The card company said the charges were from a counterfeit card that was swiped, and told me exactly the card the information came from. I specifically remember cutting that card into pieces.
I am providing a conduit for timely communication of facts between the parties involved. Me, the card company, the store, and the authorities. If I can help stop this from continuing, I will. And I hope by doing so, they will catch the bad guys involved.
The bad thing is the card company "fraud alert" procedures did not work. I found this by checking my card activity almost daily. And I would recommend everyone doing the same.
Some people keep the accounts open to retain their credit score (open account with no balance helps with that). Or, it could be like Discover card use to do to me, and send me additional cards all the time (i.e. keychain size cards). That was part of the reason I dropped them (and all but 1 credit card) - tons of unsolicited mailings and the cards were the final straw.
That specific card's magnetic strip was worn out and I received a replacement. The card company uses a 4 digit code on the back of the card to track each specific card. I have used this card company for twenty years and have never carried a balance. Oh, and Cards81fan's post about the credit score is correct too, my credit score is above 800 as of a few months back with my last credit activity. However, with the potential of this type of shenanigans I would not keep a card active to improve my score.
Btw, the card company has told me I have zero liability in any fraudulent purchases - thank goodness.
Legally, DPI could only be held liable for $50 of the charge, but it is indeed good they are waiving that as well.
