Credit card fraud

[donP]

Banking Culture

...my local (Banco Santa Cruz) ... when I use the card for a big purchase or in a new store they will call me while I am still at the store checkout to make sure it is me doing the charging. Pretty impressive.

Obviously BSC knows in what country they are doing their business.
Not really impressive, country smart rather.


donP

 

[CaptnGlenn]

Want to ask you guys something.

What if you go into a Dominican bank and have them withdraw cash from your credit card would that be any safer or is that the same as using the CC in a store/gas station?

Don't know about the D.R. banks, but most U.S. banks charge big fees AND very high interest rates for this. Check out "cash advance" under your terms agreements.

For you folks having problems getting fraud fixed by your bank... I think it's time to shop for a new bank!!! I've had a number of "events" over the years, and never a problem getting them corrected IN MY FAVOR. Amex is top of the list... always on your side. The banks ... or at least mine, always make the adjustment in your favor provisionally until the investigation is done, and then make the adjustment final once they have it figured out.

 

[MaineGirl]

I suppose it could have been worse. I stopped using the card several months ago, and left only five dollars in there, as it was technically a debit card.

 

[PJT]

Sounds good if t worked that way! I bought a bit over 4000 pesos of food at La Sirena en Puerto Plata on the 30th day of April and they charged me accordingly and they charged me again the following day for the same exact amount $131.24. I walked into the store on the 4 th of May and laked to the person at customer service. She said there was nothing she could do. I'd have to ake it up with my bank. I did I filed a double charge form with my Texas bank and then 60 days later they informed me that La Sirena had prven that the charge was valid. And I lost the money.
Der Fish

Derfish,

Did your bank provide you with the proof La Sirena provided to indicate the charge was "valid"? Your bank should have sided with you rather than La Sirena as a double charge does raise a red flag.

You may want to revisit the bank on this matter.


Regards,

PJT

 

[dv8]

Even to this day when I use the card for a big purchase or in a new store they will call me while I am still at the store checkout to make sure it is me doing the charging. Pretty impressive.

miesposo's bank calls him too every time he makes significant purchases. they are more attentive than polish banks, that's for sure.

 

[SKY]

I'm extemely lucky, I guess. I use my AMEX cards daily, and have only had a couple of problems with my number being stolen.

I also check my card balances every morning. Doesn't everybody else??

Maybe I am a bit luckier. I use cash all the time and don't need to check anything except what I have in my pocket.

 

[RGM]

Let me tell you what has happened to me. I have lived in the D.R. for 6 years..and every year....i have had my debit card compromised, luckily i have to bank acccounts with BofA...in the U.SA. so i just move my money to the other account...trust me this happens every year not once in a while....and i am very careful where i use the debit cards....so it is probably the processing bank.....My last experience...was in October 2011, the card was used on one day in Cancun, the next day it was used in British Columbia....had to wait until i got back in the U.SA. to get a new card.....now i just got a prepaid visa...i hope this stops my problems....any suggestions will be appreciated

 

[mountainannie]

Let me tell you what has happened to me. I have lived in the D.R. for 6 years..and every year....i have had my debit card compromised, luckily i have to bank acccounts with BofA...in the U.SA. so i just move my money to the other account...trust me this happens every year not once in a while....and i am very careful where i use the debit cards....so it is probably the processing bank.....My last experience...was in October 2011, the card was used on one day in Cancun, the next day it was used in British Columbia....had to wait until i got back in the U.SA. to get a new card.....now i just got a prepaid visa...i hope this stops my problems....any suggestions will be appreciated

why not get an account in a local bank? Those debit cards are much safer .. since, I guess, everyone just assumes that there is not much money in the account.. jejejejeje

 

[Criss Colon]

Double Billing is very common here!
Over 20 years ago,I was double billed by "Vesuvios",and then "Papa La Pasta".
My Banco Reservas card was used to supposedly buy $100 US dollars of gas out side of Chicago Illinois.
On two different occasions,Banco de Reservas' cash machine charged my accout 4,000 pesos,then didn't give me any money.
150 dollars US was taken out of my Boston bank's cash machine,in NYC,where I haven't been in many years!
Hey,are there any Dominicans there??????????????????????????
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

 

[william webster]

Double Billing is very common here!
Over 20 years ago,I was double billed by "Vesuvios",and then "Papa La Pasta".
My Banco Reservas card was used to supposedly buy $100 US dollars of gas out side of Chicago Illinois.
On two different occasions,Banco de Reservas' cash machine charged my accout 4,000 pesos,then didn't give me any money.
150 dollars US was taken out of my Boston bank's cash machine,in NYC,where I haven't been in many years!
Hey,are there any Dominicans there??????????????????????????
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

What bank would give you a card ???

