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Possible Credit Card Skimming At Faire

Started by BryanPopp, November 30, 2011, 01:56:10 PM

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Glaodian

Well with the encryption out today, it would take a Cray Super Computer years and years to crack whatever, if anything, they were able to obtain through a wireless connection.  Even though those handheld credit card scanners are wireless, they are using an encrypted signal sent back via the wifi back to their host computer or in house computer.  I know when I used to own a business and accepted credit cards over the Internet, the credit card companies were serious about security.  Things were either done their way, or no way.

Anything can be hacked.  But in the amount of time it takes to crack the encryption, you will already be on your 3 or 4 card, since they do expire.  :)  Like Trinn said, they get the number from much easier sources.  And it could be months before they get around to using your card since they will more than likely be going thru a stack of card numbers.

And unfortunately, I was one of those poor souls that spent 14 years in IT as well.

--+ Glaodian +--
aka "Gman"
Si vis pacem para bellum

Stalkwell

#16
Interesting news article about RFID and skimming...
what you think ;-)

http://www.newschannel5.com/story/15982718/high-tech-pickpockets-can-steal-credit-card-info

Notice this is a recent report.

Also, gotta love that in some cases your own smart phone can scan the card while IN your pocket.

Go do a youtube search on 'credit card rfid skimming' to see a plethora of 'how to' videos.

If your card # and expiration date are important to you, beware...

Stalk well...
Enthralled with the Faeriebox...

Glaodian

#17
Quote from: Stalkwell on December 01, 2011, 06:10:46 PM
Interesting news article about RFID and skimming...
what you think ;-)

http://www.newschannel5.com/story/15982718/high-tech-pickpockets-can-steal-credit-card-info

Notice this is a recent report.

Also, gotta love that in some cases your own smart phone can scan the card while IN your pocket.

Go do a youtube search on 'credit card rfid skimming' to see a plethora of 'how to' videos.

If your card # and expiration date are important to you, beware...

Stalk well...

Interesting article.  But I would feel a little more inclined to believe it if the interviewee was not the owner of a company that profits off of the sales of products that protect against skimming and such.  Maybe this would be a good test for Mythbusters.  :)

Needless to say, this is still worth investigating more.

--+ Glaodian +--
aka "Gman"
Si vis pacem para bellum

Lady Guinevere

Quote from: Glaodian on December 01, 2011, 07:23:25 PM
Quote from: Stalkwell on December 01, 2011, 06:10:46 PM
Interesting news article about RFID and skimming...
what you think ;-)

http://www.newschannel5.com/story/15982718/high-tech-pickpockets-can-steal-credit-card-info

Notice this is a recent report.

Also, gotta love that in some cases your own smart phone can scan the card while IN your pocket.

Go do a youtube search on 'credit card rfid skimming' to see a plethora of 'how to' videos.

If your card # and expiration date are important to you, beware...

Stalk well...

Interesting article.  But I would feel a little more inclined to believe it if the interviewee was not the owner of a company that profits off of the sales of products that protect against skimming and such.  Maybe this would be a good test for Mythbusters.  :)

Needless to say, this is still worth investigating more.



Agreed!
Clan McLotofus Elder

escherblacksmith

Take a look at your cards, odds are it isn't one of these.  Your greatest threat is still physical credit card theft, or information taken off the card via those physical swipe machines.

Risks are relative.
--

Glaodian

When it comes to online purchases, I have found the best protection is American Express.  I even have it attached to my PayPal.  From both a merchant perspective and a consumer perspective, I have seen Amex act fast on fraud.
--+ Glaodian +--
aka "Gman"
Si vis pacem para bellum

raevyncait

Quote from: Glaodian on December 02, 2011, 01:09:32 PM
When it comes to online purchases, I have found the best protection is American Express.  I even have it attached to my PayPal.  From both a merchant perspective and a consumer perspective, I have seen Amex act fast on fraud.

And I wouldn't have AmEx if someone else was paying the bill. I used to work for a major credit bureau, and had a file come across my desk. Consumer's Amex and another card number were stolen (along with many other people's) from the filing cabinet in the office of their health club, by the janitors.  Consumer submitted complete court transcripts of the trial, in which the janitors ADMITTED TO THE THEFT & TOOK A GUILTY PLEA. Other card wiped charges out. AMEX had not only refused to wipe charges out, they charged account off as a bad debt and refused to remove it from the consumer's report, insisting that it stay for the 7 year statute of limitations. I even called AMEX and they admitted having received the transcripts and acknowledged that the charges were fraudulent, but still wouldn't remove it. After speaking with my supervisor and reviewing the transcripts with our legal department, we deleted it using the "hard" delete code, which would then prevent AMEX from re-adding it.
Raevyn
IWG 3450
The ORIGINAL Pipe Wench
Wench @ Large #2
Resident Scottish Gypsy
Royal Aromatherapist

Merlin the Elder

I know a lot of merchants won't sign up for AMEX because of the super high fees. It may have changed some since I was in retail, but it used to be that AMEX cost to the merchant was double Visa or MasterCard. I've never had an AMEX card, but they sure want me to have one. I get at least an invite a week from them.
Living life in the slow lane
ROoL #116; the Jack of Daniels; AARP #7; SS# 000-00-0013
I've upped my standards. Now, up yours.
...and may all your babies be born naked...

Stalkwell

Quote from: escherblacksmith on December 02, 2011, 12:35:13 PM
Take a look at your cards, odds are it isn't one of these. 

