So I have this charge on my account from "Zoosk"

[flex]

Apparently Zoosk.com is kind of online dating website.  I did NOT sign up for it.  Is this how credit card fraud starts?  They charge for some innocuous account and hope I don't notice it.  Then when nothing happens, they charge my account for furs and diamonds and shit?

I'm getting a little nervous about this.

ETA:  Customer service is closed for the night so I have to wait until tomorrow to call about this.

[Captain Serious]

Yes. Report it. They should cancel your card and send you a new one.

[madringal]

It's no biggie. Call your bank, dispute the charge, and ask for a new card number.

[madringal]

And your banks customer service isn't open 24/7? I can't even imagine!

[Deleted]

Did you recently sign up for any other dating sites or use your credit card online? If so, you might have agreed to these charges. You'll need to contact Zoosk first before calling your bank.

[jlt19]

Oct 3, 2014 8:00:11 GMT -5 @libellula said:

Did you recently sign up for any other dating sites or use your credit card online? If so, you might have agreed to these charges. You'll need to contact Zoosk first before calling your bank.

No. Deal with the bank only.

[Deleted]

Oct 3, 2014 8:03:15 GMT -5 jlt19 said:

Oct 3, 2014 8:00:11 GMT -5 @libellula said:

Did you recently sign up for any other dating sites or use your credit card online? If so, you might have agreed to these charges. You'll need to contact Zoosk first before calling your bank.

No. Deal with the bank only.

I promise the bank will tell her she is to contact them first and tried to get a refund. I've had someone steal my card number a couple of times. Once I did that and was sure I hadn't somehow agreed to those charges, then the bank started all the paperwork under Reg E.

[jlt19]

Oct 3, 2014 8:06:24 GMT -5 @libellula said:

Oct 3, 2014 8:03:15 GMT -5 jlt19 said:

No. Deal with the bank only.

I promise the bank will tell her she is to contact them first and tried to get a refund. I've had someone steal my card number a couple of times. Once I did that and was sure I hadn't somehow agreed to those charges, then the bank started all the paperwork under Reg E.

Well, then your bank sucks.  I've had the same happen to me with my Chase card and my American Express card. No way was I going to start calling all the liquor stores, gas stations, and random places in Canada trying to get refunds. 

Maybe it's the difference between using a debit card vs. a CC?  

[Deleted]

Oct 3, 2014 8:09:57 GMT -5 jlt19 said:

Oct 3, 2014 8:06:24 GMT -5 @libellula said:

I promise the bank will tell her she is to contact them first and tried to get a refund. I've had someone steal my card number a couple of times. Once I did that and was sure I hadn't somehow agreed to those charges, then the bank started all the paperwork under Reg E.

Well, then your bank sucks.  I've had the same happen to me with my Chase card and my American Express card. No way was I going to start calling all the liquor stores, gas stations, and random places in Canada trying to get refunds. 

Maybe it's the difference between using a debit card vs. a CC?  

Yeah, they have different rules. And the size of the bank matters.

[illgetthere]

Oct 3, 2014 8:09:57 GMT -5 jlt19 said:

Oct 3, 2014 8:06:24 GMT -5 @libellula said:

I promise the bank will tell her she is to contact them first and tried to get a refund. I've had someone steal my card number a couple of times. Once I did that and was sure I hadn't somehow agreed to those charges, then the bank started all the paperwork under Reg E.

Well, then your bank sucks.  I've had the same happen to me with my Chase card and my American Express card. No way was I going to start calling all the liquor stores, gas stations, and random places in Canada trying to get refunds. 

Maybe it's the difference between using a debit card vs. a CC?  

This. I've never had to contact the other places including the computer store in Switzerland. That is the fraud department's job.

[MixedBerryJam]

Esp with all the episodes of cc fraud nowadays, I'd be really surprised if OP's bank/cc company tells her to contact the entity that made the charge.

[madringal]

Ok - trust me, you do not have to call Zoosk first. To the poster whose bank told them too - you had a lazy rep. Call your bank and only your bank.

[flex]

i'm currently on hold waiting to talk with the fraud department.

[shoeaholic]

Oct 3, 2014 8:33:59 GMT -5 @libellula said:

Oct 3, 2014 8:09:57 GMT -5 jlt19 said:

Well, then your bank sucks.  I've had the same happen to me with my Chase card and my American Express card. No way was I going to start calling all the liquor stores, gas stations, and random places in Canada trying to get refunds. 

Maybe it's the difference between using a debit card vs. a CC?  

Yeah, they have different rules. And the size of the bank matters.