 

[donP]

Cccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc

What bank would give you a card ???

OMG, and I thought his CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC stands for the many credit cards he has.... :cross-eye


donP

 

[william webster]

Thats funny..... hahahahahaha

Do you notice that the number of "C's" vary, from time to time ??

Must be when the card goes into the penalty box - maxed out, late payment, fraudulent use, on loan to chicas,

What ever happened to the supermercado tall girl ?? The "Temptress" ??

 

[mikol]

Derfish,

Did your bank provide you with the proof La Sirena provided to indicate the charge was "valid"? Your bank should have sided with you rather than La Sirena as a double charge does raise a red flag.

You may want to revisit the bank on this matter.


Regards,

PJT

If this ever happens to you at La Sirena, the starting point for a refund is the store. If the person at customer service is of no help, ask for the 'Jefe de Caja'. Banks will always ask you to go back to the store.

As a rule of thumb, if they try your CC and the message is 'Retry Payment', they shouldnt retry it, they should send you to customer service for confirmation from the bank that indeed the payment did not go through.

Hope this helps.

M.W.

 

[Viajero]

I am very glad to hear that this "happens everywhere" which is totally irrelevant to what happens ALL THE TIME in the DR.

It never happened to me in the DR and I've used my credit cards all over the country. You do the math!

 

[keepcoming]

I do agree that AMEX is good at resolving issues. My mom stayed at the Santo Domingo Hilton. When she checked out she signed for the bill and all charges were correct. When she received the CC statement the Hilton had added a few charges. She disputed the charges and AMEX reversed the charges until the Hilton could answer about the charges. The Hilton never answered back to AMEX and all charges were permanently removed. So far I have been lucky with using my credit cards but I realize the chance I take everytime I use them here.

 

[Criss Colon]

"Tripper" I don't use Espanol"!
I just read your post,#6, in this thread.
Not hard to know who your "Mentors" are here on DR1!
"Chump",and "Don PEE"!
Must I remind you,as well,that this "Is,Was, and will remain,"DR1"!
I lived in the US for over 50 years,NEVER happened to me there.
Maybe you should,"Do The Math"??????
CCCCCCCCC

 

[MJSantoDomingo]

I only gave one example of it happening to me. But it has happened a couple of times over three years. Always from the DR. But - the bank always took my side and then processed a new card for me.
BUT - I know it is the processing company in the DR that did something - because they gave my info to a person in NY that runs a scam. This guy running the scam first called me saying he was from a DA office, using a 212 number. I was working and it went to message. He called 10 times while I was in a two hour meeting for work. He threatened sending "agents" if I did not call back. I looked up the number on the internet and found out it was a scam coming out of the Dominican Republic, trying to get people to pay money to make "some problem" go away. He called back again everyday for a while - same number - but sometimes he used a different name (maybe he thought I would not recognize his accent). Sometimes the script changed to that he was with the DEA (I guess that he does not realize that a DA office and a DEA office would never have the same phone number). I did not fall for the scam, but others have. So - watch out - sometimes they are selling off your information as well when you use your CC in the DR.

 

[windeguy]

It never happened to me in the DR and I've used my credit cards all over the country. You do the math!

You might be the only one. Lucky you.

 

[Viajero]

You might be the only one. Lucky you.

Never happened to me in the states either, but I've heard of it happening to people in the DR, certain parts of the USA, Costa Rica, etc. It's a problem. I've used my CC to rent cars, eat meals, and pay for hotels in the DR and haven't had a problem ... maybe I have been lucky.

 

[karlheinz]

You might be the only one. Lucky you.

Not that it makes any difference but in five years of living in Santo Domingo and using both my debit and credit cards (both from USAA) I've never had any problems with the exception of an ATM on the conde eating my card when I got distracted and didn't pull it out in time. the odd thing is when paying my rent at Banco Popular the tellers can't seem to make my debit card work....but i can take the same card to the ATM and withdraw cashwithout any problems (but I have to click on the Checking Account option and not credit)....the credit card works fine everytime but I get extra charged for a cash advance and foreign transaction fee whereas the debit card (check account) doesn't charge these fee's. Bottom line, not had a problem one so far but i'm cautions of where I use the card also.