Credit/Debit Theft

[BellaSweet]

Something interesting happened recently and I thought I'd share. First, I want to say that I am not accusing anyone or saying Carnival is at fault.

 

BF and I are booked on the Oct 23rd Pride cruise. Our trip was paid 100% for using my credit card. We did the onboard check-in..he chose to link his debit card to his account. I chose to link my credit card to my account. However, I used my debit card to purchase a case of water ahead of time.

 

We both recently were victims of fraud. His debit card was hit for $2800 and my debit card was hit for $80.54. His were charges on a Carnival cruise ship out of Miami and mine was a gas station charge out of Fayetteville, PA. :mad:

 

Normally, I'd just shrug it off and say it happens all the time. I use my debit card daily... of course it could be stolen. What makes this curious is..he very rarely uses his debit card. Linking his debit card to the S&S account is the first time it would have been used in months and months. He's a cash guy. I didn't even know he had a debit card until recently. Carnival.com is the only place that both of us put our debit card numbers into.

 

Sooo..its still being investigated. We will get our money back, thankfully. I just really don't know what to think..logically, it seems fishy that this would happen the way it did. If he used his debit card frequently, I wouldn't think anything of it.

 

I guess this is just a word of warning..watch for weird charges on your accounts. Again, I am not blaming Carnival. I completely understand the risk of putting your card info out there into the internet world. This is a total fluke, I'm sure. These scammers are amazing at getting your info these days. I just really think I will be paying for my future Carnival cruises with gift cards.

Edited October 17, 2016 by BellaSweet

[fshstck]

Considering his was used on Carnival it should be easy to trace. Sorry this happened to you, and glad you caught it soon.

[BellaSweet]

Considering his was used on Carnival it should be easy to trace. Sorry this happened to you, and glad you caught it soon.

 

That's what we're hoping. The person at the bank looked BF's account and said "Well..someone had a fun trip!" :mad:

[doneinne]

It really sucks, you have my sympathy. I had debit card info stolen. They purchased concert tickets in Nashville, Chicago and somewhere in Florida. Almost $2000. I still have no idea where my info was taken from. Like your boyfriend, I didn't use that debit card very often. I hope your cruise is still great!

 

 

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Edited October 17, 2016 by doneinne

[pulledporky]

If his card was used to pay for something on Carnival, wouldn't they have a record WITH name of what the charges were for?

[BellaSweet]

If his card was used to pay for something on Carnival, wouldn't they have a record WITH name of what the charges were for?

 

The bank teller was only able to see that there were numerous charges on a Carnival ship out of Miami. Like I said, its still being investigated so I'm sure they'll find out more information.

[pusywillow]

Good reason not to use your debit card. They can drain your account. I only use my credit card.

[Doggielover68]

I have a feeling that it has nothing to do with Carnival and is more likely related to a local incident or a bank issue. Debit/credit theft can happen even if you don't use the card. Information can be hacked from the bank, your mail, even from someone being in close proximity to your wallet can steal information (that's why there are rfid protection wallets now). I hope you get the issue resolved. I'd recommend limiting the amount of sensitive mail that you get, change passwords, etc just in case. We no longer get bank or credit card statements in the mail because there is just too much sensitive information.

 

 

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[Gamecock_Cruiser]

It could be when or where you entered your credit card information. Were you on a secured router, a public location, etc.

[bury me at sea]

That's a bummer. Hope it all gets corrected soon.

[BellaSweet]

I have a feeling that it has nothing to do with Carnival and is more likely related to a local incident or a bank issue. Debit/credit theft can happen even if you don't use the card. Information can be hacked from the bank, your mail, even from someone being in close proximity to your wallet can steal information (that's why there are rfid protection wallets now). I hope you get the issue resolved. I'd recommend limiting the amount of sensitive mail that you get, change passwords, etc just in case. We no longer get bank or credit card statements in the mail because there is just too much sensitive information.

 

 

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Its just too much a coincidence that we put our information into their website and BF's card was used on a Carnival ship. We don't use the same banks so its not a bank issue..nor do we get paper statements.

 

We have fraud packets to fill out and once the investigation is complete, I'll update this post. Hopefully, we'll get some more information.

 

Just be careful everyone :)

[bakersdozen12]

Do you guys have the same bank? I had my debit card hacked twice and more recently my husband's debit card was hacked. I'm now convinced that it has something to do with our bank (it's a credit union). I stopped using my debit card a couple years ago and haven't had an issue since.

 

ETA: just saw that you answered my question while I was typing it. [emoji6]

 

Did you guys physically bring your debit cards with you? Because they could have been skimmed by someone you came in contact with nearby. That's why you should keep your cards in RIFD sleeves.

 

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Edited October 17, 2016 by bakersdozen12

[BellaSweet]

It could be when or where you entered your credit card information. Were you on a secured router, a public location, etc.

 

Gosh, I hope so. I was on my private router..I had a company come set it up for my small business. :(

[BellaSweet]

Do you guys have the same bank? I had my debit card hacked twice and more recently my husband's debit card was hacked. I'm now convinced that it has something to do with our bank (it's a credit union). I stopped using my debit card a couple years ago and haven't had an issue since.

 

ETA: just saw that you answered my question while I was typing it. [emoji6]

 

Did you guys physically bring your debit cards with you? Because they could have been skimmed by someone you came in contact with nearby. That's why you should keep your cards in RIFD sleeves.

