Beware!

I got this email and it is good information. Some we should all know!
SCENE
1.

This
is a new one..

People
sure stay busy trying to cheat us, don't they?

A friend went
to th e local gym and placed his belongings in the locker.
After the
workout and a shower, he came out, saw the locker open, and thought to
himself, 'Funny,I thought I locked the locker.

Hmm, 'He dressed and just flipped the wallet to
make sure all was in order.

Everything looked okay - all cards
were in place.

A few weeks later his credit card bill came - a
whooping bill of $14,000!

He called the credit card
company and started yelling at them, saying that he did not make the
transactions..

Customer care personnel verified that there was
no Mistake in the system
and asked if his card had been stolen.

'No,'
he said, but then took out his wallet, pulled out the credit card, and
yep - you guessed it - a switch had been made.

An
expired similar credit card from the same bank was in the wallet.


The thief broke into his locker at the gym and switched
cards.

Verdict:
The credit card issuer said since he did not report the card missing
earlier, he would have to pay the amount owed to them.

How
much did he have to pay for items he did not
buy?

$9,000!
Why were there no calls made to verify the amount swiped?


Small amounts rarely trigger a 'warning bell' with
some credit card companies.

It just so happens that all the
small amounts added up to big one!

SCENE
2.

A
man at a local restaurant paid for his meal with his credit card.

The bill for the meal came, he signed it,and the waitress
folded the receipt
and passed the card along.
0A

Usually, he
would just take it and place it in his wallet or pocket. Funny
enough, though, he actually took a look at the card and, lo and

behold, it was the expired card of another
person.

He
called the waitress and she looked perplexed.

She took it
back, apologized, and hurried back to the counter under the watchful
eye of the man.

All the waitress did while walking to the
counter was wave the wrong expired card to the counter cashier, and
the counter cashier immediately looked down and took out the real
card.

No exchange of words --- nothing! She took it and came
back to the man with an apology.

Verdict:

Make sure the
credit cards in your wallet are yours.

Check
the name on the card every time you sign for something and/or the card
is taken away for even a short period of time.

AMany people
just take back the credit card without even looking at it, 'assuming'
that it has to be theirs.

FOR YOUR OWN SAKE, DEVELOP
THE HABIT OF CHECKING YOUR CREDIT CARD EACH TIME IT IS RETURNED TO YOU
AFTER A TRANSACTION!

SCENE
3:

Yesterday
I went into a pizza restaurant to pick up an order that I had called
in.
I paid by using my Visa Check Card which, of course, is linked directly
to my checking account.

The young man behind the
counter took my card, swiped20it, then laid it on
the counter as he
waited for the approval, which is pretty standard
procedure.

While he
waited, he picked up his cell phone and started dialing.

I noticed the phone because it is the same model I have, but nothing
seemed out of the ordinary. Then I heard a click that sounded
like my phone sounds when I take a
picture.

He then gave me
back my card but kept the phone in his hand as if he was still
pressing buttons.

Meanwhile, I'm thinking: I wonder what he is
taking a picture of, oblivious to what was really going on.


It then dawned on me: the only
thing there was my credit card, so now I'm paying close attention to
what he is doing.

He set his phone on the counter, leaving it
open.

About five seconds later, I heard the chime that tells
you that the picture has been saved.

Now I'm standing there
struggling with the fact that this boy just took a picture of my
credit card.

Yes, he played it off well, because had we not
had the same kind of phone, I probably would never have known what
happened.

Needless to say, I immediately canceled that card as
I was walking out of the pizza parlor.

All I am saying is, be
aware of your surroundings at all times.

Whenever you are using
your credit card take caution and don't be
careless.

Notice
who is standing near you and what they are doing when you use your
card.
=0 A

Be aware of phones, because many have a camera
phone these days.