BEWARE--Credit Card Fraud--Aruba

[Seal]

Had a wonderful land vacation in Aruba--10/4/08 - 10/14/08

 

Now the problem !!! I used my credit card twice while on the island--once in a nice hotel restaurant and the other on the internet to secure wifi for 24 hours--I wouldn't have normally used a credit card in that matter--but the business office of our hotel was closed and we needed some information quickly in the early morning hours--2am--we were trying to check out the storm that was # 15 or something like that--that be come Hurricane Omar--we needed the information to decide when to leave the island.

 

I notified my credit card company before leaving of my plans to be in Aruba and the date of my return--apparently this was not read by whomever is checking the charges--anyway I now have $18,000 in fraudulent charges from Aruba on my credit card--my old card has closed and I now have a new one

 

We've been to Aruba many times before and have never had a problem--one thing that I hadn't thought about before was letting the card get out of your possesion--such as paying for a restaurant meal--the fraud department of my cc company seems to believe that is how my card information was taken and then they were able to make a card of it--there were charges from several different companies in Aruba--I now have 15 charges--all dated after my departure.

 

DH used his card at our hotel to check out- and also a couple of times at a well known excursion company--he has no problem with his card.

 

Please be careful--I feel that my problem came from the internet--the fraud department figures that it was at the restaurant--since they need such a few seconds to run your card through their illegal machine and then have a copy made--during the time we're at the table in the restaurant.

 

Nancy:D

[TAC1]

Sorry to hear about your misfortune. We will be in Aruba in a few weeks. What restaurant were you at.

[Seal]

Sorry to hear about your misfortune. We will be in Aruba in a few weeks. What restaurant were you at.

 

The only hotel dining room that the card was used was my favorite--can you believe--the Pago Pago room at the Westin--we went twice--only used the card once--the best caesar salad you've ever had--made table side--I just find this whole thing too much to believe--would recommend the restaurant--really good !!--don't use your credit card--we rarely use a credit card while traveling except for hotel payments--at some places where we can save a good deal of money by paying in the local currency--we'll do that--such as in Bora Bora--usually save about 15/20 percent.

 

Where are you staying ??? Have you been before--I love Aruba--

 

Have a great trip.

 

Nancy:D

[Sunny AZ Girl]

I am so sorry to hear you had that problem. It does sound as if the CC company corrected the problem for you, right? It was a good idea to let the CC company know of your travel plans before leaving also. I do that before every cruise & every time I leave the country.

 

Unfortunatly that is a problem that can happen anywhere - and does! Restaurants are to blame frequently because our cards are out of our sight for a few minutes. That is why I always use a CC, not a debit card. The CC companies will protect you. When out of the country, for small purchases, I use cash. The foreign transaction fees negate any card benefits you would normally receive from using your card at home.

[Seal]

It's going to take a while to straighten this out with the CC company--one thing I did learn was to call the CC company upon your return--I'm dealing with CitiCards--AA Advantage program--after I returned from Aruba--about 5 days later I tried to use the card at DSW and it was turned down--the problem seems to be that even though I stated that I would return on the 14th--they pay little attention since the billing isn't as it happening as in the US--They give 4 to 6 weeks after your return to question the charges--the crazy thing was--last week I tried to buy a pair of jeans at a local store on our Main Street--turned down again--why because they had just put through another charge over $1000--anyway closed the account and opened another--It seems they don't pay attention to what messages I have left--I have also given them two phone numbers for me and asked if there was anything in question to let me know--they have advised me to contact the three c redit reporting agencies--which I will

 

don't know why I didn't pay cash--we almost always do

 

Be Carefull

 

Nancy:D

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Wow! What a hassel.:( It sounds as if the problems are worse when you are overseas. On my last cruise I only used my CC in St. Thomas & San Juan. Since they are both considered to be part of the US I did not have any foreign transaction fees. I used cash everywhere else. I guess I'll stick with that game plan.

 

I'm glad your card was cancelled. And yes, do check with the big 3 credit reporting companies. You don't want your credit score to be affected.

[Seal]

The funny thing is that we've been all over this planet without a problem and hopefully we'llhave no more problems--we're pretty careful as it is--but no crazy !!!

 

 

I figure that the current situation will probably go for about 3 months--the funny thing is--without showing airline tickets--do they believe that we didn't make the charges

 

Depending on the person you speak to on the phone--they may or may not understand what you are trying to tell them--got to immediately go to the Supervisor--sometimes not easy--some will say--I just don't know what to do---this is very encouraging !!

