[seeker1950]

I am an Internet shopper, and I have truly enjoyed just pointing and clicking to buy things. I don't like going out to stores. But since experienced the Antivirus 2009 troubles, spending a number of evenings running one removal program after another, and reading about ALL the many computer viruses out there, I'm reluctant to use my credit card online ever again. I even pay some of my bills online, including the one credit card which was compromised by this Antivirus 2009. I don't even receive a paper bill any more from the credit card company, just online statements and paying online. I cancelled the old card # and rec'd the new card today, which I must call in to activate. I'm thinking I should call the credit card company and ask them to start sending me the old fashioned paper bills again, which I'll pay with a paper check! Am I being too paranoid? I should add that this fear of mine is compounded because I actually sent my credit card # to this virus, believing it was a valid Windows program for virus protection. The result is the pending charge from Moscow, Russia on my current credit card bill.
Patty

[philbee]

Originally Posted by seeker1950

I am an Internet shopper, and I have truly enjoyed just pointing and clicking to buy things. I don't like going out to stores. But since experienced the Antivirus 2009 troubles, spending a number of evenings running one removal program after another, and reading about ALL the many computer viruses out there, I'm reluctant to use my credit card online ever again. I even pay some of my bills online, including the one credit card which was compromised by this Antivirus 2009. I don't even receive a paper bill any more from the credit card company, just online statements and paying online. I cancelled the old card # and rec'd the new card today, which I must call in to activate. I'm thinking I should call the credit card company and ask them to start sending me the old fashioned paper bills again, which I'll pay with a paper check! Am I being too paranoid? I should add that this fear of mine is compounded because I actually sent my credit card # to this virus, believing it was a valid Windows program for virus protection. The result is the pending charge from Moscow, Russia on my current credit card bill.
Patty

i think you are doing the right thing. i used to use debit cards online, but haven't had a debit card in awhile.

[seeker1950]

Thanks, Philbee...
I wish I felt the Internet to be safer, but this last virus was a real eye-opener as to the threats out there.
Patty

[BlueFaith]

I don't think you're being too paranoid, but I might not be the best one to chime in here! I had my debit card info "stolen" somehow online. I had charges on my bank statement from all kinds of websites that I knew nothing about. All together they charged my bank account almost $2000. Thankfully, my bank is investigating it and has refunded most of the money. I will never shop online again.... and I was an avid internet shopper at one time. But, that's just me. Maybe we're both being too paranoid?? I dunno. Best of luck with the Moscow, Russia charge. I hope you can get it cleared up.

[seeker1950]

Thanks, MP! That's terrible that your bank account was accessed online! I have several accounts online which have my bank account number as well. Very unsettling. I read on CNet that one Antivirus 2009 hacker had earned $158,000 from this scam. It's a shame that they can sit back and let the money roll in from honest people.
Patty

[sabby]

I understand your fears Patty...but let me tell you, it doesn't just happen online hon. I took a trip to Ohio back a couple of months ago and used my debit card at a road stop at a Dunkin Donuts and also to get gas. While on the trip, someone compromised my card (which NEVER left my hand) and charged over $800 from the Phillipenes. My bank was awesome as I saw it the same day it was deducted from my account when I checked my account online, and they put the money back into my account within 48 hours. They did research it and I just received a letter from them the other day that they found the charges to be fraudulent.

No matter how careful you try to be, there is always someone out there just waiting for that one moment in time to snag and steal what isn't theirs. The world has become very small and unfriendly in that realm. But I have to say, I still shop online, I still bank and pay my bills online. I guess part of my make up is that I don't allow people or circumstances to make me run scared. But I certainly understand that concept and people feeling scared. I'm sorry that happened to you hon.


sabby

[katheryn]

daughter has got a credit card and the bank told her to use that online and not her debit card, as your credit card is insured against things happening to your purchases

but i think you are very wise to take the extra precautions seeker

[seeker1950]

Thanks, Kathryn and Sabby!
I just activated the new credit card number, then called to speak to an online rep. She told me my "paper bills" will start arriving in February...HA! I explained to her the security concerns I have because of this virus invading my computer, but you can guess, I had no luck. I will have to pay my credit card bill online for Dec and Jan till the paper ones start arriving. I have always paid my bills ontime... and so I will have to do so online till the paper ones start arriving.
Duncan Donuts, huh! That means it could happen anywhere!
Yeah, I do love shopping online, but on the bright side, this will probably save me a lot of money by not doing so!
Love
Patty

[serafim_etal]

Originally Posted by seeker1950

Thanks, Kathryn and Sabby!
I just activated the new credit card number, then called to speak to an online rep. She told me my "paper bills" will start arriving in February...HA! I explained to her the security concerns I have because of this virus invading my computer, but you can guess, I had no luck. I will have to pay my credit card bill online for Dec and Jan till the paper ones start arriving. I have always paid my bills ontime... and so I will have to do so online till the paper ones start arriving.
Duncan Donuts, huh! That means it could happen anywhere!
Yeah, I do love shopping online, but on the bright side, this will probably save me a lot of money by not doing so!
Love
Patty

You actually don't have to receive a paper bill/statement in order to make a paper/check payment. Just go to your credit card site and get the information you need (account #, payment amount) and include the account # on your check. The payment address can be found at the site. Most of them have it through the "manage my account" option, then "payment options".

