Online Purchasing

I can say that I am making more purchases online as time goes on. It is a convenience that many of us appreciate.

I use the same credit card all the time, and have used that credit card for about seven years.

Canadians Trust in the Financial System

I saw on a recent TV show that Canada invested a decade or more ago, in online financial infrastructure. Today most Canadians have used it, are happy with it, and trust it based on their experience.

That may mean that as Canadians, we are better “marks” for the crooks around the world who are trying to rip us off on our credit cards.

Fraudulent Charges

In February I got my credit card statement, and had charges from an unknown company for $204.21.

I could only contact them through their website, and attached a copy of the disputed charges on my statement.

A few days later I receive their reply.

Dear Customer,

Thank you for your message. Please be advised that the purchase was made using your correct details and as a result, the e-goods have been already sent and delivered. As such, we cannot offer you any compensation.

Please note that we cannot be held responsible for the safety of your account as it is in your interest to protect your online payment accounts.

We kindly apologize for any inconvenience caused. We suggest securing your accounts and turning on two-factor authentication. Please check your e-mail on this site: https://haveibeenpwned.com/ Regards,

I replied back to Customer Support Ticket – !@#$% saying –

Thanks for the reply, but what you are saying is – making fraudulent charges on my credit card is OK. The fraudulent charges total $204.21, and I want a refund.

I did not purchase the digital e-goods, and I have not received the e-goods.

The thief may have had the correct details of my credit card, but that does not make the transaction legal. My money has been stolen.

I do not have an account with your company. You will not find my email address on the thief’s account.

If you don’t refund the money right away, I will be in touch with the credit card company to have them reverse the transaction. Regards,

I found it strange that the company took no responsibility, and placed the blame on me. This is probably the standard “take no responsibility” response that they give to everyone with this problem.

I contacted the credit card company, and asked them to cancel my credit card and issue me a new one, which they did promptly.

Then they also took the fraudulent transaction information, and after asking me a few questions, said they would issue a refund, which could be reversed if the company could not prove their case. As it turned out they could not, and I received a refund on my new credit card, the following month. 

What Happened ?

I have ordered many things online with this credit card over the last handful of years. Some transactions are ordered online, and others are ordered by phone.

I have to think there are clerks sitting at the other end of the computer and phone who are able to see the info on my credit card that was just put onto their online ordering system, or if I am on the phone with them, the credit card info that I just gave them.

It would not be hard for them to take a picture of my credit card info, with their smart phone, and then order something. This is what I think happened.

Credit Card Company Work

As I phone my credit card company and get them to verify my identity with each phone call to them, I start to realize the huge amount of work they need to do to keep up with fraudulent credit card charges.

I am not up on all the latest security tricks the companies are trying, but I’m glad to say that things worked out for me in this case, and I did not get ripped off.

Thank you to my credit card company for their work and service to me on this issue.