it after seeing the shipping charges that were added and deciding that another vendor had a better total price.

So as far as I can tell, everything is normal and no need to fear shopping with the vendors that I did business with.

Thanks for the interest.

Juice

I really hate sites that make you input your payment info before showing the shipping charge.