The first of mine I am pretty sure happened at a Chinese restaurant where I didn't recognize the guy behind the counter and he went in back to swipe the card. I got a dinner charge for 104 bucks at the local P.F. Chang's. I figured he got tired of the food at his restaurant. The second one I have no idea. I had not used it much but did use it at a local grocer and a Redbox and got charges from some Middle Eastern airlines.
They should never have the machine under the counter. It should always be in view. If its under the counter I would ask them to lift it up so I can see it. That's the thing about these people, they don't care about who they rip off, and a sick patient in hospital is the perfect victim. I remember those old carbon things, and I am not that old! I think some places actually still have them, at least until a few years ago.
But not this guy and the medical technician ended up in prison.... My youngest daughter's friend, "K" lives in Seattle and had a friend whom she'd known for yrs - they did a lot of shopping together. One afternoon they stopped for lunch and when K went to the bathroom, she left her purse on the table w/friend.... B/f she knew it, she & husband were getting all these bills for purchases they never made and the cost was a couple thousand.... they contacted the stores and don't remember the details there, but they were stuck w/the bills. And K didn't even know her one credit card was gone until she went to get it - then she remembered leaving her purse w/the 'friend' - so she went over to her place, asked her if she had stolen the card and used it, the friend burst out bawling and admitted it...... K & husband didn't do anything about it and paid the bills.... I'll never understand that.... As far as some department stores having their credit card machines under the counter, I wouldn't waste my time asking them to put it on the top counter b/c they'd just tell me they couldn't move it b/c of the way it's installed, I'm sure..... so I just lean over the counter and watch to make sure it's not swiped more than once... works for me.....
I don't like places where they take the card from you and swipe it themselves. They could just turn the machine around and let me do it, but they seem to think I am not capable of that. How do I know they don't have some kind of camera on the wall that can read the number on the card?
No real need for that. The customer already pays in the astronomical rates that credit card co's are permitted to charge. It's why they really don't care too much about being outsmarted by criminals. It's you that pays for the criminality, not the credit card co. I find I am having to type co. for company in the previous sentence because when typed in full it becomes a url for an advert.
They can read the card number, but they also need the expiration date, and the three-digit security code on the back of the card. The card number is important, but the security code is as important. Fraud protection units are good for what they do - and what they do is analyze and attempt to detect unusual patterns in card usage. On big ticket items, they'll usually catch fraud. But on low-level merchandise... Let's say you have, for example, a BoA Visa with a $10K limit and your card info is stolen. If the thief tries to go to Helzberg jewelers and buy a $7K diamond ring, it'll probably trip the fraud alert software, and the purchase won't go through. But... if the thief stays low-key and uses the stolen card info for minor purchases - $200 in groceries at Kroger, $50 in gasoline at Exxon, things of that nature - then the fraud software probably won't catch it, especially if the purchases are made in the same geographical area that the original cardholder lives in. The credit card issuers look for patterns - someone maxing out a credit card making Internet purchases, and having them shipped to a different address than what is on the account. If the number is stolen used for everyday routine purchases, it's a lot harder to detect.
