Facebook credit card scam, any lawyers in the house?

[Puff Daddy]

So just by chance I'm checking my online bank statement on a monday evening cuz the wife waned to know if we had some extra movie date money for the kids to go see a show tomorrow. There's a $125 charge against my atm visa card in process, dated today, from facebook.com. WTF I say?

I immediately go to the banks help center, no help, they only have humanoids available from 9-5 weekdays. The 24 hour on line banking help line got me a human, but he only does website stuff and doesn't have anything to do with the bank. I wrote the bank a secure server message through their online banking site, stating it was a fraudulent purchase that I did not make and that I was presently trying to find out what the hell was going on.

I go to facebook and sign in, look around my account, go to the help center, and find information about credit purchasing. Further inquiries using their dispute resolution system shows that, even though I am not signed up for credit purchasing and do not have any kind of a payment method set up with them for anything, they show two charges, one made last night for $125 and another made a few hours ago for $250 to an texas holdem poker thing (I couldn't find out any more information at all about it). Needless to say, I don't do that kind of stuff and it wasn't me or anyone in my house.

So I filed a dispute with facebook, whose system said I'd recieve an email response right away (I didn't) and I wrote again to my bank via the on line banking message center telling them to cancel all cards attached to my account (just two, the wife and I), and instructing them to reverse the fraudulent charges, refuse to honor any charges from this source presented in the future (the $250 charge had not shown up yet) and to assist me in reporting this fraud to the proper authorities.

Do you think I'm screwed out of the money already charged? It was an atm card, not a credit card, but it does have a visa logo on the card and can be used anywhere that a visa is accepted. I dunno if that makes any difference. I know credit cards give protection, but again, this was my atm card #. I have no idea how someone got it, niether of the cards has been missing and we get our banking statements on line so there is no paper bill that someone could have found in the trash.

It always happens to someone else, til it happens to you.

 

[gravel]

Do you think I'm screwed out of the money already charged? It was an atm card, not a credit card, but it does have a visa logo on the card and can be used anywhere that a visa is accepted. I dunno if that makes any difference. I know credit cards give protection, but again, this was my atm card #.

It always happens to someone else, til it happens to you.

I don't think you are screwed, but that depends on your bank.

My bank caught 4 fraudulent debit card transactions and had questions about two more which were deducted against my account. I spoke with their fraud dept on a Sunday and they immediately issued a temporary credit to my account. After their investigation the reversals stuck and I was home free.

They also replaced my debit card.

 

[Puff Daddy]

You gotta tell me who you bank with gravel, shoot me a pm. I've been banking with a little podunk ranchers bank for a dozen years or more because I had a stolen check fiasco with wells fargo. They sent a box of checks to my rural mailbox instead of the branch for pickup as requested, and they were stolen and used. That ended well, but my money was tied up for a long time even though the gal who forged the checks was caught red handed by the police. I went with the little local bank because they were and still are real personable, they all know my name when I walk in there, but they are way behind the times on modern service. Your stuff gets hijacked and you can't even get a card cancelled or a stop put on an account or a transaction until 9 tomorrow at the soonest. No bueno. Might have to go back to the big ugly conglomerate banks, as much as that makes me sick to do it.

 

[Rad Davis]

Gotta be careful where and how you use your ATM card.

My son found charges against his account for $1850 a few years ago that paid for hotel rooms in Croatia. All he had to do was go into the bank and sign an affidavit that he had not made the charges and they credited his account. The bank told him that someone probably got his number and PIN when he used it somewhere, and that more than likely, it was at a gas station.

Rad

 

[Puff Daddy]

It will be interesting to find out if it was a pin transaction or one where a card # was simply submitted without signature or pin. Given that it was a third party gambling site, it was probably just a submitted number. Faceook must be frikking crazy to thinkmthat this third party credit scheme will be worth the percentages they skim. Once credibility is destroyed and people flee from it because their personal banking is compromised, they will tank. You think their stock is low now.......

My wife loves facebook, but I already told her, once this dispute is settled, we're pulling the plug unless they provide a way to completely opt out and protect privacy.

Class action lawsuit for privacy infringement anyone?

 

[Buckshot]

Unfortunately all the so called "social media" sites are full of predators of all types. Good luck on getting everything settled to your satisfaction.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Here's a few thoughts...


Banks will credit back any charges not made by you, regardless of from which account/credit card from which it came. It will take longer if it was "real money" in a checking account, for example, but it can be done.

Facebook is dangerous territory. If your wife uses any "apps" or plays any of the silly little games, that's probably where the fraud originally took place. It's very easy for some "hacker kid" to chop into passwords and get into account information to do things like play online gambling and the like. Facebook is fine, if you simply use it to talk to people and don't get sucked into clicking on things you ought not to. So there's that.

Facebook doesn't really make money skimming anyone, they just aren't obligated to give a crap if some third-party software maker had awful security, but makes a popular game. People will like up like cattle to the financial slaughter if they hear about some "new game" at work via the water cooler. Suddenly, stuff like this happens.

You're going about it the right way, PD, just tell your wife no more giving out the card info online (unless it's a reputable, major retailer) and protecting use of your card in public. That's really all you can do. Facebook isn't directly the problem, it's how people use it.

8)

 

[Puff Daddy]

Here's what I know so far. My bank cancelled the atm cards connected with my checking account, but not before $400 of charges went through, uch of it after I notified them of the fraud and demanded them to act. They say that once we sign the affidavit of fraud they will reverse the charges and credit my account, but I don't know how long that will take.

Facebook was the billing agent, so they are directly involved, not simply the media server for third party apps. They actually sell credits for gaming and charge your bank account directly, the charges on my account specifically say facebook.com.

