Credit Card Fraud

[Ezequiel]

Originally Posted by edm7583

Yes, credit card fraud is a problem in most of Latin America, but it is particulary rampant in the DR. In all my trips, I have used my credit card exactly one time. (at an international hotel chain in Santo Domingo.) The transaction went through, but after I used it, my credit card company put a security block on my card simply because a transaction was made in the Dominican Republic. I didn't realize it until I was back in the States and I tried to use the card and it was rejected. I was told it is their policy to put a security block on cards when transactions appear from the DR.

I would never use a credit card there, except in an absoulte emergency where I had no other option, and I very rarely (if ever) use an ATM there. When I do, it's located right at the bank and during opening hours.

All this is just PARANOIA, everytime i go to the DR i used my credit card, as if i'm here in the U.S. and nothing happened, nor the bank put a stop to my transaction.

My friend whose live in {{Arizona}} had a charge of 10,000 on his credit card he didn't know from where that charge came from, and cost him time and money to fixed it.

I was in Italy (Venice) the last week of May, and my credit card was cancelled by the bank for NO reason, it took me a couple of our in the phone and a long distance charge to fixed it.

But of course Americans and foreigners as a whole, if the problem is the size of an Ant they put it the size of an Elephant, just because it happened in the DR. If it happened in the U.S. is fine, Right?

[Lapurr]

Originally Posted by Ezequiel

All this is just PARANOIA, everytime i go to the DR i used my credit card, as if i'm here in the U.S. and nothing happened, nor the bank put a stop to my transaction.

My friend whose live in {{Arizona}} had a charge of 10,000 on his credit card he didn't know from where that charge came from, and cost him time and money to fixed it.

I was in Italy (Venice) the last week of May, and my credit card was cancelled by the bank for NO reason, it took me a couple of our in the phone and a long distance charge to fixed it.

But of course Americans and foreigners as a whole, if the problem is the size of an Ant they put it the size of an Elephant, just because it happened in the DR. If it happened in the U.S. is fine, Right?

No it is not fine, it shouldn't happen anywhere, but crime is on the rise, and this is terrifying, identity theft is intrusive and hijacking the identity of another person or business is gaining as technology advances. Criminals are getting much smarter these days!!

I know you will all think I am crazy, I never travel with credit cards, infact I don't have any...I have store credit cards, and now have started to use pre paid cards, with amounts no larger than $500, it's just too risky.

I bring cash, I don't carry it around with me and I certainly do not flash it, but I have had a bad experience in DR with debit and ever since then I don't use debit either.

[Ezequiel]

Originally Posted by Lapurr

No it is not fine, it shouldn't happen anywhere, but crime is on the rise, and this is terrifying, identity theft is intrusive and hijacking the identity of another person or business is gaining as technology advances. Criminals are getting much smarter these days!!

I know you will all think I am crazy, I never travel with credit cards, infact I don't have any...I have store credit cards, and now have started to use pre paid cards, with amounts no larger than $500, it's just too risky.

I bring cash, I don't carry it around with me and I certainly do not flash it, but I have had a bad experience in DR with debit and ever since then I don't use debit either.

I'm the opposite, i don't carry cash, i only use debit and credit cards, i don't go to places that don't accept debit or credit cards. If somebody is going to steal your identity, they will steal there in DR, here in U.S.(it happened to thousand of people every year here) and in China.

Likewise i make all my bill payments online, never have a problem and pray God never will, but i have friends that they are terrified about making payment online (paranoic). I can't live my life being afraid about every single thing.

[xamaicano]

Originally Posted by Ezequiel

I can't live my life being afraid about every single thing.

No need to be paranoid just use the necessary precautions. I have had fraud on my debit card in the U.S. and in Colombia. My debit card comes with fraud protection. A good idea is to notify your bank when you will be out of country when you travel and monitor your account regularly so if there is any fraud you catch it quickly to mitigate the damage.

[Bronxboy]

Originally Posted by Ezequiel

I'm the opposite, i don't carry cash, i only use debit and credit cards,

My personal opinion is this is the way to go!!!!!

[Ezequiel]

Originally Posted by xamaicano

No need to be paranoid just use the necessary precautions. I have had fraud on my debit card in the U.S. and in Colombia. My debit card comes with fraud protection. A good idea is to notify your bank when you will be out of country when you travel and monitor your account regularly so if there is any fraud you catch it quickly to mitigate the damage.

Thank you xamaicano, every credit and debit card nowaday have fraud protection, but it seems some posters here are using (cuquica) banks and they don't have fraud protection.

[on the road again]

Not posting to advocate either credit card, debit card, or cash, as it may well depend on where and how someone is living.

I thought though it worth mentioning my recent experience here. Our Visa card was recently blocked by our Canadian bank because a duplicate of it had been discovered during a police investigation overseas.

By a strange coincidence, an acquaintance, another contractor who we met while we were still settling into Santo Domingo and staying in a hotel here, had his debit card duplicated and used in the UK. He's from Eastern Europe, hasn't been to the UK in years, and has very rarely and cautiously used his debit card here. Both incidents happened in the last 10 days. (We're still puzzling over the connection, if there is one. The hotel's ATM?)

Clearly, whatever scam seems to be making use of security holes in DR financial systems, but it seems to me to be international in scope, with the DR just one link in a nasty chain.

The fellow whose debit card was falsely debited is having to jump through major bureaucratic hoops to get credited, whereas in our case, Visa was very prompt to protect us, and getting new cards and verifying all recent transactions took place with a collect call.

The only words of dubious wisdom I have to add are if you're using cards while travelling, it's worthwhile finding out before you arrive in a foreign country how to make a collect call to your credit company.

cheers.

[sheller]

Just recently I have had three credit card issues all stemming from gas stations in santo domingo and Juan dolio. Some with in 2 days of the original transaction a card was present and swipped in Miami and Chicago.

[sylindr]

just returned from dr and at some point had my information stolen. Just had my credit card company call me about a bunch of purchases in Japan. I am Canadian and have not been near there. I will not have to pay these bills but it was caught because i had charges one day in DR and the next in Japan. It is good they monitor patterns, I also check once a week all charges on my card to help this also

[Charlielyn]

There seems to be an international visa card fraud ring working out of the DR. I am amazed at all the stories everyone has recounted here. After my experience in April, I did not use my visa card when in Puerto Plata again in June. In October I will use cash as much as possible again. It is not worth the hassle.