Friday, May 28, 2010

Every 21 Seconds!!!

Fact of the day- The FBI calls Identity Theft one of the fastest growing crimes in the United States noting that an identity is stolen every 21 seconds!! Have you or someone you know had this happen to them????? It is said that 70% of credit card fraud originates in the restaurant setting!! Let's do something about it!...! Tell your friends to check out or pages, Spread The Word!!


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Thursday, May 27, 2010

YouTube

We have started to go through YouTube and select favorite video's that are in relation to Credit Card Skimming and the Dine Fraud Free Program. Take a moment and check a few of the out!!!


Dine Fraud Free YouTube

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

The Dark Side of Credit Card Fraud

Call it the Attack of the (Credit Card) Clones.

As you read this, a thief anywhere in the world could be using a counterfeit credit card with your name and account number on it.



Here's how he got it:

Someone, somewhere made an extra swipe of your credit card. It could be a waiter or a store clerk or anyone you've handed your credit card to for payment.

Instead of just charging your card, the thief made an extra swipe of your credit card into a small hand-held device known as a skimmer.

"Think of a skimmer as a net. It takes information right off the card itself," says Brian Marr, a spokesman for the U.S. Secret Service.

The skimmer pulls the data from your card, giving the thief all the information needed to make a counterfeit card. A skimmer can hold card data from hundreds of different credit cards.

"Once this information has been downloaded into a skimmer it can be downloaded into a computer and e-mailed anywhere in the world," Marr says.

Credit card skimming has become a worldwide problem. Card losses due to skimming exceed $1 billion a year.

"You're seeing this anywhere credit cards are put into a point-of-sale database," Marr says. "With technology, there's really no boundary."

Skimming and counterfeit credit card scams are widespread in Europe, Asia and Latin America. They're growing problems in the United States.

"A Far East factory will do as many as 5,000 cards a night, and the next day those cards are in a suitcase on the way to Europe," says George Wallner, chairman and chief strategist at Hypercom Inc., a leading provider of point-of-sale card payment terminals.

Smaller-scale skimming operations are common as well. Consider this scam ring in Florida, in which seven people were indicted in April.

Two waitresses skimmed a large number of credit cards from an Orlando restaurant. The waitresses then sold the credit data to a middleman who sold the information to a group making counterfeit credit cards in Miami.

"Technology giveth and technology taketh away, and we're seeing the dark side of some of that," says Robert Finkbeiner, an assistant statewide prosecutor in Orlando, Fla. "It's a pretty insidious thing."

Skimmer technology improves
Ten years ago, skimming was much less common. Skimmers were too bulky to carry around and had to be hidden under counters.

Smaller skimmers, roughly the size of a pager, hit the scene two or three years ago. These skimmers are easy to carry, easy to hide and easy to buy.

"A few years ago you had to make a skimmer yourself. Now you can go out on the Internet and buy one," says Lou Struett, executive vice president of Magtek, a manufacturer of magnetic stripe card readers.

Everything needed to pull off this crime is available on the Internet. A skimmer costs about $300, and the equipment to make a counterfeit credit card costs about $5,000 to $10,000.

If all this weren't bad enough, there's another kind of skimming going on as well. A thief slips a small, skimming bug into an older credit card terminal. The bug pulls credit card data from the terminal. A few days later the thief removes the bug.

"The bad guy comes and take out the bugs and no one's the wiser," Wallner says.

What's happening to fight skimming? For one thing, newer credit card terminals can't be bugged. And portable terminals, which would enable a waiter to swipe a credit card at a customer's table, are available, although not widespread.

The U.S. Secret Service is working with the credit card industry to track down skimming rings by assembling a database of locations where scams have occurred.

As with any kind of credit card fraud, a consumer victim is not on the hook for the bill. Someone living in San Diego won't have to pay for a thief's $5,000 shopping spree in Hong Kong with a counterfeit credit card.

Know your rights
The Truth in Lending Act limits consumer liability to $50 if a credit card is lost or stolen. And most issuers waive the $50 fee.

The hardest part for a fraud victim is straightening out their credit report after a thief piles up charges in their name. It can take months to sort out.

And that's why it's so important to monitor credit card bills carefully and report any suspicious activity immediately.

