Probable Credit card fraud on the Spirit

[msunrullieone]

On our last Spirit cruise, our final statement charges and our actual CC charge matched and it was posted promptly to our account after we got home

 

However, on a couple of other Spirit cruises, several charges would be pending on our CC for a time....the correct charge and a couple of other charges from NCL that I had no idea what were! I would call the CC and explain and both times they said that since everything was only 'pending', not to worry because it would probably straighten out. It sounded like this was not unusual. And sure enough, after a few days, what was not mine just disappeared.

 

I guess I'm asking 'are these NCL charges pending at this time'? Good luck!

 

As for your fraudulent charges, isn't it maddening?! We've had that happen twice in the last five years of so. Once with a cc (they called me regarding 'suspicious activity') and Chase handled it in a most professional way. Another time with a debit card. I checked my bank balance and it was $100's off...went to my bank and it was straightened out but much more of a hassle. A few months ago my DD had it happen with her debit card and now she won't let it out of her sight! No handing it to a waiter or the like and letting someone 'take it away'.lol She doesn't let it out of her sight!!! Not sure if that prevents it from happening again but can't hurt I guess!

 

I checked on the online credit card statement and the other NCL charges had also initially went through. Our "real" charges weren't that much this cruise, thanks to the casino drink card, and that part was accurate. The other ncl charges that initially went through were various amts from 30$ up to 800$.

 

This seems to be a pretty common thing to happen in all sorts of places unfortunately.

[BMT]

I always have a cash account on cruises.

 

On most cruiselines, we receive a credit for about $300. On NCL - nothing!! Can't sign for a coffee unless there is cash put into the account!! They hold thousands of my dollars for long periods of time.......and don't trust us for a few dollars!!

 

But the hassle is still better than dealing with credit card fraud. I use a cc as rarely as possible.

[Kosi]

I am glad you had a wonderful cruise, and that your bank caught everything for you!

 

I have had my debit number stolen twice in the past year. It was horrible, once was during our last cruise. On the drive home it was very late at night (2+ am) and knew we didn't have enough gas for the last 90 mins home. Not wanting to go into the gas station, gave in and used our debit card for the purchase... 3 days later, I bought train tickets in France! :eek:

 

The time before that, I had just made my last payment to Carnival with my debit card since I have a WAH job that DD into my bank account and that was where all our cruise funds were coming from. I tried to use it for a dinner the next day and it was declined. The bank caught the attempts at my card being swiped at a China TA.

 

After that, I made the decision that the debit and CC's don't leave the house 99% of the time. I have gone back to cash and checks for everything :) I love the sighs and noises people make when I whip out the checkbook this day and age, but I hope nothing like that ever happens to them!

 

I agree it doesn't have to be an NCL issue (though my issue after the Carnival Payment actually made it way onto CC after I saw a post on those boards, I wasn't the only one who had a TA in China trying to charge their card after final payment..). I could see some scrupulous people going on cruises with the gadgets that pull the numbers from the air going on a cruise for that exact purpose. I never realized how many CC's are pulled out during check in before thinking about it because of this thread. Time to by OBC to use for my account!

 

One that happened to us was on our Discover card we had some happy people in New Mexico taking a plane-- on my behalf to Florida. What was strange was that this is different people's name of course.. those flying .. not us. . yet when I purchase something of high value..ie over 1k they call the house in case it was fraud.. BUT yet the airline tickets in a hispanic names bought by me?.. doesn't sound a bell?

[cruizecrazygramma]

A couple of things :

 

1) Zappos was hacked a couple of months ago and Bof A caught it immediately.

 

2) Always call your credit card company before you leave and let them know you will be out of town and the only expenses to be incurred are those at so and so.

 

3) Upon returning to the US, your credit card may show up with a dozen pending charges on many different NCL ships. Within 3 days that should all be erased with only your final bill.

 

4) There's no use calling your company for pending charges as nothing can be done until it goes through.

 

5) Sadly, these days you need to be a computer to monitor everything, all your passwords and it still gets effed up. :(

 

 

I have never had anything show up on a cc statemnent that said "pending charges". What exactly does it mean and why should there be any confusion as to whether something is or isnt charged to my card. Hoping someone can explain it. thanks

[njhorseman]

I have never had anything show up on a cc statemnent that said "pending charges". What exactly does it mean and why should there be any confusion as to whether something is or isnt charged to my card. Hoping someone can explain it. thanks

 

You don't see pending charges on your monthly billing statement. You can see them for many (maybe all) credit cards by accessing the account on the credit card's web site.

