Beware gun sites starting to commit organized fraud

[Alexx1401]

Yes debit card used as a visa. I can't write whole site name because it will be converted to "tacticalbubblegum.com". Thats why I wrote "tacticalshi."

<SIGH>
People, DO NOT use a debit card to buy
I can not for the life of me wrap my head around people who keep doing this.
The debit card is one step up from using things like vennmo or PayPal but still, why?
If you want to buy stuff use a credit card. All of mine let me set warnings that they are being used. If someone does get them it costs me NOTHING and is super simple to fix.

 

[Alexx1401]

If it says "visa" on the debit card, I would expect hope to have regular visa credit card protections, but I don't really know. Maybe it only means it will be accepted anywhere Visa is accepted.

I would hope that you can either get Visa to cancel the charge to you, or the bank can report a theft and not charge you.

Most banks now will protect you and get you your money on debit cards. They only started doing so because law makers long ago were going to get involved if they did not. The problem here is if you let someone clean out your checking account the bank will most likely make you whole but, in the mean time you best have cash to pay for stuff while the bank fixes it.

 

[gmerkt]

Within the past year, we had fraudulent charges made against two separate credit cards. Different carriers for each card. The first time, it was a charge for a fancy tennis racquet shipped to an address in California. From a newly set up account at Dick's Sporting Goods. They had my email address as well, and Dick's was kind enough to send me a welcome aboard email, plus the transaction details. Then another fraudulent charge was made for another racquet shortly thereafter, but Dick's or the bank caught it and blocked the charge. The bank made good on it, but we had to go through the routine of card replacement.

About six weeks later, we had the same situation, on a different card. No details were made available, as the bank caught this one right away. But we had to endure the card replacement routine on that one as well.

So I started going over charges made during the couple of months prior to when this all started. I don't know if two events make a pattern. BUT: In both cases, the fraudulent charges occurred about ten days after I'd made a CC purchase at a famous gun stuff firm in Missouri. I wrote to the security department of this firm, with the details and that I suspected they had a mole in their order department who was purloining CC and order details from customer orders. They did write back but denied the possibility. A couple of months later, I decided to make a charge with this merchant again, using a third CC to see if it would blow up on me. It didn't.

Mrs. Merkt tried to make a CC charge with an online merchant recently. She got the order entered, CC info and all, and the last step was the CC three digit security code on the back of the card. Try as she might, it would not accept the code. I looked into it a bit, and learned that some CC carriers will block a credit charge against certain merchants if they've had too many problems with them. I say good for the carrier bank; their blocking the charge may save me some headaches later.

 

[The Heretic]

Stop using debit cards except at official bank ATMs to get cash.

Just contact your bank and ask them to issue you a credit card that isn't also a debit card. Easy peasy.

Let the thieves steal the bank's money instead of yours.

I almost never use my debit card anywhere except Winco (which won't take anything except cash or a debit card). That especially applies to online purchases.

 

[cervelorod]

There are services now that you can use to generate a one-time credit card number for things like this. I haven't used them but I have heard a fair amount about how easy it is and so much safer. You can keep the card number active but it has no money available, or do a throwaway number for dealing with someone you have never purchased from. Doesn't stop the store where they handle your card, but could cut down the re-use of your number from an online purchase. I have a different credit card that I use for this kind of stuff, and it gets replaced 1-2 times a year for fraud, but my credit union has always been really good at putting the money back. I refuse to give my phone all that info and have someone walk by with a reader and scan my phone. I also have tin foil hats in several colors….

 

[Richo877]

But it is done under a completely different name. Mine was some random name I've never heard of, not tacticalshi. So they know how to get away with it. Whether it has the companies approval to do it or if it's an employee doing it on their own I don't know.

There's also a possibility that there's a data breach in their payment system and their database has been hacked. This is especially problematic for people who save their payment info for future transactions. The companies may not even know about it. Contact them and let them know as well because they could have class action lawsuits if they know their security is weak and continue to let it happen.

 

[223to45]

There are services now that you can use to generate a one-time credit card number for things like this. I haven't used them but I have heard a fair amount about how easy it is and so much safer. You can keep the card number active but it has no money available, or do a throwaway number for dealing with someone you have never purchased from. Doesn't stop the store where they handle your card, but could cut down the re-use of your number from an online purchase. I have a different credit card that I use for this kind of stuff, and it gets replaced 1-2 times a year for fraud, but my credit union has always been really good at putting the money back. I refuse to give my phone all that info and have someone walk by with a reader and scan my phone. I also have tin foil hats in several colors….

I used to use something like that with Citi.
I thought it was very cool. Different number everytime, could also set the amount. Kinda wished everyone had something like that.

 

[gmerkt]

I have a different credit card that I use for this kind of stuff, and it gets replaced 1-2 times a year for fraud,

So, having your card hacked this often is normal??

But then again, replacing the number every time breaks the chain of fraud from a particular hacker.

This is especially problematic for people who save their payment info for future transactions.

I've had a natural suspicion about this practice. So I avoid doing it on individual merchant sites. But I think my Google account remembers them. If that got broken into, it could be disastrous.

 

[The Heretic]

I refuse to give my phone all that info and have someone walk by with a reader and scan my phone

Yeah - pretty much no phone/etc. "wallets" for me. I do use Amazon Pay for Woot/Pharmacy (both divisions of Amazon) that hits my Amazon Prime CC (my only CC), not my CU debit card.

I also use Zelle for buying from private people who will ship to me or when I ship to them - but these are people I have reason to trust, not some anonymous online retailer.