Wrong. It's fraud, you didn't authorize or use the card, you call your bank and report the fraud usage and they replace. It has nothing to do with how big a bank is or what their rules are. If you read your disclosure it even tells you to report these transactions immediately to avoid being held responsible for any further fraud activity.

[meggers5]

I'm not giving advice, but I had a fraudulent charge on my MasterCard once and they told me to call the company my card was used first (gas station), as their insurance would cover the fraud. The gas station did refund me and launch an investigation.

MasterCard didn't actually help at all.

[flex]

The card's been cancelled; new one coming in the mail. There was a $1.00 this morning from 'AOL service'--probably another "feeler" charge.

[sparkythelawyer]

Yes, and those fuckers showed up in my bank account on Black Friday one year. THANKS SO MUCH, ITS NOT LIKE I WANTED TO GO SHOPPING OR SOMETHING THAT DAY....grumble.

[madringal]

I have already closed out two cards for customers this morning - one had airlines tickets being purchased in France. Now you are telling me, I should have told him to call France?

And what exactly is flex you supposed to say to Zoosk? "Excuse me, I don't have your service, but you charged my card." Unless she is actually willing to give them her card number, there is no way they are going to be able to track her down.

Always call your bank first for issues/errors/discrepencies with your card or account. The only exception to this is if you personally used your debit card at another banks ATM maching to get cash, and for whatever reason - you didn't get it or get all of it. Then you need to contact that ATM's bank.

One of these days I am going to do a banking AMA. There is so much misinformation out there.

[flex]

Oct 3, 2014 9:41:52 GMT -5 madringal said:

I have already closed out two cards for customers this morning - one had airlines tickets being purchased in France. Now you are telling me, I should have told him to call France?

And what exactly is flex you supposed to say to Zoosk? "Excuse me, I don't have your service, but you charged my card." Unless she is actually willing to give them her card number, there is no way they are going to be able to track her down.

Always call your bank first for issues/errors/discrepencies with your card or account. The only exception to this is if you personally used your debit card at another banks ATM maching to get cash, and for whatever reason - you didn't get it or get all of it. Then you need to contact that ATM's bank.

One of these days I am going to do a banking AMA. There is so much misinformation out there.

Please do!!!

[Bonita]

Yay I'm glad the card is already cancelled and you're getting a new one, I hate CC fraud! :-P

[flex]

good thing I check my account every day.

[Deleted]

Oct 3, 2014 9:25:34 GMT -5 shoeaholic said:

Oct 3, 2014 8:33:59 GMT -5 @libellula said:

Yeah, they have different rules. And the size of the bank matters.

Wrong. It's fraud, you didn't authorize or use the card, you call your bank and report the fraud usage and they replace. It has nothing to do with how big a bank is or what their rules are. If you read your disclosure it even tells you to report these transactions immediately to avoid being held responsible for any further fraud activity.

Some companies actually hide these transactions in their fine print and then you are on the hook for the charges, which is why I asked if she had recently signed up for any other online sites, etc. It's not always fraud, as evidenced by the acai berry scams of a few short years ago.

[shoeaholic]

Oct 3, 2014 10:06:30 GMT -5 @libellula said:

Oct 3, 2014 9:25:34 GMT -5 shoeaholic said:

Wrong. It's fraud, you didn't authorize or use the card, you call your bank and report the fraud usage and they replace. It has nothing to do with how big a bank is or what their rules are. If you read your disclosure it even tells you to report these transactions immediately to avoid being held responsible for any further fraud activity.

Some companies actually hide these transactions in their fine print and then you are on the hook for the charges, which is why I asked if she had recently signed up for any other online sites, etc. It's not always fraud, as evidenced by the acai berry scams of a few short years ago.

Still wrong. You are not expected to figure out sub or hidden merchant relationships. The bank will do that. If you don't recognize the transaction, never used that retailer in the past and the card was always in your possession, you call your bank and report the activity. They will investigate. If they determine that the transaction is related to another business they will ask you if that information is familiar but you are not expected to try to figure that out.

[flex]

Oct 3, 2014 10:17:34 GMT -5 shoeaholic said:

Oct 3, 2014 10:06:30 GMT -5 @libellula said:

Some companies actually hide these transactions in their fine print and then you are on the hook for the charges, which is why I asked if she had recently signed up for any other online sites, etc. It's not always fraud, as evidenced by the acai berry scams of a few short years ago.

Still wrong. You are not expected to figure out sub or hidden merchant relationships. The bank will do that. If you don't recognize the transaction, never used that retailer in the past and the card was always in your possession, you call your bank and report the activity. They will investigate. If they determine that the transaction is related to another business they will ask you if that information is familiar but you are not expected to try to figure that out.

These are the exact questions the fraudulent activity lady asked me.  