[salty dingo]

The only time the credit card EVER comes out of the wallet, after arriving at the pier, is at the check-on counter, before boarding the ship.

 

Usually, those employees do not sail on the ship - they are only working the check-in counter.

 

I wonder if the OP took the CC to the guest services desk for some reason. Unless you have some unusual circumstance, one should never need to use a credit card onboard a ship.

[njhorseman]

The only time the credit card EVER comes out of the wallet, after arriving at the pier, is at the check-on counter, before boarding the ship.

 

Usually, those employees do not sail on the ship - they are only working the check-in counter.

 

I wonder if the OP took the CC to the guest services desk for some reason. Unless you have some unusual circumstance, one should never need to use a credit card onboard a ship.

 

I don't see anything in the OP's post that indicates they used the credit card while on the ship...just that the credit card used for their on board account was fraudulently used to pay for games and shoes while they were on the cruise.

 

The pending charges from NCL they saw are normal. The cruise lines typically obtain authorization for charges to your card periodically during the cruise based on an estimate of your ultimate on board spending. Those pending authorized charges are withdrawn from your credit card account at the end of the cruise once the final bill has been produced and paid by the credit card. Hotels and rental car companies also do this. They want to be sure there's sufficient credit available to pay for your stay or rental.

[cod]

yes, you only see them if you check your account on line. Sometimes a correct charge will sit in pending for a day or two and then move up to an actual charge. The only pending 'incorrect' charges I've ever seen were those from cruises that eventually went away. UNTIL recently when we drove to Dallas. We got gas a couple of times going and coming and one station showed a $150 charge pending when we actually got $45.00 worth! Recalling the past though, I took a deep breath, checked again a couple of days later and it was gone and the right charge was posted.

[hill6]

Last year someone charged about $600 in shoes on my card right after we used it in Nassau.

[cod]

What is it with shoes!!??

[sjbdtz]

What is it with shoes!!??

 

 

I like shoes. Shoes are good.

 

 

 

.

[Cmdr Cody]

Is it is possible these Spirit charges were preauthorizations for purchases you made on the ship that were removed at the end when a final, single charge was made for your entire bill? The reason I ask this is that last summer when I was on a Royal Caribbean ship, on the first day when I purchased the $75 internet package using my Seapass Card, this charge was submitted to my Visa card for approval either immediately or later that evening. The bank blocked the charge, suspecting it was fraudulent. The next day, I received a letter from the ship's desk that I needed to come to the desk to make other arrangements to pay them the $75. After using their phone to call my bank, it was cleared up as not being a fraudulent charge and was permitted to be re-run. Subsequent charges for shipboard purchases went thru fine. This was not a debit card. But a regular Visa credit card. There have been other threads on this topic on Cruise Critic. Cruisers should be aware that individual purchases made thru the week on a ship are (sometimes?) processed as pre approvals (or whatever you want to call them) every time you do a transaction on the ship. Not just at the end of the week when you see the total charge that ultimately shows up.

 

This is true, I checked my AMEX balance each day and it showed an increase for each days charges for the cruise (DSC, dining etc. all my prebooked excursions where authorized the first day of the cruise. At the end of the cruise one excursion was cancelled and my cruise balance was lowered for it. The final charges were then sent and matched my printout from NCL.

As for scams, anything you have ever purchased on line could be subject to fraud from hackers cracking a stores billing or even the issueing banks credit card data. I have had 4 CC's replaced in the last 3 years due to data being possible stolen. So just because you think NCL allowed your card info to be stolen, the fact is it could have occured on a transaction performed weeks or month before.

[jints07]

I really just posted this for others to be aware of our experience, not to bash ncl.

 

It was very clear to me why you were posting and I would like to thank you for it.

 

This site is only useful when both the good and bad is discussed. Sometimes I wonder if Critic should be replaced with Cheerleader.

[msunrullieone]

It was very clear to me why you were posting and I would like to thank you for it.

 

This site is only useful when both the good and bad is discussed. Sometimes I wonder if Critic should be replaced with Cheerleader.

 

Thank you, truly my only purpose in posting this. The additional charges from NCL were posted to our account as was the final bill. They were charges that went through, not pre-auths. One extra charge alone was up over $800 which was more than we spent in a week, let alone one day.