I've had a few frauds against my CC, but not from someone I intentionally gave my CC# to. I no longer hand my card to someone who takes it out of my sight - e.g., a gas station attendant (pretty sure that was the problem the last time I got hit) and I have not had any frauds since then.

The first time I had a fraud charge, it was someone who made a charge against my card in Europe and the CC company caught it, and asked me if it was me, which it wasn't. The main inconveniences are that it takes a week or so for them to get me a new card when they cancel my old one, and I have to go around and change the automatic charges on the different sites (Netlix, etc.).

 

[The Heretic]

There's also a possibility that there's a data breach in their payment system and their database has been hacked. This is especially problematic for people who save their payment info for future transactions. The companies may not even know about it. Contact them and let them know as well because they could have class action lawsuits if they know their security is weak and continue to let it happen.

Yeah - I do not do that with one time or repeat retailers - I have no idea how good their security is. Even the biggies - like T-Mobile/etc., have issues, but I don't have much choice with them as they are monthly payments.

 

[Bacchus]

Another option, with even fewer protections , is to buy a gift card for certain purchases. That way if someone hacks your card they are limited to whatever balance you have on that card. I've even used a gift card to buy gas, although that usually means paying for the gas at the window since the pumps will want a zip code. I especially like using a gift card if I'm buying from companies located out of the U.S., like Temu . I've also used a gift card when purchasing from Amazon, just to confirm Amazon will take it.

When I only have a few dollars left on a gift card I use it when I buy groceries. The store computer will suck up the card balance and then beg for more, at which time I use my regular credit card for the remainder of the purchase. It's as easy as it sounds.

Gift cards can have a whole 'nother scam going on at the time you buy them, but that's a different issue.

 

[Alexx1401]

Another option, with even fewer protections , is to buy a gift card for certain purchases. That way if someone hacks your card they are limited to whatever balance you have on that card. I've even used a gift card to buy gas, although that usually means paying for the gas at the window since the pumps will want a zip code. I especially like using a gift card if I'm buying from companies located out of the U.S., like Temu . I've also used a gift card when purchasing from Amazon, just to confirm Amazon will take it.

When I only have a few dollars left on a gift card I use it when I buy groceries. The store computer will suck up the card balance and then beg for more, at which time I use my regular credit card for the remainder of the purchase. It's as easy as it sounds.

Gift cards can have a whole 'nother scam going on at the time you buy them, but that's a different issue.

The one BIG risk I see here is what happens when you do not get what you paid for? Does the gift card give you your money back??

 

[Bacchus]

The one BIG risk I see here is what happens when you do not get what you paid for? Does the gift card give you your money back??

Nope, and you're right, that is the big risk. It's what I was thinking of when I mentioned "with even fewer protections." I would be less likely to use a gift card for bigger purchases.

 

[Alexx1401]

Nope, and you're right, that is the big risk. It's what I was thinking of when I mentioned "with even fewer protections." I would be less likely to use a gift card for bigger purchases.

In that case I would use them on Amazon only. I get gift cards from work every year for doing health promo crap that I turn into Amazon cards. Same when Wife's parents were alive they used to give out Visa gift cards to all for Christmas. We just put them on our Amazon account since then if something we ordered does not show they (Amazon) steps in and makes it right.

 

[The Heretic]

In that case I would use them on Amazon only. I get gift cards from work every year for doing health promo crap that I turn into Amazon cards. Same when Wife's parents were alive they used to give out Visa gift cards to all for Christmas. We just put them on our Amazon account since then if something we ordered does not show they (Amazon) steps in and makes it right.

Amazon is really good about that. I've had them handle botched deliveries several times - 99% of the time everything goes well, but occasionally something gets lost - sometimes it shows up later. One time I got a "refurbished" scope with an illuminated reticle that would not light, and they handled the issue with no problems.

Just the same, I am very careful about checking prices for stuff and usually only buy something from them when it is on sale, and the price is actually good. I ignore their pre-sale price amount as it is usually inflated, and I compare to other sellers. But I do buy a LOT of Amazon stuff - $$$$ per year.

 

[gunrnr]

The wait for a new card is extremely inconvenient but you might ask when they cancel your old card if they could expedite the delivery. It could be there in 1 to 2 days

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Updating this thread.

1) Bank notified me within minutes (as far as far as I can tell) and I called them and I thought they stopped it in time so it didn't go through
2) bank credited me for the theft immediately and issued a new card
3) bank got the scammers to credit my account so I got double reimbursement. This took a week or so I think
4) bank will reverse charges on their portion in the near future
5) I researched the theft and it's "rebet" which is apparently some bitcoin sports betting thing?

So the most logical explanation to me is that some employee has gambling debts and they used this theft to pay it off or they were laying bets with other people's money. That is all speculation of course but it's logical. The one thing that is not in question is that the theft was tied to that gun site purchase, whether from an employee, the business, or someone that has access to their records.

 

[Member 74756]

Ordered from tactical sh.. and 4 days later two separate charges to my bank car for over $1200. Card not used for anything else. Also defense depot another person said $1200 charge after they ordered for them.

It looks like word has gotten around to employees that they can get away with it and bank will just pay off victim.

I'm not aware of it happening at reputable sites yet but it's only a matter of time if the scammers can make $1200 a pop. Must be something about that dollar amount that won't trigger instant bank denial or something?

never ever ever use a debit card only ever use a credit card

 

[CamoDeafie]

never ever ever use a debit card only ever use a credit card

USername maybe checks out?

 

[Flopsweat]

If there's no extra charge for using a credit card, I'll use a card with points. If it's cheaper to use debit and I trust the site a lot, I have no issue using debit. I've never had an issue, but I only do this with really big, super trustworthy sites.