[Deleted]

Oct 3, 2014 10:17:34 GMT -5 shoeaholic said:

Oct 3, 2014 10:06:30 GMT -5 @libellula said:

Some companies actually hide these transactions in their fine print and then you are on the hook for the charges, which is why I asked if she had recently signed up for any other online sites, etc. It's not always fraud, as evidenced by the acai berry scams of a few short years ago.

Still wrong. You are not expected to figure out sub or hidden merchant relationships. The bank will do that. If you don't recognize the transaction, never used that retailer in the past and the card was always in your possession, you call your bank and report the activity. They will investigate. If they determine that the transaction is related to another business they will ask you if that information is familiar but you are not expected to try to figure that out.

I never stated she shouldn't call her bank. But if it were me, having been through the fraud process before, I would look at recent transactions to make sure it wasn't something I had done myself. The first question I was asked were the ones I asked her. You must work for/bank at an extremely large bank?

[shoeaholic]

Oct 3, 2014 10:31:11 GMT -5 @libellula said:

Oct 3, 2014 10:17:34 GMT -5 shoeaholic said:

Still wrong. You are not expected to figure out sub or hidden merchant relationships. The bank will do that. If you don't recognize the transaction, never used that retailer in the past and the card was always in your possession, you call your bank and report the activity. They will investigate. If they determine that the transaction is related to another business they will ask you if that information is familiar but you are not expected to try to figure that out.

I never stated she shouldn't call her bank. But if it were me, having been through the fraud process before, I would look at recent transactions to make sure it wasn't something I had done myself. The first question I was asked were the ones I asked her. You must work for/bank at an extremely large bank?

I work in banking with both credit and debit cards and have for 30 + years. Large, small, doesn't matter. Today the urgency of stopping fraud starts with you reporting the incidence as soon as possible. If you are spending time "researching" your card is not restricted and transactions will run ramped because the fraudsters were successful with a hit. How do you think all this Target and Home Depot fraud is perpetuated? Once they have your information they use your account information by first "testing" a transactions. Once it gets through, they are off and running.

[killercupcake]

Oct 3, 2014 10:37:38 GMT -5 shoeaholic said:

Oct 3, 2014 10:31:11 GMT -5 @libellula said:

I never stated she shouldn't call her bank. But if it were me, having been through the fraud process before, I would look at recent transactions to make sure it wasn't something I had done myself. The first question I was asked were the ones I asked her. You must work for/bank at an extremely large bank?

I work in banking with both credit and debit cards and have for 30 + years. Large, small, doesn't matter. Today the urgency of stopping fraud starts with you reporting the incidence as soon as possible. If you are spending time "researching" your card is not restricted and transactions will run ramped because the fraudsters were successful with a hit. How do you think all this Target and Home Depot fraud is perpetuated? Once they have your information they use your account information by first "testing" a transactions. Once it gets through, they are off and running.

In my case, there was about a 5 minute span from when the test transaction went through to when they started spending. And I definitely didn't call Teavana or the random grocery store in middle America to talk to them about it when it happened. 

[flex]

Oct 3, 2014 10:35:47 GMT -5 oceanspray said:

Oct 3, 2014 10:31:11 GMT -5 @libellula said:

I never stated she shouldn't call her bank. But if it were me, having been through the fraud process before, I would look at recent transactions to make sure it wasn't something I had done myself. The first question I was asked were the ones I asked her. You must work for/bank at an extremely large bank?

I think flex would know if she had signed up for Zoosk.

EXACTLY!  Don't you think I asked myself this question before I friggin' called?

Granted, I know there are people out there who just automatically call their bank without thinking things through, but I ain't one of them.  lol

[hopecounts]

H works at a small regional/local bank branch.
They always tell customers to call them if there is a suspicious charge. They would rather cancel the card and let the fraud specialist research and have it be unnecessary then deal with correcting large or numerous fraudulent charges

[flex]

What is kind of a 'coinkadink' is I'm currently out of town and couldn't use my card at an ATM last night. So I called my bank to see what's up. They told me there were some suspected fraudulent charges. MyAlaska Permanent Fund Dividend check was direct deposited yesterday morning so I had bought two airline tickets which totaled more than $1k that morning. I thought maybe that's why my card had been declined at the ATM and I told the lady that. She mentioned the Zoosk charge, but since I wasn't at my computer (I was calling on the phone) I wasn't sure what she was talking about. Anyway, she "released" my card so I could use it for dinner.

It wasn't until I got back to my room and signed on to my account that I was able to see the Zoosk charge. I called them first thing this morning.

I don't shop at Target and I usually shop at Lowe's so I don't know if this is related to the Home Depot debacle.