GreenMonkey Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 :furious OK, so these dumb fucks smashed her window and stole all her CDs (I learned my lesson and only keep burnt copies in the car...she hadn't), her purse, her Nintendo DS and likely a bunch of games, etc while she was at class at GVSU. A few other cars were similiarily broken into. Setting off a string of canceling credit cards. My wife chopped all but one of 'hers' long ago, but she had a few of mine - gold discover card needs 2 purchases a month to keep the 0% Balance Transfer rate, and another I gave her for emergencies. We got a call from the local Grand Valley police - the dudes bought 2 giftcards on my Visa card at Walmart for a total of like $250, but tried a few different cards and had them decline before my Credit Union visa card worked. So they were asked for ID and they bolted (it sounds like they got the GCs). So they were caught on videotape. They also used my gold Discover to buy gas at a few different gas stations. Dammit. The funny thing is, they should have robbed someone not driving a 1995 Nissan with a baby seat in the back. Everyone knows parents with babies don't have any money They apparently got tired of my nearly-maxed out credit cards declining and moved on to someone else's cards after the walmart incident The CU Visa only worked because I'd charged my wife's books on it, she changed classes, and so she had the card because they had to credit the book return onto it. Almost every other card I have is within $40-$150 or so of the limit. Good thing they didn't hit the Sears card, that's got a couple of grand credit available. Still, this will be a PITA. I'm too busy for this shit, and my 2-month pregnant wife sure didn't need the stress. And I think the deductible on her car is $500 And we just splurged on a 360 yesterday. They could at least have had the decency to steal the crappy Bose radio out of her car. It'd be nice to at least get a real radio out of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelley Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 sucks to hear that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reeldeal Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 blah. stories like this make me upset sorry to hear it happened. hope they catch them even though it's still going to be pain for you guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romier S Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 Bah. That sucks dude. At least your wife is ok and everyone is safe. Though lord knows I'd be just as pissed off if I were in your position. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyberwoo Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 the dudes bought 2 giftcards on my Visa card at Walmart No offense to anyone who shops as Walmart but umm ya....I'll just say I'm not surprised that is the store they chose. Anyway that sucks to hear. I've had a car broken into before and it isn't fun to deal with for sure. Those lowlifes will eventually get caught. Unfortunately there are too many of them lurking around out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romier S Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 I'll just say I'm not surprised that is the store they chose. Well of course. It's a very general statement to make mind you, but I've witnessed some appalling things at walmart when it comes to credit card and more importantly check use. I've been present for several check exchanges where no ID was provided but the check was put through regardless. When the customer was asked about the ID, he responded with "Don't have it on me". The lady at the register shrugged and kept going. I sat there in sheer amazement. I can only imagine how thorough they are with checking credit card signatures etc. It's funny, I don't sign my credit cards (at least the two that I do have since I despise credit cards) on purpose. I usually write "ASK FOR ID" on the back of it and I make it a point to admonish any sales person that doesn't follow those instructions if I'm making a purchase at a store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogbert Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 Putting "ASK FOR ID" on the back of the card is bollocks, Romier. It's unenforcable & means nothing legally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan FB Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 That sucks. :td I know this is a gaming forum and all, but is there any chance you can still return the 360 since it's so soon? Putting "ASK FOR ID" on the back of the card is bollocks, Romier. It's unenforcable & means nothing legally.Most CC merchant agreements stipulate that you should reject the transaction if the signatures don't match or aren't present, so if they check and feel like enforcing it it may make your CC unusable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisBardon Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 That really sucks, but at least the Credit Card companies have your back on this one. They may charge crazy interest, but I've dealt with a couple of fraud instances, and had absolutely zero problem with the credit card companies. Yeah, it was inconvenient, but it could have been much worse. As for things like putting "ask for ID", or credit cards with photos on them etc, it honestly just slows transactions down too much, and most merchants are willing to accept the risks. For someone like Walmart, they're probably insured for the "theft", and even if they're not, it could just be a case that it's worth eating the losses for the increased transaction speed and perceived customer service. I can see what you're worried about, but as long as you follow the policies that the card issuer stipulates, there's really nothing you're liable for. I have heard of some companies that have a "deductible" (could be a Canada/US thing), but as far as I know, the worst thing that can happen with a fraudulent transaction (as long as you catch it quickly and pay off your bills) is the inconvenience of having to talk to some people on the phone, sign some paperwork, and get a new card number (right after you've finally memorized the old one dammit ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 That sucks. Don't you wish you could have caught