Not that this is related in this specific case, but the first thing I do every time I check into a show hotel, is tell them to not allow phone calls or charges to the room from room service/bars. They typically argue "but what if you want something from the bar?" but insist and they will lock it down. This way you cannot be held accountable for any charges to your room (aside from mini-bar or damages).

The second thing I do, is always leave a deposit in cash, or worst case, with ePassporte (because I don't care much about it). No hotel will refuse a cash deposit on your stay.

I know people say using your credit card for everything increases your buying power by x%, but if you factor in how often this kind of thing happens; it really doesn't. Cash only and you will end up saving money (as, in addition to no illegal charges, you will end up on a set budget for the night if you only carry cash with you).

I haven't been at the forum...

sounds like alot of people had their credit cards "skimmed" during the forum...

luckily traveling to the US this year wasn't an option for me. My credit card has yet to be hacked :)

...now all we need is some mullet guys to run in here to blame Lisa Sparx.

The cc companies need to have a way to issue a temporary card for use in a given time period, like a trip, vacation, conference, whatever. That way, you could use that and then it would expire at the end of the time period and the number could not be used again. They already offer temp numbers for a single purchase but it should be expanded a bit. It would stop a lot of fraud. Of course, everyone would be too lazy to use it so I suppose they thought about it and discarded the idea.

The last three shows I went to my card was compromised.

Someone is following the shows around.

Enjoy the next one.

about a month ago for me too. mine was a CVS Pharmacy in Olathe Kansas.

We got hit. And our bank confirmed this post. :disgust

just use cash, fucking plastics

my card got banged about 3 weeks ago, two $5 charges from canada

fuck plastics, use titanium coated in black !!

Actually alot of hotels wont accept cash deposits. Sadly due to abuse with debit card holders destroying rooms, racking up room bills and not having enough to cover the charges larger hotel chains that offer certain services now are starting to require an actual credit card not a debit card.

Is there something you want to confess, rockstar?

This can happen any where at any time. Your cute waitress at the restaurant last night could have scanned your card on her iPhone. You have to always be watching and setup alerts. I get alerts on anything over $300 on ANY card.

Great. So that covers you when you stay at a hotel. But how many times do you use your card when your on the road?

Your making it sound like the only this can happen is at a hotel. It can happen at any business. Any place you use your card is wide open to this kind of fraud.

I watch my bank accounts like a hawk. Last summer I noticed a charge went through at a restaurant for $20 more than I had signed off on. Trust me, I returned to the same restaurant that same day.

Anyway to setup an email for ANY charge with american express.. looks like the only option I get are suspicious transactions.. so its up to them to keep track

happened to me as well, nothing taken.. i'd guess the atms that were there

Hmmm. My Mansion corporate card that I used there was 4 weeks ago or so dinged for almost $4,000 - charges looked to be from Canada actually. I had to shut down card... coincidence?

Pretty sure hes talking just about attending shows and dealing with the hotels to eliminate unknown charge issues...

The small charges are them "testing" it.

I had small charges too. Didn't notice them until the BIG ones came in. I posted up here about it when it happened to me several weeks ago. But I didn't know where the card was hacked. Now I do.

And again...I suggest that everyone who was at the Forum simply contact the bank and/or credit card company and tell them your card is compromised. Shut it down and have them send you a new one.

Amex overnighted me mine. My bank debit card took a week.

That sucks.

Actually I almost always try to use cash whenever possible...I just hate using cards in general and always have.

The above advice though was to avoid unauthorized charges while at shows, where it seems they happen to at least a few people every single show. It doesn't have to be just hotel staff fraud either; let's not forget how many people have been hit with large room charges from the bars that weren't theirs. I know a partner of mine got hit with 2k in charges that way at a show last year...

Folks need to realize that this isn't just about their cards.

Have you been using that "free WiFi" while at the shows? Checking your stats or online banking accounts, etc.?
These are mostly unsecure networks and any info (like your username / password) that you send may indeed be intercepted.

i just got a letter from mission palms letting me know their DB was compromised - at least they let u sknow

Guys! I get a new card every 3 months, and have bank Next Day my new one.
I love BofA! Have been with them for 13+ years..

I NEVER use a hotel's wifi. Verizon Wireless, FTW.

what makes you all think that is possibly the extent of it?

if the mission palms was targeted, and it was a cyber breech, which is obvious, any of you that logged into any sort of stats or anything related to your businesses had better be on your game.

i'm pretty sure that any databases exposed or logins to ftps or anything like that were more than likely recorded too. epass logins (which happened before), etc.

i would certainly think about that.

The mission palms was NOT targeted. The letter I got said the data base of the company that owns the Mission Palms also owns a lot of other hotels around the country. The main database that all of their properties use was the one that was hacked.

I got the letter because I stayed at ONE of their properties (the mission palms) Everybody who stayed at any of their hotels around the country from Jan. to June of this year had their card info stolen.

Of course you can have your online activity sniffed out on a hotel wireless anywhere you might be. But this particular thing about card info being stolen has absolutely nothing to do with that.

wow
 

well at least I know where the leak of information was... I got hit for $1000 from canada at the home depot. and I only used my card one time at the tempe mission palms bar :/

When my cards were compromised one of the charges was from Canada and the other was from Africa!

Seems Canada is the common theme though

hey i just got the call from amex, the card i used in phoenix, got used in delaware. i can't think of any other way it got ripped off cause i never present it anywhere. i thought i was in the clear cause it was almost 4 months ago, but hey anyone might wanna check their statements

Wow. Ouch.

Just got an American express fraud email alert

08/09/10 21.43 PETRO CANADA INC

I should get my new card tomorrow