"Look at credit card bills line by line," Finkbeiner says. "If something looks suspicious, you can catch it before it gets out of control."

It's also important to guard your credit card number. Be sure to shred old receipts and credit card bills.

"The number is the thing," Finkbeiner says. "You want to take whatever steps you can take to keep your numbers from getting out."

Keep a close eye on your credit card when paying in a store, restaurant or gas station. Finkbeiner knows of a skimming victim who won't let his credit card out of his sight. He'll even follow a waiter back to the payment terminal in a restaurant.

"It's awkward and silly and makes people uncomfortable, but it's what he feels he needs to do," Finkbeiner says.

Original Article HERE

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Skimming 101: How to spot it, avoid it, deal with it

"Skimming" is a method by which thieves steal your credit card information, and all it requires is a little illicit technology and a lot of criminal intent by those who handle your credit card.

Skimming occurs most frequently at retail outlets that process credit card payments -- particularly bars, restaurants and gas stations.

How to spot skimming
Here's how it works: A corrupt employee "skims" a customer's credit card with a small, handheld electronic device that scans and stores the card data from the magnetic strip. The employee usually sells the information through a contact or on the Internet, at which point counterfeit cards are made. The criminals go on a shopping spree with a copy of the credit or debit card, and cardholders are unaware of the fraud until a statement arrives with purchases they did not make.

John Brewer, assistant district attorney in the major fraud division of Harris County (Texas) District Attorney's Office, regularly prosecutes identity thieves. "Many consumers think that shopping online is a high-risk endeavor compared to going to a brick and mortar store, but I believe the opposite," Brewer says. "The vast majority of cases we investigate have to do with employees at a physical store stealing your information."

How to avoid skimming
Brewer has encountered many skimming victims and has tips for consumers on how to stay out of trouble.

  • Make sure your card stays in sight, and never let anyone leave of your presence with the card if you can help it. "Skimming occurs most at restaurants since the waiter has to walk away with your card," Brewer says. "If you are in a retail store and they say they have to go to another counter to run the card, follow them." If you are concerned about letting go of your card at restaurants, use cash instead.
  • Your credit card is like cash. "You need to be aware that your credit card is very valuable," Brewer says. "Treat it like a diamond or cash. Would you just give someone cash and let them walk away with it?"
  • Monitor credit card receipts and check them carefully against your statements. If you are married, sit down with your spouse to account for all charges, Brewer says. Some thieves take out small amounts in hopes cardholders won't notice.
  • Shred unwanted financial solicitations and put your mail on hold when you leave town. This will not help with skimming, but it can help with other forms of identity theft.
To further protect yourself from potential unauthorized charges or identity fraud, you can request that credit bureaus monitor your accounts for unusual spending patterns and require them to notify you before new credit can be granted in your name. These services come at a price; normally under $100 per year depending on the credit agency. But that might be a worthy investment, especially if you eat in restaurants on a regular basis.

How to deal with skimming
  • Call the police. "When your identity or credit card is stolen, it's just like having a car stolen," Brewer says. Make a police report and hang on to the police report number.
  • Contact your bank or credit card issuer immediately and tell them your card was stolen. If you don't make a report quickly, you may be liable for some or all of the unauthorized charges.
  • If you report swiftly, federal law caps your liability at $50. Most credit cards voluntarily go further, and won't charge you at all -- again, if you report quickly. "If you end up being a victim, it's probably not going to cost you any money," Brewer says. "If you notify your bank quickly, they'll return the money. Don't get hung up about the fact that someone might drain your bank account. The most you will probably spend on it is wasted time and lots of aggravation, since it can be a long process to get everything worked out."
  • Contact the three major credit bureaus -- TransUnion, Equifax and Experian -- to request a security freeze, which prevents new credit authorizations without your consent. Brewer suggests visiting the Web site www.annualcreditreport.com. "It's an institution created in response to a large number of identity theft victims and the cost incurred to them," Brewer says. Through the site, which was mandated by federal law in response to consumer outcry, you are entitled to receive one free credit report each year from each of the three major credit bureaus.
Brewer suggests viewing the reports on a computer you can print from since you only get to check them once a year. "Look at the inquiries section of your report, and see which companies have looked at your credit," Brewer says.

