Credit Card Skimming

[bigwally]

As for RFID cards, I have foil sleeves for my card to prevent scanning when they are in the sleeve. I have one for my passport to. (They're actually paper covered foil sleeves that I bought inexpensively, so they're more durable than just foil.)

 

Good point. I have those too.

 

But I make it a point of never taking my passport off the ship, unless it's a port visit where the country requires you to carry your passport at all times. Instead I carry a photocopy of it.

[thinfool]

Actually, my credit union has said that ATM usage is more dangerous than using your credit card. If they get the right info from your ATM card, they can take everything out of your bank account and it's just too bad, no recourse. If you are using Visa, they can delete the charges to you and get you a new card. (Not to say we haven't used our ATM card when traveling, too, but we limit it's use much more than the credit card!) Be sure to get RFID covers or RFID wallet for your cards and also passport -- they can be read too for the personal data there without leaving your pocket! They just have to pass by someone with a reader. The RFID covers are cheap to get. I know you can get them at AAA and travel stores. I use them here in the US, too, because those readers are a problem in some places here, too, I understand.

 

This is not true of passports.

Do the research from reputable sources, not those trying to make a buck selling you something.

[wwcruisers]

After reading the horror stories of folks getting stranded in port, we always take a low-limit credit card (NOT the one used to secure our ship-board account) when we go ashore. However, we do not use it -- our purchases are cash only. It does require a little advance research about what currency (and denominations) to take. For instance, we learned very quickly to take small bills to Mexico, as the merchants there were happy to take our US $$ -- but gave us change in peso's. Also, we're not "high-end" shoppers, so we usually just take enough $$ for a few souvenirs, lunch, and cab money. Works well for us. :cool:

[broberts]

Good point. I have those too.

 

But I make it a point of never taking my passport off the ship, unless it's a port visit where the country requires you to carry your passport at all times. Instead I carry a photocopy of it.

 

Leaving one's passport aboard negates a significant reason for using it on a cruise in the first place. Some ships may make an effort to get it to you should you miss the ship, but this is not universal. A photocopy makes it marginally easier to get a replacement but can't be used for id or travel.

 

Worry about remote scanning of a passport is pointless, as one can learn at http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_2788.html. Anti-skimming technology is already built into the document.

[Hlitner]

Leaving one's passport aboard negates a significant reason for using it on a cruise in the first place. Some ships may make an effort to get it to you should you miss the ship, but this is not universal. A photocopy makes it marginally easier to get a replacement but can't be used for id or travel.

 

Worry about remote scanning of a passport is pointless, as one can learn at http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_2788.html. Anti-skimming technology is already built into the document.

 

I think this is an entirely different issue then credit card skimming. Even scanning a Passport is not a big deal to the holder of the Passport as it will not do that person any harm. But many cruisers do not generally carry their Passports ashore (except in a few places that require you carry your Passport) because they feel that its safer to keep a passport locked securely in their cabin safe. There are also many international cruises where the cruise ship's purser holds everyone's passport since they need them to get the ship cleared in certain ports. Personally, having cruised for nearly 3 years to 6 continents (and also having done many extended land trips) we generally keep our Passports locked in a safe (in our cabin, hotel, etc) unless we have a compelling reason to carry the document. The risk of having a Passport stolen outweighs our concerns about not having a passport on our person. In fact, on a recent Celebrity Silhouette Cruise we took to the Middle East...there was a passenger who took his passport and went to the beach. While he was in the water he left his passport in his stuff on the beach and returned to find all his valuables (including Passport) gone. The irony was that this person was a Police Officer. That passenger had to spent their entire next port day (in Haifa) working to get an emergency passport replacement (at some cost).

 

Hank

[navybankerteacher]

Chase does have chip enabled cards. But it'll still be chip and sign...they have no desire to go chip and PIN. And you have to specifically request the cards too...they aren't sending them out as a matter of course.

 

My Chase chip card is ATM access as well as a Visa credit card. All you have to do is ask for it at a Chase branch if you have a Chase account. The odds are that the first person you ask will just give you a blank stare, but someone in the branch does know his/her stuff. I pressed for one after being unable to buy gasoline before returning a rental car early one morning at the airport in Toulouse, France. If you ever let Hertz refuel your car, you will understand why you want to return it full. Fortunately, someone else stopped to gas up, and filled my tank in exchanged for Euros (the gas pumps only take chip cards -in Europe the call the chip a "bug" ).

[Taxguy77]

Your credit card information is not 100% safe anywhere, not even in your own home on your own secure network. Thankfully the credit card companies are very vigilant and have a system of 'suspicion triggers' that work amazingly well. Our last issue was very intriguing. Just before the end of the year, I had been making a series of online donations to several very reputable nationwide charities over the course of an hour or so. A phone call interrupted me - the credit card company calling about 'suspicious' activity. I thought they were just checking on the unusually large number of charges in a relatively short period of time.

 

That was not the case - they had picked up on one charge to a supposedly reputable charity that I had NOT donated to. The charge was for an amount similar to what I was donating to the others. I asked how they knew that one was not legitimate, but the others were, but they declined to discuss their methods. I later figured out they must be able to identify the computer source of the charge data - pretty impressive! Somehow, someone had hacked into one of the charity's networks and was skimming information real time. So....don't be too quick to blame the place where you charged something.

