| Credit card fraud is a big business for a growing | | | | husband was required to pay in cash. There was a |
| number of con artists. It is also becoming popular with | | | | Shell charge for an even $15. Further, it had not been a |
| normal people who are hard up for cash. It is not | | | | Shell Station where we had done business. The Shell |
| known how much money is actually lost to credit card | | | | charges were clearly not ours. |
| fraud, but it is a fact that many of those guilty are | | | | I looked at the bill again when I discovered that the |
| never charged or even located. | | | | charges were fraudulent. Three additional even |
| Most people these days have access to computers | | | | amount charges were there. I immediately called the |
| and are at least proficient enough in their use to be | | | | credit card company to report the problem. They said |
| able to check their credit card accounts online. Doing | | | | they would take care of it. It was a Saturday, but I |
| so on a regular basis can help to avoid some of the | | | | called the Shell Oil headquarters number which I found |
| huge problems which can come from fraudulent use | | | | on the internet to see if I could get any information. |
| of a credit card. If you notice the charges before they | | | | They gave me another number which was the people |
| get totally out of hand, it is helpful to the credit card | | | | who handle their credit card charges. They had no |
| company and to your bottom line. | | | | information and could not help. |
| Occasionally, we will receive a phone call from our | | | | Later I talked with a service station manager who |
| credit card company. They are checking on a recent | | | | gave me some information about fraudulent credit |
| charge which seemed a bit suspicious for one reason | | | | card use. He said it is very easy for people to make |
| or another. It could be that it was a large amount, that it | | | | fraudulent charges. A person who works at a |
| was from a far away area, or something else out of | | | | restaurant where we had used the credit card could |
| the ordinary. The credit card company wants to know | | | | get the number and could tell a friend who works at a |
| if we do in fact have our card in our possession. If we | | | | gas station. That person could begin to make charges |
| do have the card and we did make the charge, they | | | | against the card to get cash. The amounts charged |
| are happy and nothing further is done. If the charge is | | | | against our card were even amounts, which makes it |
| not legitimate, there may be a freeze put on the | | | | seem obvious that this was the case with the use of |
| account and a new card number is issued. This makes | | | | our card. Since they did not have physical possession |
| it so that no one can continue to use the card | | | | of the credit card, it was likely an inside deal between |
| fraudulently and the owner of the account cannot use | | | | employees. He said that we should report it to the |
| it until the new card is received. | | | | police if we could find out anything because a crime |
| I normally do look at my credit card account online | | | | has definitely been committed. |
| regularly, and one day I noticed two questionable | | | | The credit card company handled the problem from |
| charges from Shell Oil. A few days earlier we had | | | | then. The charges, however, seemed to be made |
| been to a gas station to have our car inspected and | | | | from people who needed a little cash. The total of the |
| to buy gas. It was not a familiar station to me, and I did | | | | five charges was just over $100. If we had not caught |
| not recall what kind of station it was. There were two | | | | it, the charges could have run up substantially. It is |
| separate charges which we made, one for gas and a | | | | unfortunate that people have to resort to fraud to get |
| separate payment for the inspection. There were two | | | | extra cash. They are risking criminal charges and jail |
| even amount charges from a Shell Oil station. | | | | time by trying to steal a little money on someone else's |
| Sometimes charges are not recorded on the same | | | | credit card. Catching them would be nice to stop their |
| day as they are charged so I wanted to check our | | | | criminal activity, but that is unlikely to happen Checking |
| records when I got home. The gas bill was for $32 | | | | your account balances and charges regularly can help |
| and some cents. The first Shell charge was for an | | | | to avoid bigger problems. |
| even $35.00. The inspection was $16 for which my | | | | |