Thread: Credit Card Fraud Alert

What should I do? I received a Chase credit card fraud alert just now. I tried logging into my online account and it said "Fraud Alert" and that my account was temporarily blocked.

I'm going to call customer service tomorrow at lunch when I have time but what the heck does my credit card fraud alert mean exactly? Because I saw no unusual charges when I logged into my account this weekend.

This is becoming more common but is not something to worry too much about. Call customer service asap. They'll want to know if you have your card in your possession, what the last few charges you made were, etc.

What most likely happened is someone used your number for a small series of purchases, likely online/overseas. Your number could have been obtained by a computer hack, from an unscrupulous cashier/waiter, or it could have been randomly generated by software scammers use for that purpose.

The bank will issue you a new card, new number, etc. You will have to cancel any auto payments on the old card and set new ones up with the new card. Any rewards you have on the old card should transfer to the new account, but be sure to confirm this.

When you contact the bank, it might be a good idea to ensure that they have all of your current phone numbers and email address. You will not be able to use your card until you speak with them. This is why I always carry at least two cards. You can get a fraud alert on your card at any time without warning. If the bank can't contact you immediately when it sees suspicious account activity, the account is shut down and you can't use it. This can be very embarrassing if you can't pay for something because you don't have another card.

Sorry I read this yesterday morning but forgot to post my update after I talked with Chase.

What triggered the credit card fraud alert was that my account started getting charges overseas in Romania as suspected in the first response to my post. Chase did not have any information to tell me about the fraud.

This time it did not effect me. I had no bills auto linked to this card and it was not a card I use daily. I could see this being a really big problem if it happened while I was out of town and only had one or two credit cards with me. Now I wonder if two cards is even safe enough. I think I will start carrying 3+ with me at all times in case 2 of them have problems.

I have had fraud alerts on credit cards happen a number of times over the years. Hotels and places that make carbon copies of the credit card are a thief's dream. When the bus boy is getting paid $9 per hour and there are a stack of receipts laying around it leads to problems.

I had a similar thing happen. I noticed a bunch of charges from the makers of WoW game, which I have never played. I noticed them as pending online and about an hour later got a fraud alert call from Chase. It was all very simple. Did not have to pay and had a new card within a day or two. All in all it was a good experience.

By the way, I called WoW to notify them of the fraud. They actually threatened me if I reported it...What? Threatened to take action against me for reporting a crime? Wow, what idiots. I contacted their legal counsel's office and got a very long and quick apology. That stupid customer service agent that answered the phone undoubtedly got fired.