Monday, May 24, 2010

Another large restaurant chain, another skimming ring

The Cheesecake Factory's servers skimmed patrons cards, sold the information for $25-40 per card, this information led to $117,000+ in fraudulent charges. Make sure know where your card is at all times! Help us by referring our page and Dine Fraud Free program to your peers. Change begins with us.

Read the story HERE

Follow us on Facebook: Dine Fraud Free

Friday, May 21, 2010

US Senitor has his and 2 other senitors CC's skimmed



Hopefully we can get in front of this senator to discuss our program and what it can do to help this from ever happening.

Read the Story HERE

Thursday, May 20, 2010

How do you feel about your personal card information being work $5.00???

It amazes me how people respond to situations like the article posted below.


One Manager states "there is very little a restaurant owner can do to completely eliminate the possibility of crimes like these." That is not true. If a restaurant owner is to set up the Dine Fraud Free program in their establishment. Credit cards would not leave the customers hand, eliminating the opportunity for someone to skim credit cards.


McALLEN — The lunch rush at the South McAllen Olive Garden Italian Restaurant is often a hurried affair.

Waiters rush from kitchen to table with heaping plates of pasta, diners keep an eye on the clock in a rush to get back to work and at the end of their meals customers throw plastic on to receipt trays with little thought.

But after the indictment of one of the restaurant’s employees last month, some of the eatery’s patrons learned a hard lesson in keeping a closer eye on their cards.

A federal magistrate judge has issued an arrest warrant for a waitress who allegedly stole credit card information from dozens of diners.

Using a device she kept in her purse, 44-year-old Patricia Kaefer sold the pilfered financial information for $5 per card, the U.S. Secret Service said in court filings.

The practice — known as “skimming” — typically involves using a portable device to copy encoded information stored on the magnetic strip of a debit or credit card. Data required for purchases such as the card number and expiration date are stored in the machine and can be encoded on fake or cloned cards using a separate device.

Agents tracked down Kaefer after a handful of customers at the Olive Garden on the 200 block of West Expressway 83 reported unauthorized purchases on their accounts.

“Kaefer was determined to have processed a majority of the McAllen area victims’ credit card account numbers,” said a criminal complaint filed against her in March and unsealed last week.

When confronted, the waitress allegedly told agents she began skimming credit card information while working at another local restaurant. For months, she had taken a device the size of a cigarette lighter to work with her each day and swiped credit cards collected through her shift, the document states.

“Clearly, that’s not the type of core values our company embodies,” said Rich Jeffers, a spokesman for Orlando, Fla.-based Darden Restaurants, which owns the Olive Garden chain and others. “It’s certainly not something we condone.”

But Jerry Maddox — manager of the nearby Hooters of McAllen and a member of the Upper Valley Restaurant Association — said there is very little a restaurant owner can do to completely eliminate the possibility of crimes like these. Most, however, take every precaution to protect customers’ sensitive financial information, he said.

At his establishment, waiters swipe cards into a machine that never lets them see card numbers. A sign above the register reminds employees of the company’s credit card policies.

“We’ve got checks and balances to make sure that stuff is taken care of,” he said. “We take it very seriously here.”

As a restaurant diner it can be just as difficult to avoid falling victim to skimming schemes, said Dolores Salinas, president of the South Texas Office of the Better Business Bureau.

“You’re handing your card over to someone. They take it away from the table, and you have no control what’s going on,” she said. “You’re entering into a situation on blind faith.”

Customers could follow waiters to the register and watch them ring up the transaction, but Salinas doubts most would be willing to do that. Instead, she recommends keeping a very close eye on credit card statements and contesting any suspicious charges within 90 days for credit cards and 30 days for a debit card.

“Or if you are afraid that this might happen to you, you might just start paying cash,” she said.

Although Kaefer initially confessed, she is believed to have since fled the country, prosecutors said Monday. The Secret Service declined to identify how many people had been affected by her alleged scheme citing the ongoing investigation.

If found and convicted, Kaefer could face up to 15 years in prison.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Fighting ID Theft

In these times of identity theft and credit card scams, you know that sinking feeling you get when you pay for a meal at a restaurant and the server walks away with your Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover credit or debit card.

Will this be like the millions of routine transactions that occur every day, or will it be that one time that the card becomes a passport to your financial holdings? Will someone drain your bank account or damage your credit rating?

