Credit Card Fraud (strongly suspect local gas station involved)

Yesterday,  I used a card at the gas station near the high school. The attendant there said there was a problem with a receipt so I made a mental note of the amount and carried on. Today, Chase notified me of 2 subsequent fraudulent charges on my card at a different gas station out of state (West Virginia). The coincidence is very strong, although not definitive, of course. I'm writing this to alert others to the chance your card numbers are being communicated in a network of criminals.

I actually fear this may have happened to us too. We have a Shell credit card that we pretty much only use at gas stations, and found some Expedia charges on there which were not ours. The other alternative is that my husband used it at an MTA machine to buy subway tickets. So we're not really sure how to trace it but we suspect it was either a gas station or the MTA kiosk.

For what it's worth, the gas station near the high school is our main station and we've never had any issues until this one, so I don't know that it's them.

TarheelsInNj said:

I actually fear this may have happened to us too. We have a Shell credit card that we pretty much only use at gas stations, and found some Expedia charges on there which were not ours. The other alternative is that my husband used it at an MTA machine to buy subway tickets. So we're not really sure how to trace it but we suspect it was either a gas station or the MTA kiosk.

For what it's worth, the gas station near the high school is our main station and we've never had any issues until this one, so I don't know that it's them.

I've used that station before safely .... all until this time. That is the station I absolutely suspect here.

MTA is rock-solid, by the way.

For physical card theft, it's most common for restaurants to be involved, as they generally take your credit card away where it can be more easily copied & scanned.  Admittedly a gas station does take your card, but they're not taking it very far since they're just usually just paying at the pump for you.

Add on to that fact that every place you've ever purchased online has your information stored somewhere credit card fraud has become a regular part of life.  At least the companies generally are good about refunding fraudulent charges and vendors are very used to cards being deactivated, so you'll usually get plenty of warning.

qrysdonnell-

Yes, of course. But I have a strong sense here nonetheless. 

Same here except the gas station was off the Parkway. Two days later, fraudulent activity in Connecticut. 

Maybe there was a problem with your receipt because fraudulent activity out of state had just started to be detected.

The gas station transaction failing to complete could have  been a warning , not the source. 

Problem with the receipt would most likely be the printer in it physically broken.

I can't see how the lack of a receipt has anything to do with a higher chance of fraud.  If I was to commit fraud I wouldn't do anything to draw attention to what I was doing.

I had a fraudulant transaction after using this station last year.  They may have reader that had been tampered with.

Please report your suspicions to the Maplewood Police and report only the facts, but feel free to explain your concern the two incidents might be related.  As someone else mentioned, there might be an innocent explanation, but that does not mean you should not report it.  It isn't our job to decide if there is a connection, it is our responsibility to share information about incidents that happened and that rose to the level of our suspicions.  The Police will not arrest someone just because you have a suspicion.  But they might already have a complaint, one you do not know about; so do your part and report your information.  

Several years ago I used this same gas station and paid with a credit card. Two days later, my bank was calling to ask if I was in Texas, because the same card had been used to pay for gas and food at several different Shell stations in Texas (I'd never left NJ during this time). I've never been back to that particular station since, and try to stay away from Shell in general.

I couldn't prove anything, but it seemed much too much of a coincidence. Pay at Shell in NJ and get hacked by Shell in Texas? Doubt it was coincidental.

For the record, I and about a dozen coworkers had cards compromised at an MTA MetroCard machine near the office. An overhead camera had been installed.

I don't think any transaction point (including a bank) is rock solid, and it is even possible that the owners and workers know nothing about the fraud.

In my own case, I find it odd that the card was ONLY used at Shell establishments in Texas - no other fradulent charges turned up. Of course, I cancelled the card as soon as the bank advised me of its misuse.

I don't think I've ever gotten a phone call from my credit card company, but that's another issue. 

The interesting thing about our fraudulent charges is that there are 3 total, all from Expedia - 2 charges, and one credit. It's like the thief booked a hotel room, changed his/her mind and then booked a cheaper room.  