 

this was just a warning for those who visit Aruba--I love it there and would go again--

 

I guess that calling upon your return is important--so if something happens they won't think that you are the bad guy--surprisingly--when you don't think that they may not believe--I'd be happen to send airflight info to theright now they don't care

 

Just be sure to call when you arrive back in the states--at least it's some form of proof--I guess I feel that I'm honest and tht the world should automatically believe me

 

Nancy:D

[fun cruiserz]

I work for a major credit card company in the dispute department, and i get calls all day long from people who were on vacation and are now home and have received their credit card statements and there are tons of charges on there that they didn't do. Rental car agencies in foreign countries have to be the WORST for putting multiple charges on people's credit cards and they are very difficult to get any documentation from.

 

A word of advice from someone who deals with this all day every day, PAY CASH as much as you can!!!!:D

[Seal]

I work for a major credit card company in the dispute department, and i get calls all day long from people who were on vacation and are now home and have received their credit card statements and there are tons of charges on there that they didn't do. Rental car agencies in foreign countries have to be the WORST for putting multiple charges on people's credit cards and they are very difficult to get any documentation from.

 

A word of advice from someone who deals with this all day every day, PAY CASH as much as you can!!!!:D

 

 

You're preaching to the choir !!!--don't know why I used the card at the restaurant--not a clue--the thing I was concerned about was the $10 wifi business over the net--I needed information thenanc the hotel was not giving up anything they knew--only that there was a storm in Venezuela--well--we were 15 miles away from Venezuela--the TD # 15 or whatever # it was--became a hurricane as we left at 5 am--spent about 9 hours or more in the Miami airport with more folks showing up as time went on

 

I appreaciate your information--just don't know where my mind was at the time--although--I would have paid for the wifi--no matter how stupid that was--because I needed information and couldn't get it any other way

 

Nancy:D

[donaldsc]

Do not know why the fact that you were in Aruba had anything to do with it. Credit cards can be compromised anywhere. It has happened to me in Minnesota, Brooklyn, and Greece. There really isn't anything that you can do about it as it is so easy to get your information from the card.

 

DON

[Seal]

Do not know why the fact that you were in Aruba had anything to do with it. Credit cards can be compromised anywhere. It has happened to me in Minnesota, Brooklyn, and Greece. There really isn't anything that you can do about it as it is so easy to get your information from the card.

 

DON

 

Don---sure I realize that all you say is true--my reason for feeling that this hapened in Aruba is the timing with my trip there and the 2 times the card was used--and of course--the restaurant when I let it out of my sight.

 

Even though I know it's easy for your information to go anywhere--I still purchase over the net as I have done for many years

 

Funny story--a couple of weeks ago my DH was visiting with his Mother--while he was waiting for her--he used her computer to make airline reservations for he and I.

Within minutes his CC company called him about someone using his card--the reason for this???? he was not using one of the usual computers he uses for this purpose. Wow--I was amazed--Guess I don't realize that BIG BROTHER is alaready here

 

I do appreciate your information and I agree with you--but---I still feel it all started in Aruba--and nothing I can do about it anyway.Nancy:D

[TAC1]

Nancy,

 

We are staying at the Marriott Ocean Club and no we have never been before and can't wait. We were planning on booking a cruise that went there and then our neice got us a deal that was too good to pass up to go there for a week.

 

Thank you for this post. I had planned on using my cc a good bit to get the % back that we get, not realizing with the exchange rate it probably wouldn't matter, so we will use cash or traveler's checks.

[Seal]

Nancy,

 

We are staying at the Marriott Ocean Club and no we have never been before and can't wait. We were planning on booking a cruise that went there and then our neice got us a deal that was too good to pass up to go there for a week.

 

Thank you for this post. I had planned on using my cc a good bit to get the % back that we get, not realizing with the exchange rate it probably wouldn't matter, so we will use cash or traveler's checks.

 

The exchange is usually not a problem since many menus are printed with USD also--in fact most things are in usd

 

Hope you go to the Flying Fishbone for dinner--it's outside right on the water--great food--need reservations--we sometimes call before we go--we stayed at the Hyatt twice--liked it a lot--good beach area and great floats--the ocean is so calm--which is great--float around on the mats--pretty good!--have fun snorkeling--or at least enjoy the boatrides

 

Have a great time--

 

Be sure to go downtown--have lunch and wander around--that's where the port is--you're smart to be taking a land trip--we had been on several cruises that stopped there and that's was why we decided to take the land trips

 

Have fun

 

Nancy:D

[knitter]

We have gone to Aruba yearly for the past 6 years- because they are basically on the US dollar, we have never paid a transaction fee for credit card use, or had a problem. The fees are usually applied when the purchase is in foreign currency. Capital One is reported to not charge a fee though.

however, I had several fraudulent charges on my card here at home just the other day- the credit card company called me in the morning- the charges had been made just a few hours earlier and they had already put a hold on the card.