That's a lot of Slim Jims and Slurpees

July 2, 2013 10:12 AM

A friend's credit card recently was compromised, which she found out when her bank's security team flagged two $900+ transactions a few minutes apart. At a 7-11 of all places. What most likely actually happened here?

I'm no expert on credit card fraud, but I would expect that how it usually works is the account number is compromised somehow and the attack is made through online orders. (Especially since my friend didn't lose her card but still has it.) If the transactions had been at Amazon or something, I'd get that. But 7-11 doesn't seem to sell anything online. I presume this means someone had to actually go into a store and present a physical card.

So did someone actually produce a working false card with her number and slide it at a register? And why 7-11? What is more suspicious than trying to buy $900+ worth of whatever you can get at a 7-11? Then turning right around and doing it again. If you're a criminal, isn't there a better way to monetize this valid card number than trying to fence a lifetime supply of Cool Ranch Doritos?

Basically, what the hell happened?

posted by Naberius to Work & Money (20 answers total)

What is more suspicious than trying to buy $900+ worth of whatever you can get at a 7-11?

It's probably the 7-11 clerk. My guess is he/she bought something that can easily be sold on the street, such as prepaid phones.
posted by desjardins at 10:17 AM on July 2, 2013 [2 favorites]

Money orders? Wire transfers? Or 50 cartons of cigs.

Given the round amount, I'd guess one of the first two.
posted by natteringnabob at 10:17 AM on July 2, 2013 [4 favorites]

We had a card stolen out of a mailbox years ago and it was maxed out in a matter of hours at a gas station, mall, and motel room. Best as we can tell, it was party time for a couple of folks: several tanks of gas, beer, shoes and other things, and the motel charges.

If they maxed it out, my guess is that they bought as much beer as possible.
posted by jquinby at 10:17 AM on July 2, 2013

Oh, and if it's the clerk, there's no need for a physical card.
posted by desjardins at 10:17 AM on July 2, 2013

The thief probably purchased moneyorders, and then later cashed them. How they did it without the physical card, no idea.
posted by easily confused at 10:17 AM on July 2, 2013

Western union moneygrams, phone cards/minutes, or other type of things that could be converted to cash (or already shipped/wired off as cash).
posted by k5.user at 10:17 AM on July 2, 2013 [2 favorites]

Yeah, on reflection, probably prepaid phone cards.
posted by jquinby at 10:20 AM on July 2, 2013 [1 favorite]

Also, gift cards are often available at gas stations. If not for a range of shops, definitely for the gas station chain. At which you can buy food and fuel. These cards can get sold on the street.
posted by bilabial at 10:20 AM on July 2, 2013 [1 favorite]

I have no real answers to add, but simply have to relate the story of about 10 years ago, when my dear friend had her purse stolen, and the thief proceeded to run down the street and burn through about $700 at Taco Bell, of all places. Thieves do weird things, I guess.

But it is possible to clone credit cards, I have known a person that it happened to. It's not as common, but it does occur.
posted by backwards compatible at 10:22 AM on July 2, 2013

I have a credit card with a bum magnetic strip, and the clerk can just type the number into the register. I agree that the thief is probably either the clerk, or friends with the clerk.
posted by muddgirl at 10:25 AM on July 2, 2013

I had an account liquidated through an ATM in Spain, even though I had the physical card in my wallet. Per the Visa fraud people, it's not terribly difficult to create a cloned card if the thief has skimmed the electronic data off of the real card. Little machines can do this if the thief had unrestricted access to your card for a few minutes (think restaurant wait staffs, etc.).
posted by craven_morhead at 10:25 AM on July 2, 2013

Someone once duplicated my debit card and used it at an ATM 2000 miles away. The card was never out of my hands. Thankfully the bank caught it and gave me all the money back.
posted by MayNicholas at 10:34 AM on July 2, 2013

Credit card companies have VERY GOOD detection algorithms. I once went on a spending spree for myself... and Monday morning the only reason they called me was because of a $40 failed transaction at a gas station at the other side of town Sunday night (not because of my purchases).

People can fake your cards once they have your magnetic info, which they can get very easily by swiping your card through a palm-sized reader as they handle your card. Best defense: never let a clerk touch your card. Always swipe or insert it yourself (don't let them do it for you).
posted by St. Peepsburg at 10:41 AM on July 2, 2013

Don't forget lottery tickets-- that would be a great way to run up charges. I'd be willing to bet there's a black market for discounted scratch tickets, and of course scratch tickets do win pretty often and pay out in cash.
posted by Sunburnt at 11:03 AM on July 2, 2013

Our local 7-11 has a multi-purpose money machine in the corner. It can be used to deposit checks to almost any bank, create money orders, send wired funds through Western Union, make ATM withdrawals, etc. I can think of a lot of $900+ transactions one could conduct at such a machine.
posted by croutonsupafreak at 11:10 AM on July 2, 2013 [3 favorites]

Prepaid phones + phone cards; every time (save for once, when it was used for stock photos [??]) my card has been compromised, there's at least $200 on PAYG phones and cards. Once had $4000 appear on my account; mostly phones (practical), porn (classy) and WWE pay-per-view (not so smart; included a cable service delivery address, allowing the constabulary to pick up an apartment full of small-time criminals.)
posted by scruss at 11:49 AM on July 2, 2013 [2 favorites]

Not sure where you are located.

In Pennsylvania you aren't supposed to be able to buy lottery tickets with a Credit Card afaik. Last time I bought a money order (at a Sheetz) they stressed that it had to be cash only.

$900, I'd bet phones or gift cards. If it was the clerk, He/She isn't the brightest crayon in the box. I worked at a 7-11 in my teen years back in the 90s and even then it would be pretty easy to pin to me with the instore cameras.
posted by PlutoniumX at 12:27 PM on July 2, 2013 [1 favorite]

Natteringnabob Nailed it - cigarettes.
posted by brownrd at 2:24 PM on July 2, 2013

Something that credit card fraudsters do is swipe (or purchase) your cc data and then put it on another card with a magnetic stripe - including generic mastercard or visa type gift cards, which can be swiped pin-less (ie like a credit card not a debit card) and appear to a cursory glance to be a legit gift card, in fact the only way that a clerk can tell is if they look at the confirmation on the receipt or their display. There the card number on the front of the card will not match what is on the magnetic stripe data, but the charge will go through, since no one expects a gift card to go through AND be fraudulent this can get past the clerk. Needless to say the store where I work no longer accepts gift card transactions over $100 dollars without a photocopy of an ID. Stores (like mine) that run all transactions as credit card swipes (no pin entered) are vulnerable to this.*

7/11's, which are often the only financial/telephonic services available to poor people, have a bunch of items that can be flipped quickly for cash and are so high volume that sometimes the appropriate checks aren't made. If the clerk is in on it they will likely be caught, since that is like a slam dunk easy arrest for the cops. But the greater chance is they aren't in on it.

*Yes, I have brought this up to the owners, there is some no doubt dumbshit credit/debit processing fee issue at work.
posted by Divine_Wino at 6:32 PM on July 2, 2013 [1 favorite]

Naberius: "(Especially since my friend didn't lose her card but still has it.) If the transactions had been at Amazon or something, I'd get that. But 7-11 doesn't seem to sell anything online. I presume this means someone had to actually go into a store and present a physical card."

Its been a while since I've stepped inside a 7-11, but perhaps they sell Amazon gift cards? Or something less revokable, like a Western Union money order.
posted by pwnguin at 7:40 PM on July 2, 2013