But, they did email me a response, acknowledging that it was indeed fraud and that the charges will be credited back to my account in 3-5 days.

Meanwhile, I have bills coming due via automatic withdrawal that are directly connected to the now cancelled cards, and the bank says it will take at least a week before I recieve the new cards. So, I have to hunt down the companies that will be trying to bill my now cancelled card and deal with that. It may already be that an item or two will not be paid properly, as they have probably already been processed.

 

[Brewdude]

Yet another reason for me to avoid FB at all costs!


:x



Cheers,

RR

 

[plumbernater]

I feel your pain but what is it with folks putting their life on Face Book. I stay clear of such. Do too much on this forum probably.

 

[Anonymous]

A lot of people like to complain about their experiences on major web platforms such as Facebook, but most of them stick around as users, feeling that the pros outweigh the cons. But Limited Run, a startup that makes a software platform for musicians and labels to sell physical products like vinyl records, says it has reached the final straw with its experience as a small business advertising on Facebook — and as a result is completely withdrawing its presence on the social networking platform.

The core issue is that Limited Run says it has discovered 80 percent of the clicks it is receiving on Facebook appear to be coming from bots, rather than real people.

http://techcrunch.com/2012/07/30/startup-claims-80-of-its-facebook-ad-clicks-are-coming-from-bots/

:face:

 

[Buckshot]

Yet another reason for me to avoid FB at all costs!


:x



Cheers,

RR

Total agreement here! It's starting to seem like the only way people can relate to or interact with another person is through texting or some other social media platform like Facebook or Twitter, etc. When they have to deal with someone on a face-to-face basis they are at a loss and don't have the social skills to cope with the situation, IMHO.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Avoiding Facebook is the best thing to do if someone isn't used to using an Internet-connected computer, or if they seem to have an uncontrollable urge to give out unnecessary information, credit card or bank account numbers. Facebook is free, but there's plenty of opportunity to be duped into handing over cash for useless crap if one is susceptible to such things.

It's funny, the Internet is a magical place. Like driving, it helps to know what you're doing before you go 150 mph, get a flat tire or wonder when you need an oil change. There's no AAA for the Internet.

8)

 

[Puff Daddy]

Here's the interesting thing. Facebook acknowledges that I never made a purchase through their site, nor did I ever enter any kind of billing information, yet they accepted and put through a bank transaction with my name, account, and bank account info from someone that was not me or did not access my account. Basically they allowed a third party to simply present a transaction request and allowed that request to override all of the safety triggers in place. They got some 'splainin to do. My bank doesn't want to get involved in filing any kind of charges for fraud (they don't want to be bothered with the paper work) and facebook will only say that they've done everything they can do. i say bullshit, someone is responsible and answerable. Once I get my money back I'd like to pursue some sort of action, but have no idea where.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

That's why I mentioned what I did about the third-party "apps" and software. They're little parasites. One false move, and it's almost as they speak on your behalf saying, "Sure, charge the sh*t out of me, I accept." :scratch: It's shady.

Also, don't give out your financial account numbers unless you're willing to take the risk AND you know exactly where they are going. Buying pipe tobacco? Okay, that's pretty easy and direct. Buying access to some stupid bird game on Facebook with an address in China? Okay, that's asking for trouble.

As long as you get your cash back, you're ahead of the game. Going out and prosecuting and punishing is a waste of time. There's no sheriff in the Digital Wild West, and what few cops and agencies that specialize on this stuff are going after the big hackers and fraud criminals, not some piddly-ass outfit in the Cayman Islands. *shrug* Sad but true. The best defense is to be a proactive, stingy, paranoid bastard about what exactly is done online. I've been on the Internet in some fashion buying stuff, chatting, hanging out for the better part of two decades and have never had a problem. I don't get viruses, malware or ripped off. *knocks on wood* I know what to do and what not to do, and some people are far too trusting with their computers and what they say, do or transact on them. Disturbingly so.

 

[gandalfpc]

It is actually unlikely that Facebook managed to put through a transaction without at least the correct billing zip code - my guess is you have no recourse other than the standard consumer credit protection, and they will likely be satisfied with a few days delay - I am quite unsure if there is any provision for damages caused by being without the money for a short time, but I am equally quite pessimistic that there will be any recourse there...

 

[christeaux]

i say bullshit, someone is responsible and answerable. Once I get my money back I'd like to pursue some sort of action, but have no idea where.

I agree, and arson is always a good start. Facebook does not really have a building so I say we find the creator, burn his house down, then get a fire hose...spray some hippies, and call it a day.

 

[Puff Daddy]

Well, I guess the best scenario would be that facebook has to eat the loss, that they can't pass it along down the line, and that it continues to happen to them and they finally change their business plan.

Again, I have no apps installed, I gave no card information to any facebook service, the purchase history for my account showed no purchases. I do not use my atm card for online purchases like tobacconists, amazon, etc, I use a credit card. My atm card is only used locally for gas, groceries, etc.. Somehow someone pushed something through their system and bypassed the normal safeties in place. They quickly admitted it was fraud but won't say how it was done.

 

[Rad Davis]

My atm card is only used locally for gas, groceries, etc..

Bingo! It's more than likely that your number and pin were picked at one of those places.

Rad

 

[kaiser83]

Most banks assume up to 499.99 without even a real waiver signed. Beyond 500 they normally have you sign a waiver. I switched banks to one that uses a MaterCard instead of Visa. Visa tends to be more hit by scams and fraudulent charges. Dropped a bank I had for 7 years because I had fraudulent charges 3 separate times with 3 different Visas. Now have MasterCard and not a single issue yet.