Question: What do these companies have in common: AOL, Bank of America, ChoicePoint, LexisNexis, Time Warner?
Answer: Each harbours giant databases containing sensitive details… including credit card numbers… for millions of consumers and businesses. And each has been breached. Big time.
But that’s just the big guys. Millions of small databases are breached by hackers every day, from florists to grocery stores, utility companies to retailers. Sadly, you don’t even have to use the web to be robbed, because every database that can be reached from the Internet is at risk.
So how can you protect yourself? First understand the crooks. Most depend on your sloppy record keeping. Foil them by scrutinizing your credit card bills and bank statements immediately each month.
Track down anything that looks suspicious. Call the merchant in question. Then call your card vendor or bank to report the breach. In most cases, you’ll be issued a new card and made whole instantly.
In a world where more than half of all transactions are electronic, the burden of protecting you is 100% up to you. When was it any different?
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August 9th, 2005 at 3:06 pm
skittles
This has happened to me. I called the vendor to find out what the charge was for, and with no questions asked they wanted to give me my money back by sending me a check. I insisted on a credit to my American Express and then called Amex too. They cancelled the card and are investigating. Don’t let these guys off the hook by just giving you your money back, especially with a bouncing check. They send out a blizzard of these charges and count on people not noticing. Call your credit card company and complain! At least they can shut them down for a while.