Perhaps they forgot to close the back door....

[alfreda89]

from a friend's LJ, for warning and sharing...:


"Another $2,000+ credit card fraud attempt hit my WAMU account this morning.
That's the second in about six weeks.

Thing is, this time it's against the new credit card number issued to me after
I closed my prior account due to the previous fraud event. The new card has
sat in my desk drawer with the little sticker still on it, not activated or
used in any way. No telephone shopping, no Web sites, no POS transactions.

Which means that the thief either broke into my house, copied down the info on
this one credit card without disturbing anything in my office and left again;
or WAMU's credit card data is insecure on their systems. There's simply no
other way the number could have gotten out except a hack against WAMU.

When I tried to explain this to the fraud agent, she wasn't interested. Not in
the script. So I talked to customer service and closed the account
permanently. There's no point in having another card re-issued if their back
end is insecure. She wasn't interested either. Also not in the script.

I very strongly suggest that if you have a WAMU credit card you close it
immediately. They are not able to keep customer financial data secure, and
they aren't interested in hearing from customers about the problem."

Comments

[apricot-tree.livejournal.com]

*Sigh* I don't work for WAMU. But I do work in the industry. And she may be right. Her data may be compromised. But here are still other possible explainations here and I hope she isn't taking this course without considering them. Has she shredded all the docs that came with her card - or is someone fishing in her trash can? Variations of mail theft are the biggest piece of the fraud pie chart. That and people you know getting into your info. She can blame WAMU and she might be right, but if it were me, I would also be wondering if anyone had been in my house. Including friends of friends, repair people, and friends of my kids.

Chances are, if the corruption of the card number is from the source, that source isn't WAMU. Almost no one processes their own plastic anymore. It's all outsourced. So closing her account isn't going to help that. (But it's one way to deal with the fact that they made her feel like they didn't care about her concerns.) WAMU may also have outsourced the maintenance of their card records too. That's a bit less common, but still happening. I hope she doesn't get wrapped up in the idea that WAMU is the only possible culprit and miss other issues. Particularly since this is the second occurance. When hacking and data compromise occur, they are usually pretty random. That two different card number for the same person would be involved is a bit odd. Maybe she's just had a run of bad luck. But I hope she's checking her credit reports and has considered a fraud alert. JMHO.

[alfreda89.livejournal.com]

I two-way cutting shredder is a small, but real, comfort in this world. I will get off the lists for credit I haven't applied for as soon as the taxes are done.

*Sigh.*

[apricot-tree.livejournal.com]

Definately a good idea. I've gotten so paranoid I actually burn some of that stuff. But then I hear all the really bad horror stories.

[lagilman]

It's a He, actually, who originally posted this notice in his LJ. Just to set the record straight... (and proof that it's not a gender thing)