Yeah, we bought gas about 5 miles west of where we usually do and had to answer to the credit card company about it. It felt a bit like being spied on! Even four years ago when I bought a laptop, DH got a phonecall at work asking him if I was really buying a laptop at Circuit City, or was the card stolen. I guess I like this, but it sure got wierd when they called us about a tankful of gas!

Sometimes it's a pain, though. I went on vacation in California and Citibank declined my charges there until I called them and told them "I'M ON VACATION!". Now I call them before I leave. They want the exact dates I'll be gone and where I'll be.

Oh, another time I went shopping in a city 100 miles from home and spent $600. They declined that, too. Had to call them on my cell and answer all the requisite questions. This is too much! I check my account online several times a week, so I would definitely know if somebody else was using my card.

Wow I never knew... Guess we should call them if we go on vacation? That will be the next thing.

I'm new here and just happened across this post.
All I can say is Thank God Visa was on duty when we were on
a trip last year.
We were on a cross country drive to Oregon and the PNW to a family reunion.
We had only been home a day when we got a call.
Visa said that someone in California had tried to buy
several things using our card number. Also that there was
evidence that the crook was trying to steal my husband's
identity. He had aready asked for a change of address.
Needless to say it got our attention.
Our card had not been stolen, but the number sure had.

Visa gave me all the info I needed, where to call, whom to
call. They canceled our card and gave us another card and
account number. Their help was invaluable to me in the
following weeks.
I ended up cancelling all of my accounts, on advice of the
feds. Yes, I had to report everything to the federal
government's fraud division. My account now has a fraud
alert on it for 2 years.

It was a royal pain to do everything but if the thief had
succeeded in stealing an identity it would have been
much, much worse.

They can call me anytime.

Yes, Kathy, by all means let them know when you are going on
vacation.

Oh yes. Once I keyed in the wrong zip code and it refused the charge, later I got a letter from the company asking if I had tried to use the card at on that date at that place. another time, my husband charged some gas about the same time I was charging something at another store, then within five minutes we were buying a few groceries. The phone was ringing when we got home to check if we had really made the three purchaces so close together.

It really is scary how easy it is for someone to fraudulently use your credit card number or worse, steal your identity.

I once had my credit card company call and ask if I was in Australia and Japan...obviously not since I was talking to them. Apparently the number was stolen (my cards were in my possession), fake cards were made and they were able to use it at an atm machine for a few hundred dollars, then attempted to try and use it at several other locations in the US and two other countries for large ticket purchases.

Fortunately, the credit card company caught on especially since we've never used it at an atm, I wouldn't even know how. I thought you had to have a pin set up for that. All subsequent charges were rejected until they could verify that it was being used fraudulently.

I'm surprised at how easy it was for this to happen, I consider myself to be a very careful person. I always shred receipts and statements, wait for the waitor to take my bill away before leaving a restaurant instead of leaving it on the table with the tip, etc. You just never know!