A $ 9.84 charge on your credit or debit card may seem an innocent transaction, correct? It happens that the small load can be thieves "testing" the map they stole from target customers to make sure it is still valid, as warned by the Bureau.
How can I verify this charge is related to the target thieves?
This "test" cards is a common practice for scammers. The thieves are charging a small amount - that usually goes unnoticed by the cardholder - a bogus company that is hosted by scammers and, once the purchase has completely crossed, they will charge larger amounts to card in an attempt to steal the money holder. The particular company that targets fraudsters pose as is a customer support company that claims to "pay 100 percent of your final payment" if you are not satisfied. A couple of options for company names you'll notice on the load side and $ 9.84 includes etosac.com cewcs.com, however there are some 30 other trade names false charge that might be. Brian Krebs, a former journalist of The Washington Post provided a complete list of fake business ties related to the scam at the bottom of his post here.
What can I do to reverse the charge and protect me?
Since the BBB and the Krebs website revealed this threat to consumers, there are a few ways you can reverse the transaction and edit your payment details but you must act quickly.
1. DO NOT contact the company: Although the site claims to pay 100 percent of your payment, you absolutely do not want to contact the customer service representatives because you do will be providing more personal information they can use to steal your identity. It is important to remember that the company is a legitimate business, so there is no need for you to call or email customer service representatives for any reason.
2. Report the charge $ 9.84 to your bank: Call your bank and report the charge as fraudulent. Your bank may already be familiar with the charge of $ 9.84, as it has been reported by the BBB and many new sources. And since most banks have fraudulent activity very seriously, they will more than likely not a problem report. The representative of the bank will be able to guide you through the process of fraud reports.
3. Ask a new credit or debit card: Usually when an account confirmed the fraud, the bank requires you to get a new debit or credit card, but if for some reason they do not offer one, then you should definitely ask a.
4. Sign up for identity theft protection: Target has already advised its affected customers to sign up for identity theft protection, but the service there is supply shortage in terms of protection. If you are looking for a service that not only monitors all three of your credit reports - Experian, Equifax and TransUnion - but also taking steps to actively protect your identity, such as monitoring Internet black market and public surveillance records, while we suggest that you sign up for the top-rated service Identity Guard. Sign up for Identity Guard today to start your free trial 30 days and to protect themselves, or read our review Identity Guard to learn more about the high-end service.