A longtime Las Vegas restaurateur is using technology to minimize the heartburn of a potential transaction-gone-wrong by introducing a hand-held device that completes the transaction at the table.

“Our guests get to keep their credit card in their possession at all times, creating a safe transaction from start to finish,” said Bob Ansara, president of Ricardo’s, a restaurant that has served Sonoran-style Mexican food in Las Vegas since 1979.

Ansara says Ricardo’s is the first restaurant in Nevada to offer the pay-at-the-table technology, developed by Toronto-based Ingenico Canada Ltd.

“Everybody has a fraud or identity theft story to tell,” Ansara said. “So our guests love this system because it provides a greater comfort level when they can see the whole transaction at their table.”


Check out the story HERE

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

An example of what some servers do with your card when they leave the table

This waitress takes her customers cards, gives them to a few other men who use the numbers to create fake cards and then to purchase AMEX and VISA gift cards. Another case of a server taking card information when leaving the table with customers cards. You have to wonder if the owner of this establishment knew that his server was doing something like this with the customers cards. Check out the full article below, then call us to get set up with DINE FRAUD FREE (877)217-0707

Full Article

Monday, May 17, 2010

21 Tips to Help you Prevent Credit/Debit Card Fraud

1. Keep an eye on your credit card every time you use it, and make sure you get it back as quickly as possible. Try not to let your credit card out of your sight whenever possible.

2. Be very careful to whom you give your credit card. Don't give out your account number over the phone unless you initiate the call and you know the company is reputable. Never give your credit card info out when you receive a phone call. (For example, if you're told there has been a 'computer problem' and the caller needs you to verify information.) Legitimate companies don't call you to ask for a credit card number over the phone.

3. Never respond to emails that request you provide your credit card info via email -- and don't ever respond to emails that ask you to go to a website to verify personal (and credit card) information. These are called 'phishing' scams.

4. Never provide your credit card information on a website that is not a secure site.

5. Sign your credit cards as soon as you receive them.

6. Shred all credit card applications you receive.

7. Don't write your PIN number on your credit card -- or have it anywhere near your credit card (in the event that your wallet gets stolen).

8. Never leave your credit cards or receipts lying around.

9. Shield your credit card number so that others around you can't copy it or capture it on a cell phone or other camera.

10. Keep a list in a secure place with all of your account numbers and expiration dates, as well as the phone number and address of each bank that has issued you a credit card. Keep this list updated each time you get a new credit card.

11. Only carry around credit cards that you absolutely need. Don't carry around extra credit cards that you rarely use.

12. Open credit card bills http://konac.kontera.com/javascript/lib/imgs/grey_loader.gif

promptly and make sure there are no bogus charges. Treat your credit card bill like your checking account

http://konac.kontera.com/javascript/lib/imgs/grey_loader.gif

-- reconcile it monthly. Save your receipts so you can compare them with your monthly bills.

13. If you find any charges that you don't have a receipt for -- or that you don't recognize -- report these charges promptly (and in writing) to the credit card issuer.

14. Always void and destroy incorrect receipts.

15. Shred anything with your credit card number written on it.

16. Never sign a blank credit card receipt. Carefully draw a line through blank portions of the receipt where additional charges could be fraudulently added.

17. Carbon paper is rarely used these days, but if there is a carbon that is used in a credit card transaction, destroy it immediately.

18. Never write your credit card accounhttp://konac.kontera.com/javascript/lib/imgs/grey_loader.gift number in a public place (such as on a postcard or so that it shows through the envelope payment window).

19. Ideally, it's a good idea to carry your credit cards separately from your wallet -- perhaps in a zippered compartment or a small pouch.

20. Never lend a credit card to anyone else.

21. If you move, notify your credit card issuers in advance of your change of address.

Friday, May 14, 2010

Another Restaurant Breach- 2,000+ customers cards compromised

Georgia Credit union has over 2,000 customers cards compromised due to a restaurant breach. The restaurant "Mellow Mushroom" changes the way they handle cards by only letting their managers take the cards from customers. Our Dine Fraud Free program would replace this hassle for this merchant. Check out the article below! You can bet we will be pursuing this customer to try and help them out.