the bastards in the act... I can only imagine how thorough they are with checking credit card signatures etc. This reminded me of: The Credit Card Prank And the sequel: The Credit Card Prank 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce B Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 That blows dude. As long as your wife wasn't harmed, its all good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlucci Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 Sorry to hear that. I make sure I don't leave anything in plain view in my car, even if it's of little or no value. All it takes is for a thief to think it's worth something, and then you've got a smashed window to deal with. With my kids' gameboys, we always put them in the trunk whenever we get where we are going, and if they are too obvious about it (meaning, could someone notice you are putting something valuable in the trunk), then we get back in the car and move to a different parking space. Carlos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkz Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 Dave, what a pain in the ass for you guys to deal with. My brother-in-law got his wallet stolen from a pick pocket a few Thanksgivings ago. In addition to filing a police report and cancelling your credit cards, you should consider contacting the 3 credit reporting companies (Experian/Equifax/TransUnion) and have a fraud report placed on your (and your wife's) name and social security number). This could keep the bastards from filing credit applications in your name. Also, report the loss of her drivers license and any other kinds of cards like insurance, library, various memberships that could be used by these guys to steal either of your identities. Hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jordan_E Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 That sucks. Reminds me of when my wife had her car stole right out of the parking lot at her job. It's stressful, for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angry the Clown Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 That's awful. Hopefully the videotape recording will help see them identified and caught. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony G Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 Putting "ASK FOR ID" on the back of the card is bollocks, Romier. It's unenforcable & means nothing legally. Would it not make the company liable to incur the loss due to negligence? Like Ryan said: Most CC merchant agreements stipulate that you should reject the transaction if the signatures don't match or aren't present Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romier S Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 As for things like putting "ask for ID", or credit cards with photos on them etc, it honestly just slows transactions down too much Boo hoo. This isn't directed at you at all Chris, but I don't give two shits about Walmart and the speed of thier transactions. I care about protecting my funds and the way some of these transactions are handled at these stores is utterly ridiculous. There is absolutely no excuse for accepting a check from a person without identification. Period. I don't care about what "excuse" the retailer cares to come up with. Putting "ASK FOR ID" on the back of the card is bollocks, Romier. It's unenforcable & means nothing legally. ...and? I'm not in a court of law looking to get a return on any stolen funds nor am I asking any retail outlet to make anything enforceable (though verifying card ownership should already be damn well enforceable to begin with IMO). Ryan mentioned a good stipulation above (and a legal one at that) but even that isn't the primary reason for my doing it. What it does do for me on many occasions is force a responsible sales person to ask me for my ID and verify I'm the card holder instead of just swiping the card like some mindless moron behind a counter. If they do not do that, I make it a point to mention it. Does it mean anything legally? Possibly not. However, if my card is stolen and the thief in question attempts to use it but is met with someone asking them for an ID....that's one less purchase that asshole gets to make on my dime. In the end, it makes me feel just a bit better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyElf Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 Sorry to hear that man, I graduated from CMU in 93', and back then, Midland was the closest to a real city with stores around. I visited the mall and a comic book store there every other weekend or so. Drove by GVSU everytime I went home! I feel bad hearing about your wife... a stressed wife, and pregnant, I've been there... best of luck to you. Glad no one was hurt, physically at least. T. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisBardon Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 Boo hoo. This isn't directed at you at all Chris, but I don't give two shits about Walmart and the speed of thier transactions. I care about protecting my funds and the way some of these transactions are handled at these stores is utterly ridiculous. There is absolutely no excuse for accepting a check from a person without identification. Period. I don't care about what "excuse" the retailer cares to come up with. I'm sure Walmart and other retailers think you do give a shit though. The scenario I'm thinking of is that you hand over the card, and rather than just swipe/forget, you have to ask for ID, wait while customer fishes for ID, check ID, and then complete the transaction. Maybe an extra 30-60 seconds for a checkout, but if there are 4 people in front of you in line, that's 4 extra minutes that you're waiting. If that results in any lost sales, then they have to evaluate whether that time is worth it. When speed is king, every second counts. Keep in mind that the only one taking a hit is the merchant, so if someone ever buys stuff on a stolen card, you should never be out a dime. I like the idea of screwing the thief as much as the next guy, but in reality the companies just don't care. I had my card number stolen a couple years ago, and found out about a day after the guy tried to use it. Reported it, and got the transactions charged back, but then I got curious and did a little digging myself. Turns out the guy bought something from EB games online, so I called them up, and asked to reconfirm the shipping details (since I had the credit card number after all). Turns out it was the guy's home address (presumably), so I passed this on to the credit card company. Turns out that they just didn't care, and that it was basically more effort than it was worth for them to track down anything on the case for the $600 worth of fraud that they were looking at. Still, there is something to be said for being the least attractive target, so if a thief steals 10 cards, and one has ASK FOR ID on it, they might just bypass it for the other 9. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenMonkey Posted January 31, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 Well, we lucked out a bit. My wife had her mastercard-debit card on her as well as her driver's license, as well as my ATM card (which I let her keep because I have a debit card). Her Soc. sec card wasn't in there either. I personally keep all these things on my person in my wallet, so I'd have to be mugged to lose them. Once in a while I have my mp3 player (<$100) and my DS in my bag in my car but most of the time it's only in there enroute to somewhere else. I called around and canceled our video rental cards just in case (she's the movie freak so she had all of my old rental cards as well as hers), and her library card. It turns out her bag of DS games wasn't in there with her DS, only Brain Age. So that's good at least. We can probably just split my DS up as I don't have time to use it a lot anymore anyway. I lucked out too. Apparently I set her comprehensive deductable at $100. Whew. Normally it's $250 or $500. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenMonkey Posted January 31, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 btw I just read the credit card prank. Hilarious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff W Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 I know this doesn't mean much now, but if they had actually robbed your wife in person you'd be praying they'd have just broken into her car. Material stuff is all replaceable, it's your piece of mind that's hard to repair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan FB Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 Ryan mentioned a good stipulation above (and a legal one at that) but even that isn't the primary reason for my doing it.Well, I accidentally worded it somewhat ambiguously, but what I meant was that if they felt like enforcing it the way it's meant to be, it could deny you use of your own card. Not signing or putting "ASK FOR ID" on it means they can't verify that the tamper-resistant signature field on the CC matches the signature on the ID you present or when you sign the receipt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogbert Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 Well, I accidentally worded it somewhat ambiguously, but what I meant was that if they felt like enforcing it the way it's meant to be, it could deny you use of your own card. Not signing or putting "ASK FOR ID" on it means they can't verify that the tamper-resistant signature field on the CC matches the signature on the ID you present or when you sign the receipt. Visa's own rules for businesses on how to accept Visa payments are available to read online. From it: Some customers write ?See ID? or ?Ask for ID? in the signature panel, thinkingthat this is a deterrent against fraud or forgery; that is, if their signature is not on the card, a fraudster will not be able to forge it. In reality, criminals don?t take the time to practice signatures: they use cards as quickly as possible after a theft and prior to the accounts being blocked. They are actually counting on you not to look at the back of the card and compare signatures?they may even have access to counterfeit identification with a signature in their own handwriting. ?See ID? or ?Ask for ID? is not a valid substitute for a signature. The customer must sign the card in your presence, as stated above. On unsigned cards (to me, people doing this are just asking for trouble): While checking card security features, you should also make sure that the cardis signed. An unsigned card is considered invalid and should not be accepted. If a customer gives you an unsigned card, the following steps must be taken: ? Check the cardholder?s ID. Ask the cardholder for some form of official government identification, such as a driver?s license or passport. Where permissible by law, the ID serial number and expiration date should be written on the sales receipt before you complete the transaction. ? Ask the customer to sign the card. The card should be signed within your full view, and the signature checked against the customer?s signature on the ID. A refusal to sign means the card is still invalid and cannot be accepted. Ask the customer for another signed Visa card. ? Compare the signature on the card to the signature on the ID. If the cardholder refuses to sign the card, and you accept it, you may end up with financial liability for the transaction should the cardholder later dispute the charge. On requiring ID: When should you ask a cardholder for an official government ID? Although Visarules do not preclude merchants from asking for cardholder ID, merchants cannot make an ID a condition of acceptance. Therefore, merchants cannot refuse to complete a purchase transaction because a cardholder refuses to provide ID. Visa believes merchants should not ask for ID as part of their regular card acceptance procedures. Laws in several states also make it illegal for merchants to write a cardholder?s personal information, such as an address or phone number, on a sales receipt. By Visa's own rules, retailers shouldn't accept any cards with "Ask for ID" on the back. By Visa's own rules, retailers cannot require ID for Visa purchases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob B Posted February 1, 2007 Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 it's funny that they do not check id when you buy something, but I've noticed the few time I've returned something they want an id..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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