Our final bill was also very low because of the drink card and because weve been on numerous cruises and stay away from the photos, the inch of gold, etc that we bought on our first cruises.

 

Since I've been a victim of identity theft in the past, I'm pretty savvy about the damage that can be caused by fraudulent usage. Even though it's been 10 years, I still occasionally get calls from junk debt buyers trying to collect on debt that was not mine. It also caused me to jump through additional hoops with our mortgage as even though things were ordered removed by the court, they seem to take on a life of their own. I wouldn't wish this on anyone, that's why I posted. I also said probable and I really don't think I was hysterical, we're still going on another cruise with ncl in July.

 

Yes, our card number could have been swiped months before and coincidentally used to buy lots of shoes in Europe while we just happened to be on our cruise.. Who knows? I'm not gonna get all CSI about it, our bank has handled it. I just wanted to give a heads-up to the wonderful people we met on the cruise to be aware of our issue and check their statements. It's easier to address things sooner, then later.

Edit: I just realized I've mentioned our free drink card in almost every post...good grief! ;)

Ill let y'all know if there's anymore to our story, but I think it's been handled well by our bank.

[sjbdtz]

Thank you, truly my only purpose in posting this. The additional charges from NCL were posted to our account as was the final bill. They were charges that went through, not pre-auths. One extra charge alone was up over $800 which was more than we spent in a week, let alone one day.

Our final bill was also very low because of the drink card and because weve been on numerous cruises and stay away from the photos, the inch of gold, etc that we bought on our first cruises.

 

Since I've been a victim of identity theft in the past, I'm pretty savvy about the damage that can be caused by fraudulent usage. Even though it's been 10 years, I still occasionally get calls from junk debt buyers trying to collect on debt that was not mine. It also caused me to jump through additional hoops with our mortgage as even though things were ordered removed by the court, they seem to take on a life of their own. I wouldn't wish this on anyone, that's why I posted. I also said probable and I really don't think I was hysterical, we're still going on another cruise with ncl in July.

 

Yes, our card number could have been swiped months before and coincidentally used to buy lots of shoes in Europe while we just happened to be on our cruise.. Who knows? I'm not gonna get all CSI about it, our bank has handled it. I just wanted to give a heads-up to the wonderful people we met on the cruise to be aware of our issue and check their statements. It's easier to address things sooner, then later.

Edit: I just realized I've mentioned our free drink card in almost every post...good grief! ;)

Ill let y'all know if there's anymore to our story, but I think it's been handled well by our bank.

 

 

I think that if you hadn't titled your thread "PROBABLE" fraud, and "ON THE SPIRIT" but instead had said "Possible fraud while we were on vacation", people wouldn't be dissecting everything else.

 

There APPEARS to be a subtext to y our agenda which while perhaps not there, in your mind, is communicated nonetheless via your thread title... which basically says "I'm pretty sure NCL stole from me" (paraphrasing).

 

 

I have checked my online Amex charges before my statement is printed, and have seen the daily pre-auth charges show up.

 

Once the full charge is billed, it's usually 10 - 20 days until the pre-auths disappear...but if my statement date was during that time period, the pre-auths are NOT on it.

 

What confuses me a bit is the "various charges from $30 to $800".

 

Question: you said you had a casino drink card. I'm guessing that means you were gambling. Did you happen to take a cash advance of $800 against your onboard account? Seems like a very reasonable thing to do....and if you subsequently paid it off, then it's just a pre-auth as well.

 

 

 

As for the shoes....ahh...the shoes..... that's a bummer, but I have questions here too:

 

- did you happen to use the 'vacation' credit card with a taxi and/or transfer company to get to the ship? They would know you were away, where you were going, how long you'd be gone, etc....because they know which ship they've dropped you at, and can easily look up the itinerary.

 

Was the charge at the shoe store a phone-in order, online order, or in-person? Were there video cameras? Was the shoe store at one of the islands you visited?

 

Is it possible that you bought something somewhere, and that it's a simple decimal point error? Any $16 charges? $160? Remember that some small businesses may have multiple storefronts (shoe store here, a watch store there, a t-shirt / souvenir stand somewhere else) which all use their same Visa account using the shoe store's info.

 

 

 

I agree these things seem suspicious..... my Bank of Montreal USD MasterCard had the same type of NCL issue once (every casino cash advance showed up as a 'hold'....and while they eventually released, once the final charge was being applied too, left me with what looked like a hefty balance....when in reality it was not that bad.

