Just happened to me! I got a call from the bank saying someone tried to make a purchase in the Netherlands.

More data, recent usage:
A&P (self-pay)
Hamilton Inn
IKEA Brooklyn
Sushi Tango

This scam was portrayed in an episode of the Sopranos :

Chris and Little Carmine head out to Hollywood to pursue Chris' dream of making a movie about his life. They manage to get an interview with Ben Kingsley, but the star isn't impressed with their idea. While in town, Chris falls off the wagon and starts drinking and doing drugs again, and also mugs Lauren Bacall before returning to New Jersey. Back home, the families are celebrating as the books open again to induct two new members, Gerry Torciano and Burt Gervasi. Amidst the festivities, however, Artie gets into a confrontation with Benny, one of Chris' crew-members, first over his affections for Artie's new waitress Martina, then later when Artie discovers that Martina and Benny have been stealing credit card numbers from the restaurant's customers. When things turn violent between the two, Tony must step in and mediate, saving particular criticism for Chris for going to Hollywood rather than keeping his men under control.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0705261/

A second, device was used to swipe the credit cards.

It was at the regular register but I swiped it. I never use my credit card at ATM's.

There are two basic kinds of scams - the ATM version detailed here
http://www.snopes.com/fraud/atm/atmcamera.asp

and the credit card version which I believe the original poster is referring to. When you pay or swipe with a credit card an unscrupulous business can capture your credit card information and write that info to a blank credit card. Then the blank credit card can be used as a clone of the original card - it can be swiped with the bill going to you.

Usually this would happen if you give your card to someone and they don't swipe the card in front of you - like a waiter at a restaurant - as far as I know (and this info is a few years old and may be out of date) the thief would swipe your card in one machine, the actual credit card machine to charge you and then would need to swipe your card in a different cloning machine to do the copying... although it is probably all done by iphones now or something.

Landshark -

Just curious - when you were at the Stop & Shop, did you use the ATM, self-pay register or pay at a regular register with a cashier?

I'm trying to understand how this type of thing happens.

Thanks, JM

Same thing happened to my credit card a few weeks ago. They made a fake card and used it at the Jersey City Home Depot along with a second fake card to make a $3k purchase.

I do my shopping online & pay cash for most everything else so was not hard to narrow down the places I had used it around Jersey City recently:

Tousled Hair Salon
Stop & Shop in Bayonne

Just wanted to report that my credit card was duped and was used at New Jersey brick and mortar stores. Thankfully the credit card issuer called me to verify these suspicious charges (not so subtle: $800+ shopping spree at retail stores in one day).

I suspect the number was not stolen off the internet but was duped at a local retail/restaurant establishment.

I WANT TO BE CLEAR: I AM NOT MAKING ACCUSATIONS. I AM JUST PROVIDING DATA.

Within the past few weeks I used the credit card at the following local establishments:

Bon Chon
The Embankment
Marco and Pepe
Target
FreshDirect
Dunkin Donuts
Buy Rite

also made an unusual excursion to a suburban NJ restaurant recently now that I think about it.

I also use that ATM all the time, never an issue.

Just for the record, I use the ATM in the liquor store on 7th and Erie all the time. For years. Never an issue.

Quote:

I had multiple charges to my checking account last year from an ATM card issued to me, but I had never used. The thieves must have had at least the card number and the expiry date, if not also the CVV code. They ordered stuff online. The bank fully reimbursed me but it looked like an inside job. Account info is stolen directly from the banks daily - sometimes it's not your fault.

this happened to me, and my bank noticed it had also happened to several of their customers living in my (then) neighborhood. so they simply looked at our spending histories and saw which store we had all gone to within the same time frame. the guy who'd been behind the corner at each and every transaction time was busted, and the bank restored my funds within a week.

faith in large soulless institutions restored.

Quote:

i do something similar but i keep all of my money in savings and just transfer a little at a time each week into checking to use as spending money. someone tried using my card in georgia and only got away with about 10 dollars worth of chinese food before their next transaction was declined and i got a phone call from the bank.

Unlikely they were a skimming victim unless more victims come forward. Skimmers are more likely to target gas stations and large supermarkets with unattended POS systems than an single ATM in a mom & pop store.

Nice discussion found here:

http://www.bankinfosecurity.com/articles.php?art_id=3274&opg=1

The Duane Reade down at Grove St. at least has lots of pretty clear cameras. JCPD could catch the person if they wanted to.

scary stuff.

Just wanted to share a technique I use: I have a main checking account which I have linked to a secondary checking account. Every month $x00 is transferred from the main checking account to my secondary checking account.

I ONLY use the debit card for the secondary account.

The primary purpose for this structure is to force me to stay within budget ($x00), but the additional benefit is security: If anyone gets my debit card, they only have access to a few bucks.

I was using my debit card at Shoprite, A&P, Target & CVS. And only withdrew money from Sovereign Bank ATMs.
Somehow they stole my debit card number, placed it on another card and used it in two stores in Mumbai, India for $400 a piece. Luckily Sovereign was smart enough to shut off the card.

Now I am strictly using my credit card for my shopping up here. I figure the security should be better on the credit card.

Best argument to never use the debit. Use a credit card and either have it linked to the bank to automatically pay 100% each month, or at least set to make the minimum. That way you get full protections and never get hosed with late fees.

It's counter intuitive, but I'll bet on the ATM. I avoid skanky store ATM's like the plague.

Did he read the restaurant the card over the phone? If you did there's a way to avoid risk using "disposable" CC #'s. I do this from Citi, you just log in and they give a one shot number. There's all sorts of options, like you can give an online vendor that stores the card # one that has a specific dollar limit and a specific expiration date you set.

Be careful out there....

Reasons he (we, I guess) know it was from one of two places. He jut got back in town this past Tuesday night after being out of state in the midwest for 2 months. He's only used his card at two places: Mama Leone's Pizza up in the heights for late-night delivery and the ATM at the liquor store on 7th and Erie.

They somehow made a thousand dollar charge at Duane Reade (how is that even possible?) and charges at Target, Best Buy, etc.

Just a reminder, don't use debit cards at places you aren't 100% sure of and check your activity as often as you can to spot fraud.