Guaranteed it isn't one of mine, and that's by conscious choice.  All of my blink cards are destroyed and replaced with non-blink ones from the issuing entity as soon as I receive them.  Have been since blink cards started showing up on my doorstep.  I see no convenience, and don't want the liability.

I can't conceive of blink cards (reardless of encryption method) being more secure than our doting government's pasports, and the rest of the world sees these as vulnerable.

Stalk well...
Enthralled with the Faeriebox...

Glaodian

Quote from: raevyncait on December 02, 2011, 03:06:03 PM
Quote from: Glaodian on December 02, 2011, 01:09:32 PM
When it comes to online purchases, I have found the best protection is American Express.  I even have it attached to my PayPal.  From both a merchant perspective and a consumer perspective, I have seen Amex act fast on fraud.

And I wouldn't have AmEx if someone else was paying the bill. I used to work for a major credit bureau, and had a file come across my desk. Consumer's Amex and another card number were stolen (along with many other people's) from the filing cabinet in the office of their health club, by the janitors.  Consumer submitted complete court transcripts of the trial, in which the janitors ADMITTED TO THE THEFT & TOOK A GUILTY PLEA. Other card wiped charges out. AMEX had not only refused to wipe charges out, they charged account off as a bad debt and refused to remove it from the consumer's report, insisting that it stay for the 7 year statute of limitations. I even called AMEX and they admitted having received the transcripts and acknowledged that the charges were fraudulent, but still wouldn't remove it. After speaking with my supervisor and reviewing the transcripts with our legal department, we deleted it using the "hard" delete code, which would then prevent AMEX from re-adding it.

That does suck.  I had Amex call me a couple of years ago and they told me someone was off using my card somewhere.  So they canceled that card and issued me a new one.  I had a new card in hand 48 hours later and all of the charges were removed.  Not sure why this other person  was held to the charges, but I never had been.

As for the merchant fees, it all depends on how much volume you take in.  I think I was only taking in a few thousand a month on Amex, so the fee was set and very low.  Cheaper than VISA/MC.  My fees for those two alone were over $25k a month.

But I guess it all depends on who you talk to.  Some say they would not drive a Ford because their friends all had problems, and others would say the same about a Chevy.  Cant really make everyone happy.  All you can do is respect their opnion and move on, knowing you are right and they are wrong.    HAHA.  Just kidding about that last part.    ;D
--+ Glaodian +--
aka "Gman"
Si vis pacem para bellum

Merlin the Elder

Quote from: Glaodian on December 02, 2011, 03:59:39 PM...
As for the merchant fees, it all depends on how much volume you take in.  I think I was only taking in a few thousand a month on Amex, so the fee was set and very low.  Cheaper than VISA/MC.  My fees for those two alone were over $25k a month.
...
Fee structures have apparently changed considerably in the past 15 years. It used to be, the lower your volume, the higher the percentage cost to use the service. Small to moderate businesses were charge 6.5-8% for AMEX, and right around 3% for Visa/MC. To generate $25k in fees a month, back then, you would have had to have been running over $2.5 million a month to cost you that (with the volume discounts). Good grief! What's the percentage these days!?!?
Living life in the slow lane
ROoL #116; the Jack of Daniels; AARP #7; SS# 000-00-0013
I've upped my standards. Now, up yours.
...and may all your babies be born naked...

Glaodian

My percentages were a bit higher than most due to the fact that all of my transactions were Internet based.  From 1999-2006 I owned a dial-up Internet company and had over 17,000 access numbers I was leasing across the 48 states and Canada with at my peak, I had over 150k users not counting my web hosting accounts.  Since I never had the cards in hand when I was charging them, I was charged a higher percentage.  Though I do not remember what those numbers were.  All I remember was what my AP girl used to ramble on about when I asked where all of the money was going.   ;D

In that market at that time trying to cover all 48 states (Hawaii and Alaska cost too much to lease lines in), my overhead was aroun 80% per customer.  So volume was the key.
--+ Glaodian +--
aka "Gman"
Si vis pacem para bellum

majikah

When we went to Britain this summer, we had a dedicated card with a certain amount of money, which we thought would be perfect. As is turns out, card use in the UK is fundamentally different, they have almost completely gotten rid of "cards." They use a hand-held swiper. Merchants there looked at our card like it was a historical relic.

We are way behind the rest of the world on this front, bummer.

cowgrrl

Quote from: majikah on January 12, 2012, 10:04:30 AM
When we went to Britain this summer, we had a dedicated card with a certain amount of money, which we thought would be perfect. As is turns out, card use in the UK is fundamentally different, they have almost completely gotten rid of "cards." They use a hand-held swiper. Merchants there looked at our card like it was a historical relic.

We are way behind the rest of the world on this front, bummer.

I was going to say something similar. Most cards there have the chips & we had to be sure to tell cashiers that ours didn't. There was only one place that I couldn't use it but it was a bit of a hassle.
IIRC all cards in the US are going to have to have chips in a few years. If you decide to go overseas before that happens I suggest you get a credit cars with a chip from your bank or credit card company. I imagine it's going to only become more difficult to use non-chipped cards overseas.

Riot

Or you use the more than one ATM on every block and pull out just enough cash for the day.. They use a TON of cash over there.. I've seen and heard the amount of transations on ATM's they use over there compared to ours here, its mind boggling. No really it is..
"I'm sweet, innocent, virginal, and full of all things goodness and light"