In addition, I had the most hilariously ridiculous call with Expedia. I saw the charge and called to let them know I thought it was booked in error. I gave them the itinerary number that was on the credit card, and they kept asking for my email address and name. They said "that doesn't match the account that booked this itinerary" - um, yes, I know, that's the entire point. LOL. 

Stories like this had me switch to paying cash for gas all the time after moving to NJ, with rare exception. Smartphone cameras just make it too easy to snap both sides. Of course, we've still been hit twice; almost every swipe presents some risk.

I too used the station near CHS about two weeks ago. Last Thursday, I began receiving alert emails from Chase indicating that my cards could be compromised and I could I please call to verify the purchases. I called and yes, my card had been used for an online purchase and another at a department store of out state, totaling almost $500+. Another purchase, totaling $300+ was rejected and a flag put on my card. I was told my card was "done" and they sent me to the fraud department. Same day, I went to the Chase in Millburn and got a new card. I racked my brain as to how this could have happened. The last time I used my card was at Costco and not since then. Prior to that, it was at that gas station where my full number plus 3 back digits were visible to anyone. Not saying this is the scene of the crime, but it's surely suspicious now that I've read the above. 

Maybe a phone call to the NJ Dept of Consumer Affairs is in order?

http://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/Pages/File-a-Complaint.aspx

There have been a lot of problems, reported right here on MOL, about that Shell station. I refuse to go there.

Why are you folks tiptoeing so gently? People at this gas station probably are the culprits. It seems very likely.

A few days ago I bought gas (not at this station).  Within moments of using my Chase card I had a fraud alert text, asking if I'd really bought gas.

This may be a more widespread problem. 

SouthernBaron said:

Stories like this had me switch to paying cash for gas all the time after moving to NJ, with rare exception. Smartphone cameras just make it too easy to snap both sides. Of course, we've still been hit twice; almost every swipe presents some risk.

This. Use cash.  

These have been found on gas station pumps in various places... 
http://krebsonsecurity.com/all-about-skimmers/

or something like this in the attendants pocket... 
http://www.ebay.com/bhp/bluetooth-credit-card-reader

These have been found on gas station pumps in various places... 
http://krebsonsecurity.com/all-about-skimmers/

or something like this in the attendants pocket... 
http://www.ebay.com/bhp/bluetooth-credit-card-reader

Consumer Reports recommends using cash. 

• To totally avoid becoming a skimming victim at the pump, use cash when you buy gas, which also shouldknock down the price per gallon you’ll pay.  

Gas stations are hotbeds for this.  Happened to me upstate NY and in Canada.  Probably no need to get the local PD involved directly as its merely suspicion, but if the CC fraud depts see a pattern of fraud vs valid charges at a given station, they'll likely get with them themselves.

I suspect this happened to me after using my Discover card at a local gas station (not Shell), timing/usage was a deciding factor.  Fraud dept. called me, sent a new card.  I now pay cash for my gas.

I've been following this thread with interest, because I've been the victim of credit card fraud a number of times, though the cards involved were not always the cards I use to purchase gas. In fact, over this past weekend I was contacted for fraud on a card I generally do not use for gas (but had a day or two before used at Home Depot). What was interesting was that this was a new "chip" card, which is supposedly harder to steal. Of course, unlike Europe, where a PIN is required, in the US it isn't, which halfway defeats the purpose.

One tip to share: Set up alerts and contact info for your credit card so that your company can quickly contact you by phone, text, and email. You can also (depending on the particular card and bank) set up alerts for foreign transactions, transactions in excess of a certain amount, etc. 

This past weekend, my credit card bank contacted me in three different ways within hours of the fraud and then overnighted me a new card via FedEx. I was impressed -- although the FedEx package was delivered and left without signature required, which I thought was pretty dumb.

This is the really alarming part of the CR article: 

Use cash. Why take a chance?

I agree use cash, but when folks are using their debit and credit cards to pay for their slurpies because they don't even have a fiver in their pocket, this will continue to happen.

The one just north of exit 98, by any chance? Because I'm pretty sure that's where mine happened. 

daveturnley said:

Same here except the gas station was off the Parkway. Two days later, fraudulent activity in Connecticut.