Credit Card Fraud

[dustypioneer]

Just wanted to chime in that 2 of my cards have been compromised in the past week. The first one is my bank card which I use often and was fortunately caught by my Union immediately... I forget the charge but it was some 'Inn' for like $2.50.

The other card is a credit card which I rarely use, the last 2 charges were from steammonkey and gotvapes over 2 months ago. They dinged it for $100 flat at a gas station in MD (I'm in CA). So not sure if this one is related, since there weren't any test charges like they usually do. But it's kind of hard not to relate it since its happened only days after my first card was used and I've only used it twice in the past 6 months.

Definitely looking into finding a safer way of purchasing from these online vendors. This isn't the first time this has happened to me.

 

[badkolo]

Dusty I'm sorry to hear that and we can assure its not from us, we just had some foul posts removed because of claims made that not only do not pertain to us but its not possible on our system, we have been in business for 3 years and not 1 person can testify or make a proven claim that there cc was ever stolen from gotvapes, we have that protected as anyone's info is not stored and cant be seen nor is it stored on anything we can see. There is 2 ways this can happen, one is a vendor is hacked and hasn't blocked off cc numbers which if they don't they should and usually smaller companies don't bother doing so until they get hacked or the credit card processing companies which there are less then a handful who handle all ecig vendors could be hacked which in that case its not any vendors but the merchant that's the issue, so i suggest you contact your bank and ask them to investigate.

If you need any help tracking anything down please let us know, also asking other vendors if their cc is blocked might be helpful as well.
We take everyone's private info seriously and thats why your info is blocked & not stored and there hasnt been 1 reported factual case in 3 years at gotvapes.com

update: In the last 2 days we have caught 4 seperate transactions of individuals making purchases of 400 dollars and more using totaly fake info . Which means people are using stolen info trying to shop with everyone across the board with many it seems as others are reporting this. We are also getting fraudulant attempts on us , not fun, On one pareticular instan ce we had one guy goign through a LIST of CC info and tried EIGHT DIFFERENT cards before he could find one that got approved. So, there are criminals out there who have lists of credit cards stolen from these banks the past few months.

 

[crxess]

Global $200 million credit card hacking ring busted - Chicago Tribune

Time to read and get a better understanding. It isn't like any Vender wants this to happen.

 

[DaveP]

My fraudulent transactions were caught by the CC company and immediately put into dispute. I got written notification a couple of days ago stating that they had officially reversed the charges and credited me for interest and other expenses. I'm whole again.

I was impressed by the fact that BofA caught it, suspended it, blocked two more, and called me within minutes of the occurrence. They also cancelled the card and Fed Ex'ed a replacement with a different number. The new one has an RFID chip embedded in the front. Hmmm. Maybe it's a safe implementation.

 

[old hippy]

Just wanted to chime in that 2 of my cards have been compromised in the past week. The first one is my bank card which I use often and was fortunately caught by my Union immediately... I forget the charge but it was some 'Inn' for like $2.50.

The other card is a credit card which I rarely use, the last 2 charges were from steammonkey and gotvapes over 2 months ago. They dinged it for $100 flat at a gas station in MD (I'm in CA). So not sure if this one is related, since there weren't any test charges like they usually do. But it's kind of hard not to relate it since its happened only days after my first card was used and I've only used it twice in the past 6 months.

My credit card was hit on 6/08/13 by the SAME charge as yours--$100.00 flat at a gas station in Md !!! I have never been in MD, ever.
Waiting for a new cc now. and I have not used my card in the last month, although I have bought from Got vapes months ago. got vapes has always been a good company for me, so I do not believe this was their fault.

 

[DaveP]

I don't know how mine was compromised. I stuck to one or two vendors for a long time and the other source was Amazon, which gets lots of my online business and has for years. Recently, I branched out and ordered from several vendors I had never done business with. Then, I got hit. Not saying that it was an ecig vendor, but that's the way the coincidence occurred.

It easily could have been any sort of breach and like the BofA lady said, most of these are the result of random number generation of CC numbers. If it works, they hit it multiple times until it's shut down. You have to wonder where these people ship to and receive the goods they order.

How Do Thieves Use Stolen Credit Cards?

 

[JJOOHHNN]

This is getting scary.

 

[Kerig3]

My credit card number was hacked and on 6/12/13 and someone tried to charge $519 to sears.com. Luckily I have a $500 limit on that card so they never got their goods. I only use this card for online transactions, most that are for vaping gear. Guess I'm going to have to use the prepaid route in the future.

 

[CityLights]

PBusardo Has picked up on this, go to his Taste Your Juice site and vote!

Poll @ 10am Est June 17 2013

Have you experienced credit card fraud since you've been ordering your vape supplies online?

No (66%, 1,003 Votes)
Yes (34%, 516 Votes)

Total Voters: 1,519

 

[sbc83]

That's an alarmingly high number.

This doesn't make me want purchase anything from vendors. I guess ft will HAVE to be my go-to unless I decide to go the whole disposable cc route. Meh, to much trouble.

 

[DaveP]

CC theft is a hassle just like thieves who roam neighborhoods looking for open garage doors. They are looking for opportunities on your dime. I haven't yet decided how to handle future CC purchases since I'm still vaping on almost 500ml of juice I ordered last time. Still, I have to change the Amazon Prime account CC number and decide if I actually want to use PayPal or close that account. I'll probably ditch PayPal just to limit the number of exposures out there.

