Credit Card Fraud

[drloca]

Have never experienced any problems thankfully...I have used it from time to time in Jose Luis, nowhere else that I can recall.

[pyratt]

Ca$h is king....and a money belt is the safest place for it....otherwise, try LifeLock - Identity Theft Prevention – Identity Theft Protection – Stop Identity Theft

Credit monitoring service

[Hillbilly]

Today's paper announces the arrest of several members of a ring of CC thieves. Two were employees of VisaNet..
See Listin Diario for details.

HB

[GALK]

This makes sence!
I've been informed that my Visacard has been used in Pakistan last week. As they monitor the countries were one usually uses the card, they cancelled the card immidiatly.

Looking where I used the card recently, I only found places were I used to pay with card since long time, but if the thiefes worked for VisaNet you can't protect yourself.

Since 86 I use credit cards in the DR and had only 1 time a problem when someone tried to pay a telefone bill with my Visacard by fone in 94.
Luckily I had the fone with a different company, got a new card, the money back and that was it.

[Lapurr]

Originally Posted by Hillbilly

Today's paper announces the arrest of several members of a ring of CC thieves. Two were employees of VisaNet..
See Listin Diario for details.

HB

This is good news, maybe there will be a stop to this chaos...

[Pib]

Originally Posted by Robert

I use a credit card all the time in the DR and have never had a problem. I must have done 500+ transtions here.

I don't know how many transactions I make with mine, mostly I pay for the utilities and groceries sometimes.

Dominican banks are extremely paranoid about their customer's credit card use. If I wish to purchase something on Amazon, for example, and I buy from different vendors withing their system, I have to notify the security department at my credit card company because they would block it otherwise. They would also block my credit card being used outside my hometown if I don't notify them beforehand. They also block it if two consecutive payments are requested from a gas station.

About 3 months ago I got a call on a Sunday and it was somebody from the bank asking if I was filling up my tank in a gas station in Arroyo Hondo. I had not, in fact, left my home all day. So they canceled the credit card and told me to go to one of their office and file a claim for a RD$5000 expenditure made with a copy of my card. All the companies that automatically deduct payments from my card piled up when the card stopped working. Good times, good times.

Coincidentally (or not?) I had just spent a few days at a hotel in Bayahibe. I had used my card there and nowhere else but the usual places when I returned home.

So yes. It also happens to locals... if we hang out where there are tourists.

[GardenCraft]

Whilst at Centro Leon in Santiago; my gf purchased a nice box of cigars for me. She then caught the salesboy entering her credit card details into a calculator which was hooked to the computer. After much yelling and finger-pointing it was lamely explained that all transactions go into a "database". The manager went very white and looked like he wanted to be anywhere except in that room.....We now have a new card but the bank isn't really interested in pursuing the issue. I can only assume that a theft has to occur before they'll act on a fraud.

Yes, fruad is rampant, but being vigilant will help to minimise events. If using a card often you may benefit from having 2 or 3 cards. Why? Because in our experience one card will be getting cancelled at any given time.

[COROLLA24]

I was in Rio San Juan for 1month in May... I used my Credit Card at the Bahia Principe to pay for 2nights there.. WHen I returned from Domincian Republic, the week later I had 1000$ racked up on my card from Australia...
They cancelled my card thankfully and reinbust my account....
But I only used my CC at Bahia Principe and at a hotel in Toronto when I returned..
I still havent heard anything of who did this, but it happend at the same time hearing all this other CC fraud bein done in DR.....

[BermudaRum]

Originally Posted by COROLLA24

I was in Rio San Juan for 1month in May... I used my Credit Card at the Bahia Principe to pay for 2nights there.. WHen I returned from Domincian Republic, the week later I had 1000$ racked up on my card from Australia...
They cancelled my card thankfully and reinbust my account....
But I only used my CC at Bahia Principe and at a hotel in Toronto when I returned..
I still havent heard anything of who did this, but it happend at the same time hearing all this other CC fraud bein done in DR.....

You are right about the month of May and Australia. I had my card copied and used at Home Depot in Australia (US$1,500) before being stopped. Strange that you and a previous post #46 mentioned Bahia Principe. Because I only used this certain card at a Golf Course very close to Bahia and have been using it over a year. Also not sure if Bahia use the same excuse that their card line is out of service, hence the old swipe/carbon copy system is then used.

[MrMike]

I have been here for 8 years now, and use one or more credit cards almost daily. So far I have had only 2 issues and both of them occurred withing the same week, and both of them were detected by the bank and resolved immediately.

One of my DR cards was used at a gas station in Santo Domingo (I was in Santiago at the time) and before I was even aware of the charge the bank had canceled my card and issued a new plastic. When I called in to report my card being declined, they explained the situation and instructed me to go to my local branch office and get my new plastic.

The 4,000 pesos were refunded within a week as promised.

Great job Banco de Progreso.

I am fairly sure that the card was cloned at a Santiago gas station, since I had used it at an unfamiliar Esso station on the way to Cofresi the week previous, and do recall the pump attendant taking a long time with it, but since I was busy with my young children didn't follow him and watch him with the card. Guess he took advantage of my obvious distraction.

The other issue was when my Amazon.com Visa card was used at another gas station in Tampa, FL (I was in Santiago at the time) I have only ever used this card on Amazon.com and it has never left my wallet since I received it so I am still scratching my head over that one.

Just like the previous case Chase bank detected the unusual activity and canceled the card, issuing a new one and refunding the money.