Full Article HERE

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Berkeley restaurant falls victim to credit card scam

On the 4th, I reported about a Berkeley group of individuals who all realized they had their cards taken while talking on a playground. Yesterday this report hit the news. The owner of the business stated in the interview, "I'm just a guy who makes tacos, so this is a little over my head," Let this be an example, have ...our company take care of your systems and reduce the chance of this sort of thing ever happening to your business.


Click HERE for the story

(877)217-0707 for help

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Restaurants account for 90 percent of all credit card skimming

Restaurants account for 90 percent of all credit card skimming because a restaurant is just about the only environment where upon payment the credit cards are removed from customers' view. Skimmers can hold 200-300 credit cards, that card information is then downloaded to computers and sold other places. Help DINE FRAUD FREE by preventing the opportunity for this to ever happen. Call or email today to find out more (877)217-0707 or kyle@alp-ps.com

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

If I made a nickel for every time a customer says "It will never happen to me"

Another Restaurant having issues with Credit Card Skimming. On a daily basis customers will state that they have been taking credit cards the way they do for years, and fraud has never happened. It only takes one time, one new hire, and you could lose your clientele's trust forever.



27 Year Old Business

Monday, May 10, 2010

$5.00 Footlong, may have cost you $1,000.00+

5 dollar foot long, could have ended up costing over $1,000.00! In the story below, more credit card theft at a fast food establishment know by all. You let your card out of your hand, skimming can happen. Dine Fraud Free, in every eatery!


SUBWAY STORY

Friday, May 7, 2010

Join Dine Fraud Free and help eliminate merchant's fees and costs due to Fraud. You will successfully be able to eliminate the risk of Fraud in your establishment, create savings month after month, and generate repeat and referral business!! Check out the facts: CLICK HERE

Merchants are paying $100 billion1 in fraud losses due to unauthorized transactions and fees/interest associated with charge backs, nearly ten times the cost incurred by banks. Far surpassing bank costs of approximately $11 billion in 2008, merchant fraud losses also amounted to more than 20 times the total value of consumer losses (approximately $4.8 billion). Factoring in the additional cost of lost/stolen merchandise, U.S. retail merchants are suffering a total industry-wide fraud loss of $191 billion.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Signature Vs. PIN Debit transactions, something you may not know about banks

To those of you that are merchants following these posts. We stand behind PIN debit transactions as being the most secure form of payment. The following article discusses how one large banking firm is contradicting the security of PIN debit, but, it also mentions why they are doing this. If you would like to have a PIN... debit, 100% fraud free program set up in your establishment, call us (877)217-0707




Read Here

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Protect your Debit Cards!

Protect your card. Using a debit card for a PIN debit transaction and not letting it out of your hand is the most secure form of payment. BUT, if you are to let that card leave your possession it can be the most Dangerous. Check out the article below to learn more!


Protect Your Card(article)

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

“There is no way to protect yourself from something like this unless you stop using credit cards,”

Within the article below the detective states, “There is no way to protect yourself from something like this unless you stop using credit cards,” said Det. Melero.

Our program is the way to prevent this from happening where it happens. In the restaurant setting we hand out cards to complete strangers who walk away and if they are gone for too long, we just assume they are a bad server. They could be pulling their cell phone out and taking pictures of the front and back of your card, they could be using the receipt paper to imprint the card number, and they could be using a skimmer on your card. The article below is particularly interesting to us because these people were discussing how someone tried to illegibly use their card for a purchase states away from them. It just goes to prove that socializing and networking can bring attention to this sort of crime and bring it to the mainstream where it belongs. Question for you who are reading this, what can you do to spread the word, how can you help to prevent this from ever happening? CREATE A BUZZ, make people listen to how we don’t want to have our cards leave our sight, we don’t want to have this sort of thing happen to us.


Link to Article

Monday, May 3, 2010

Merchant out $30,000 and climbing due to data breach

Below is an article from the Kansas City Star. This merchant had a data breach where someone put in software that captured credit card information from patrons cards. These credit and debit card numbers were then used in other states for purchases. I was blown away by the statistic in this article that, IF, a data breach occurs in a business the average cost per transaction to a merchant is $204.00. Our company works with merchants on a daily basis that have 200 to 300 transactions a day. Imagine what that would do for a small to medium-sized business.

A ‘Russian roulette’ of risk results after data breaches