Thread: Using a more prestigious card instead of a regular card?

Question...

Is there a card reader/writer that can reprogram a debit/credit card? For example, if I have a Citi debit card and an Amex platinum... Something that would reprogram the strip on the Amex so that using it actually charges the citi account?

This is not for fraud, but to "trick" people by paying with a more prestigious card. Any use of this would be done so between accounts owned by myself.

Thanks!

Wow, where do I begin?

Although I'm not an attorney, I am a financial crimes fraud investigator, so I will simply say that the altering the credit card magstripe is not a good idea.

I also have to be honest with the fact that when I read your post, all kinds of bells and whistles go off in my head. I doubt you'll find what you're looking for here.

thanks for your input

Yeah, I heard lots of bells and whistles as well. But I'm not sure there actually is any crime here as long as the user has legitimate authority to use both cards.

Swiping the card is simply a means to provide information to the merchant. In the old days this was done using a mechanical imprint device. This is also now commonly done by typing in the information online or providing the numbers over the telephone. Doing what is proposed is not much different from holding your AMEX card in your hand while typing in the numbers from your Citi card.

Still, I hardly see the point. What do you expect to gain from it. If you expect to get anything of material benefit then you are committing a crime. If you are just looking to get noticed then, again, what's the point. No one is impressed with a platinum card anymore. I have one. So what?

The biggest problem that I see is that in most cases your card remains the property of the issuing company. Defacing it or altering the information on it likely is a crime or is at least a violation of the terms. You would, in effect, be counterfeiting. But, wow, I would need to read the statutes carefully to even decide for myself and I bet there would be debate even among attorneys. It sure seems like a crime to me but the circumstances for which it is described seem to completely lack any criminal intent and that is a clear requirement of every crime.

Why don't you just do what a lot of people do - get yourself an old Centurion card then flash it before paying with your debit card. That will get you a whole lot more notice and is much less likely to be an actual offense.