I'm leaning toward creating single use temporary numbers for ecig purchases. It's a hassle since you have to work two sites into the process just to order ecig supplies.

I have alerts on my phone that email me when my CC is used. It would be nice if they emailed me with a click here to approve or click here to decline a mail order purchase. That would make it easier for all. I'd feel more in control of the process that way. That would only work with online purchases and not in person charges since someone would have already walked with the merchandise.

 

[thewrightstuff]

I decided lately to only use prepaid cards. I got a Visa Vanilla (? Odd name) Card from walgreens. No monthly fee, just an up front fee 4.95. It has all of the features of a cc for online purchases, and I got it for 55 bucks.....and spent 54.82 on MBV today!!!

The hackers can have my 18 cents if they want to!!!

 

[irwink]

I've been hit twice in the last 3 weeks with fraudulent activity on 2 different cc cards. The only common denominator was purchases from MBV. Years of online purchases have yielded no fraudulent activity until I started buying from MBV. Maybe it's coincidental. I personally don't believe in coincidences.

I received a response from 'Derek' stating that "We have the best security that you can get as far as fraud goes".

I'm in IT and there is no malware on any of the computers I use. I like MBV. I've done online transactions for years without a problem. Draw your own conclusions. I will.

 

[glasseye]

I just got off the phone with my bank. They got me too, 1 Monday for 4.95, 1 yesterday for .95 and one today for 19.95 that is still pending. They wouldn't cancel that one and I have to go into the bank when it clears to fill out whatever forms they have. What do you want to bet that if I hadn't caught those that tomorrow would have brought a much, much bigger charge? Still, I'm so mad at myself, I usually check everything every single day and sometimes twice.
I will most definitely be getting a prepaid now and am kicking myself for not doing it sooner.

 

[DaveP]

I decided lately to only use prepaid cards. I got a Visa Vanilla (? Odd name) Card from walgreens. No monthly fee, just an up front fee 4.95. It has all of the features of a cc for online purchases, and I got it for 55 bucks.....and spent 54.82 on MBV today!!!

The hackers can have my 18 cents if they want to!!!

One upfront fee of $4.95 wouldn't be so bad. I wouldn't want to pay nearly $60 a year for the privilege of using anyone's pre-paid debit card, though. Most of the ones I've looked at charge you $4.95 a month service charge and get $2 here and there for balance inquiries and statements online, along with a list of other things you can pay them for. When they have the contracted right to debit your debit card for fees they go nuts with it.


I had to go look. It sounded too good. The Visa Vanilla is purchasable in denominations of $25, $50, $100, and $200 and isn't reloadable. So, they get $4.95 at purchase for a $25 card, $6.95 for a $100 card, and you can't reload it once the money is expended? That's a 6.95% charge per $100, 19.8% fee per $100 if you do it with four $25 cards from what I see below.

https://www.vanillavisa.com/cardholderAgreement.html?csrfToken=RzF7e6BY8fA5EjQq2OHAyRU96HozsndY

Loading Your Card
Additional funds may not be added to your Card, called “value loading”. Your Card is non-reloadable. You will have
access to your funds within twenty-four (24) hours after activation.

The Card has NO FEES AFTER PURCHASE (including dormancy, service or other fees). An Activation Fee per Card is
paid by the purchaser at the time of purchase. The table below sets forth the maximum Activation Fee per Card paid
by the purchaser at the time of purchase. The Activation Fee actually charged in connection with the sale of this Card
may be less than the fee amount the fee amount set forth below depending upon the location where this Card is sold.
Card Fee
$25 Gift Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$4.95
$50 Gift Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5.95
$100 Gift Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$6.95
$200 Gift Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$7.95
Variable Denomination Card . . . . . . $6.95
Set of Three $25 Gift Cards . . . . . .$9.95

 

[DaveP]

I'm not trying to browbeat you thewrightstuff, but the more I checked into the VanillaVisa card the more negative it looked. This guy was given one for a retirement gift. It was supposed to be for $250 and was declined when he tried to use it. When he called the company they told him it was only loaded with $2.50. He hasn't gotten his money yet after multiple phone calls. I'm thinking that when his company bought it, they paid the $250 + startup fees and the clerk keyed it in for $2.50.

 

[PONKAW]

One upfront fee of $4.95 wouldn't be so bad. I wouldn't want to pay nearly $60 a year for the privilege of using anyone's pre-paid debit card, though.

After some thought ... I think a $5 service fee / month is ok for a little security and not getting your bank account shellacked.
It's just one less Big Mac for the month.

 

[glasseye]

Speaking of a $5 service fee...my stupid bank just charged me $5 for the replacement card. What. The. Grrr.

 

[KiloWatts]

Checking in. Happened to me today. All charges were denied, and I have to get a new card.

Only place I've ordered from in the past month was Vape Revolution. I've notified them, but this doesn't necessarily mean it was them.

 

[The Ocelot]

I sent alerts to the vendors I ordered from on the card I hadn't used in a long time. They both responded that they were looking into it from their end. Neither are vendors other people have named and I can't find anything in common between the two. This is so weird.