[seeker1950]

Ahhh! Serafim! Thank you for pointing this out to me!
Patty

[splitimage]

I do a ton of on-line shopping, I shop on-line more than I do from stores now, it's just easier. But I only buy from sites that are reputable and have security. I only let 2 on-line sites store my credit card info, because I use them a lot, but I really trust the security on those sites.

Plus I know my bank's fraud group is really vigilant, about tracking usage patterns and on-line purchases. Last week I made 2 on-line purchases relatively closely together. There was a screw up on one of the sites and they tried to charge my card twice. This was enough to trigger my card's fraud group. The next day, I went to use my card to pay for dinner at a restaurant, and the card was declined. Talk about embarrassing, but fortunately I have other cards. When I got home there was an urgent message on my voicemail to call my bank's fraud group. 3 transactions totalling less than 100 was enough for them to flag my card and freeze it so no further transactions could go through until they spoke to me and verified that I'd made the purchase. That makes me feel a lot better about shopping on-line. Sure having the card declined was a bit inconvenient, but it makes me feel really good about my card's security.

I don't know if my bank is like this with all customers or if my accounts are flagged. I was a victim of identity theft last summer as a result of my wallet being stolen, so I had fraud alerts put on my file at all the credit bureaus and at my bank.

So I'm going to keep happily shopping on-line.

--splitimage

[kim_johnson]

Bank of America has this policy where you aren't liable for unauthorized transactions on your account so long as you notify them within a certain amount of time. Other banks might well have the same / a similar policy?

I guess the problem here is that you did authorize the transaction, but then you changed your mind. Might be a problem to try and sue them for false and / or misleading advertising, though, particularly given the international nature of the transaction.

One really does need to be careful about the circumstances in which one discloses identifying information (bank account details, social security number and the like). When I get notification of updates I check the authorized sites and make sure that I download from there. I use paypal whenever possible. I make sure my purchases are from authorized sites. I know this doesn't help you with respect to what has already happened, but hopefully this will never happen to you again.

[seeker1950]

Thanks, Split and Kim,
Yes, Split, I really love shopping online, LOL! But I'm going to try to abstain from it from now on.
Kim said, "I guess the problem here is that you did authorize the transaction, but then you changed your mind. Might be a problem to try and sue them for false and / or misleading advertising, though, particularly given the international nature of the transaction." Yes, and I feel really stupid having done that. This is a very clever and misleading virus program, and someone is sitting back collecting money from naive computer users like me. I have explained to the credit card company that this was a fraudlent claim to rid one's computer of viruses, etc., and hopefully the charge will be waived, but I realize I may just have to chalk it up to experience also.
Patty

[kim_johnson]

I wouldn't let this incident prevent your online shopping. I'd just stick to reputable sites (like amazon etc) and use paypal if at all possible. If your bank has the feature that you aren't liable for unauthorized transactions then there is NO RISK - except of course the risk that you get a crappy product.

> This is a very clever and misleading virus program...

Yes. If you are serious about virus protection your best protection is probably to employ a Linux operating system. They are more secure so they are harder to violate, there are less people trying to violate them etc etc etc. Ubuntu is a freeware one. I've heard great things about it...

> I have explained to the credit card company that this was a fraudlent claim to rid one's computer of viruses, etc.

Yeah. Trouble is that there are many fraudulant claims out there... Cream that will clear your face of wrinkles, make up that will make your skin blemish free, medication that will cure you of your symptoms of mental disorder, knives that will cut through steel and still peel an orange etc etc etc...

[Greenleaves]

I got Ubuntu on my new dell inspiron mini 9, I love it! Free applications! No need to pay Microsoft tons of money.

[e_sort]

nobody's mentioned this -- some credit card companies let you generate a 1-time use credit card number with a credit limit you can set yourself. So if you want to buy something online, you go to Citibank or somewhere first and generate a number, set a limit of $100, specify that the card expires in a week or something, and bingo! Discover does it too, probably others.

it is almost not worth bothering for credit cards, though, because I think they pretty much all have fraud protection now.

personally, i think paper statements have their own drawbacks (can get stolen from your mailbox, have to shred them, etc). also i would never, never use a debit card online, because it's a direct line to your bank account. I know there's fraud protections there too but I personally find it a lot scarier to imagine less money in my bank account than some weird credit card bill I know I don't have to pay.

and i have OCD so believe me I've thought this through.

[seeker1950]

Thanks, e sort and greenleaves!
E sort...I didn't know about the one-time option for credit cards. If my card has it, they are not making it known. I agree with you about using the debit card online.
Last year this same credit card was hacked into and $2000 charges were made for expensive camera equipment and lingerie from Frederick's of Hollywood. The credit card company, though they had the name and address of the buyer of these items, made ME call the camera company, and I was only refunded that amount because the camera equipment was being returned for exchange! Had it not been returned, I guess they would have stuck me with the charges. Not very nice or supportive on their part. So, yes, I obsess about the fraud potential of hackers out there!
Patty