[jack300s]

[quote name='willysgrandma']Another example of why you should NEVER use a debit card when traveling and only use a c.c. Had this been a debit card, your bank account could have been emtpied.[/quote]

I recently had several fraud charges on my Credit Union's Visa Debit Card while traveling. I called my credit union and all fraud charges were removed and the funds were put back in my account by the next business day.

A couple of years ago, I had fraud charges hit my Mastercard Credit Card. It took several phone calls and had to fill out forms twice to get the matter resolved.

I think it has more to do with who you bank with (Debit Card) and what Credit Card Company you're dealing with.

[cruiserssandr]

[quote name='jack300s']I recently had several fraud charges on my Credit Union's Visa Debit Card while traveling. I called my credit union and all fraud charges were removed and the funds were put back in my account by the next business day.

A couple of years ago, I had fraud charges hit my Mastercard Credit Card. It took several phone calls and had to fill out forms twice to get the matter resolved.

I think it has more to do with who you bank with (Debit Card) and what Credit Card Company you're dealing with.[/QUOTE]
I take care of all the debit card "issues" at the credit union where I work. When ever some one says they have any fraudulent charges on their account I have according to Reg E 10 business days to give them provisonal credit. Many times the fraudulent charges happen long after the card was skimmed. I recently had someone who had been in Vegas over the summer and then in December some fraud charges popped up on her card. Someone had skimmed the card and just sat on the information till Christmas, made a card with her # and began using it in storoes out there.

[kato92]

Our final bill was also very low because of the drink card and because weve been on numerous cruises and stay away from the photos, the inch of gold, etc that we bought on our first cruises.


Edit: I just realized I've mentioned our free drink card in almost every post...good grief! ;)
Ill let y'all know if there's anymore to our story, but I think it's been handled well by our bank.[/quote]


What is the casino drink card:confused:

[fergusonvt]

Got a call from Capital One right after we came back from our cruise on the Star. Two charges I hadn't made, one at a Radisson and another for Air Panama plane tickets $3K worth:eek:

They cancelled the card and reissued a new one with a diff. number.

[fergusonvt]

[quote name='kato92']Our final bill was also very low because of the drink card and because weve been on numerous cruises and stay away from the photos, the inch of gold, etc that we bought on our first cruises.


Edit: I just realized I've mentioned our free drink card in almost every post...good grief! ;)
Ill let y'all know if there's anymore to our story, but I think it's been handled well by our bank.[/quote]


What is the casino drink card:confused:[/quote]


No worries! If I had a free drink card I'd mention it too. Heck I'd probably put it in my yearly Holiday card pictures!:rolleyes:

[Victress2007]

Do any of you who have had this info stolen use a handheld tablet/pad/phone, etc for shopping. I've read several articles that say you shouldn't use these for shopping or banking as they are MUCH less secure than computers. Just curious. I try not to ever put my cc info into my tablet.

Vic

[purestone2004]

This is an interesting thread.

Just last week my card was used in Orlando, Florida for $1,800 in different stores. I live in Calgary.......never been to Orlando. We had been in Florida about a month ago. I had assumed the card number got taken while there. But it was my card which I used on ncl.com to book our upcoming cruise. My husbands card is fine..............but again interesting.......makes me wonder.

Visa was the one who caught it and was on top of it right away. And another intersting point one of the charges was Footlocker......shoes?? :)

[Kosi]

[quote name='purestone2004']This is an interesting thread.

Just last week my card was used in Orlando, Florida for $1,800 in different stores. I live in Calgary.......never been to Orlando. We had been in Florida about a month ago. I had assumed the card number got taken while there. But it was my card which I used on ncl.com to book our upcoming cruise. My husbands card is fine..............but again interesting.......makes me wonder.

Visa was the one who caught it and was on top of it right away. And another intersting point one of the charges was Footlocker......shoes?? :)[/quote]
How strange! (and scary)

[purestone2004]

I am in no way trying to state that NCL had ANYTHING to do with this AT ALL.

Who knows where/when/whom/how it happened. When talking to Visa we do everything right that we can to protect our cc number. Just thought it was interesting that this came up.

[fergusonvt]

[quote name='Victress2007']Do any of you who have had this info stolen use a handheld tablet/pad/phone, etc for shopping. I've read several articles that say you shouldn't use these for shopping or banking as they are MUCH less secure than computers. Just curious. I try not to ever put my cc info into my tablet.

Vic[/quote]

Not in my case.