 

The point of this - use caution no matter where you are, but your credit card company will likely be there to protect you.

 

Very Interesting (Remember Laugh-in?).

Thanks for the information!!!

[heatherandfred]

I had this happen on my honeymoon! Was onshore in PR and went to the bank right across from the pier. I thought I was okay and took out a specific amount. Lo and behold the first transaction did not go through! The second one did and I was able to get my money. When I got back to NY as we were on a b2b I found out when I checked my online banking that my account was debited TWICE for $1500! I thought I would die! I called the bank and explained what happened and they after some investigation credited my acct. not a good thing to happen while on vacation ;(

[5326jan]

I don't feel safe anymore using our "working" account for foreign transactions. We have recently opened a separate "Travel Only" bank account with a set amount in it. Should it be compromised, we can just close it. We keep a minimum amount in the travel account and add to it just before our trip. Once home, we transfer all but the minimum out again. Yes, it's extra maneuvering, but is piece of mind for me. We also try to pay for things with cash if at all possible, using a bank based ATM for foreign currency. I also have a $300/day maximum withdrawal set for the ATM card. You can arrange any amount you want with the bank. (We're not big shoppers.)

[momofmeg]

Last summer's trip to Europe we got a VISA cash card and put several thousand on it-for use-it had a 4 digit pin so we could use at it at bank machines. We did take credits cards with us for emergency purposes only-but we did not need them. I felt very comfortable doing this.

 

We did have a litle money left on it when we returned home-not much and after buying groceries a couple of times-we used up the cash.

[browneyedwoman]

There were only 2 places where the credit card was run out of our sight...Tanzanite International in Roatan and Nachi Co Com in Cozumel. quote]

 

I didn't think Nachi Cochum took credit cards. I thought they were a cash only place. Do you think someone there took the number?

[ROXIETHEHORSE]

Sorry, should have clarified about Nachi Cocom...we paid for massages with a credit card. I'm thinking that was probably where it happened.

[kitty9]

My sister's Am Ex was skimmed in Huatulco. Someone ordered $150 in shoes from London and had them shipped to Huatulco. She also had it skimmed at Dollar Rent A Car at the Pittsburgh Airport. The guy purchased a bunch of stuff from Victorias Secret online. The thing that got him caught was his girlfriend returned the stuff to the local mall and because my sister filed a fraud report on the purchases, the items were red flagged. At least one crook got caught.

[RockeyBullwinkle]

my daughter (who works at chase corp) suggested we do this for our travels..

 

https://www.chase.com/online/prepaid-card/liquid-prepaid-card.htm

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

We get auto alerts on all charges ..

[Gunner22aa]

I use credit cards all over the world on both business and vacation trips. In Canada virtually all of the credit cards are chip and pin enabled. I have never been the target of fraud but about 4 months ago I got notice from my company that I would be receiving a new card the next day and to stop using the one I had immediatly. While on the phone I logged on to verify the charges on my card. The only two were a major sporting goods store and a gas station I had never visited before but had used. Both were valid charges. The company would only tell me that a potential skimming had occured but not where. I'm betting the gas station because I use the card regularly at the other place and have done so for years. One of my buddies uses the same card as me, issued by the same bank, shops regularly at the same store and was never notified of an issue.

[tulsacubfan]

There is no certain way to guarantee your credit card's safety.....our card was compromised in our own town....the fraudulent charges were made 4 states away. Nothing is totally safe.

 

 

The credit card company will rectify any mistakes. Not a big deal.

 

We have had a card compromised 5 or 6 times in the last three years. Trust me....it is a big deal.

[2bthereagain]

I just got back from a mini-cruise to Nassau (I know, I know :eek:), and one of the shops there had 3 registers open - 2 for credit cards and 1 for cash. The 'cash' line was long and they were practically begging people to save time and use a credit card and then acting mad that nobody switched over to those empty lines. I guess everyone, like me, was thinking 'no way in heck am I using my credit card here' !!!

[wwcruisers]

I just got back from a mini-cruise to Nassau (I know, I know :eek:), and one of the shops there had 3 registers open - 2 for credit cards and 1 for cash. The 'cash' line was long and they were practically begging people to save time and use a credit card and then acting mad that nobody switched over to those empty lines. I guess everyone, like me, was thinking 'no way in heck am I using my credit card here' !!!

 

If a merchant doesn't want my cash, they don't want my business. Must have been a pretty amazing shop, to have such long lines! :cool:

[tigercat]

I have had a chip and pin card for several years now, but that is the norm up here in Canada. I can use it in Europe with no problems but I have a problem with it in the States. Kind of funny since we are so close and are similar. Getting gas in the States is a lesson in patience, futility, and frustrating.

Twice before we got the chip card my husbands card was skimmed. The stupid thing was the person got gas from a station my husband had never been to and the amount was so high. He usually got gas for about $30.00 to fill his tank. All of a sudden he had 2 charges that came to $400.00.

tigercat