 

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I carry mine, I use that thing all the time, sadly. He doesn't carry his.. I didn't even know he had it until recently.

[JessyCruises]

Were you both using the same computer when you did the purchases online at carnival.com?

 

 

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[mpdog42]

OP:

My best advice is to listen to your Local Police Agency or the FBI. Why because I was a Real Cop, My father was a Real Cop, and I am not going to speculate on the In and Out of your case. Reason being, I don't know all the facts of your situtation. Cruise Critic is full of People who like to Run their Mouth and Speculate on things they know nothing about. I do hope that the Police are taking care of you and keeping you informed on your Case. I am also sorry you were a Victim of this type of crime and the/These people are prosecuted. Best hope for your next Cruise:)

[Domino D]

Gosh, I hope so. I was on my private router..I had a company come set it up for my small business. :(

 

Bella, sorry to hear about the fraud. If you haven't already run a full scan of your computers and system at work, you might even want someone to run a deep root scan. It is possible that someone lifted the account info from the other end, but you may have a worm or virus on your computers that is caching information as you type it. Not saying this is what happened, but just a precaution I would take. Hope it all gets resolved soon.

[fshstck]

OP:

My best advice is to listen to your Local Police Agency or the FBI. Why because I was a Real Cop, My father was a Real Cop, and I am not going to speculate on the In and Out of your case. Reason being, I don't know all the facts of your situtation. Cruise Critic is full of People who like to Run their Mouth and Speculate on things thvey know nothing about. I do hope that the Police are taking care of you and keeping you informed on your Case. I am also sorry you were a Victim of this type of crime and the/These people are prosecuted. Best hope for your next Cruise:)

FBI... for 2k, I don't think so. The reality is that the bank or credit card company os the victim an they rarely follow through with prosecution. This is easily solvable but the OP will never know who stole her husband's info because the bank ha probably already written it off.

[bakersdozen12]

FBI... for 2k, I don't think so. The reality is that the bank or credit card company os the victim an they rarely follow through with prosecution. This is easily solvable but the OP will never know who stole her husband's info because the bank ha probably already written it off.

 

 

I was going to say the same thing. No way is the FBI getting involved. Heck, I doubt even the cops will. I once had 15 iPads purchased with my debit card through the Best Buy website. Wiped out my entire checking and savings accounts. I was able to get the ship-to address from Best Buy and filed a police report in that city (it was in CA, I live in NH). I never heard a word from the police. They probably could have intercepted that shipment, but instead did nothing. Really irks me the thief got away with it. Fortunately, though, I got my money back from my bank. Now, I only use credit cards.

 

 

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[janrey1234]

Carnival is based out of Miami so I do believe charges will show that way. It is possible that Carnival made a mistake on his debit card. Carnival should be able to trace that charge and see what it was for. As to yours at a gas station, happens to mine frequently. It gets skimmed somewhere then used. Last time they attempted to use it at a gas stations too close in a short time and my credit card company shut them down.

 

ETA: Just checked my credit card and sure enough it shows as Carnival Miami. Are you sure your BF didn't book a surprise cruise? Check with Carnival. The bank should be able to give you the authorization number and date. They can check their records.

Edited October 18, 2016 by janrey1234

[poobears]

Who ever used it on a Carnival ship had to be the dumbest criminal ever. They had to use legal ID to get on the ship and everything will be tied directly to them. That will be an easy case to solve. Chances are the PA charge is also tied to them, maybe their home state? I doubt this is 2 separate thefts, the point of entry was probably not secured, probably a tracker on the virus that isn't being picked up by whatever VP program they are using.

[DebJ14]

FBI... for 2k, I don't think so. The reality is that the bank or credit card company os the victim an they rarely follow through with prosecution. This is easily solvable but the OP will never know who stole her husband's info because the bank ha probably already written it off.

 

Discover prosecuted a grocery store clerk who stole my Discover and spent $1500 at WalMart and $400 at a convenience store on cigarettes. Discover picked it up right away since WalMart was out of my normal shopping pattern.

 

The local grocery store knew they had a problem, but did not know which checker it was. Luckily I had the receipt from my last purchase there. Once I agreed to prosecute Discover sent the local Sheriff to pick it the receipt. The checker's name was on there. They got a search warrant and found the merchandise from Wal Mart and the cigarettes at her home and lots of credit cards that had been made up with the numbers she stole.

 

It was a royal PITA. I had to complete pages and pages of forms as a victim of crime. I was informed at every step of the process. She plead guilty, so I did not have to testify. She got 2 years, which was the maximum penalty in Texas.

[volmoma]

NEVER EVER USE A DEBIT CARD!! So much headache tied to them. Holds on you money, theft ( it will probably be straightened out but how long will it take?) Just saying. I realize some don't have CC's but for cruising I'd definitely apply for a low line of credit just to have.

 

 

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[LibratPDX]

NEVER EVER USE A DEBIT CARD!! So much headache tied to them. Holds on you money, theft ( it will probably be straightened out but how long will it take?) Just saying. I realize some don't have CC's but for cruising I'd definitely apply for a low line of credit just to have.

 

 

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I completely agree!!!!! I only use my debit card at home, never online and never when I travel. I've had my credit card into stolen more than once but there's more protection. I just had to file a police report for my credit union to remove the charges on a recent fraudulent charge. Each time my info was stolen it was either from online activity or after I had traveled.

[volmoma]

EXACTLY! [emoji4]

 

 

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