grungy-gonads 54 Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 Originally Posted By: Mamabear Watch your cards guys. Papa got skimmed today in Tokyo - they tried whipping out $10k AUD twice and then $5k. Bank was onto it. But card is now canceled - bit of an inconvenience. He used an ATM at Tokyo Tower. Beware. Hope you don't mind me quoting you Mamabear. I have never had this happen to me or even heard about it. How widespread and how does it actually work? Link to post Share on other sites
RobBright 35 Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 In the whole six years of living in Japan, it's the first time I have heard of it happening. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 ah right, somebody tampered with the machine and it sends your details to a 3rd party....not getting his cards physically stolen. Wow never heard of that here either Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 skimming machines fit nicely in a trouser pocket. A waiter, takes your card for the bill, he runs it through the skimmer in his pocket and then through the machine in the shop. He now has the card details and can encode it onto a blank one. Nice. Link to post Share on other sites
SKI 15 Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 But the rules are meant to be broken (hey TB?) Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 It suddenly exploded as a huge problem here in recent months. Big 'outbreak' at MacDonalds machines - thousands of people were skimmed. Lots lost cash. I am pretty thrilled it happened in Japan and Papa had not told anyone at the bank he was going because they got an automatic trigger as it was just over 10K and out of the country so they declined the transaction and rang him immediately - then me when he didnt answer. Commonwealth are pretty good with being on top of these things - other banks no so much. But if it had been in Perth it MAY not have flagged and might have been processed. I always check my ATMs before use now - the skimming devices are very clever, and hard to pick up, but if you go to a local you will notice a change. But that vigilance doesn't help you if you enclose your card into the little leather bill fold at a restaurant does it! It happened on my card about a year ago in that way - in Perth. Link to post Share on other sites
rach 1 Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 Never heard of that in Japan either. Sorry to hear it happened to Papa, Mamabear. Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 rach ... in a way I think it is a good thing ... I know that sounds strange - let me explain. A few months back I told Papa I had concerns about the prevalance of skimming and other CC fraud, AND the potential for CC loss. And we only have ONE CC. It takes a week to 2 weeks to get a new card, in that time - no card - big inconvenience. So I suggested we get a second and maybe even third CC account, and save at least one of those for 'risky situations'. Papa half heartedly agreed and the following week our gold CC cards had been upgraded to platinum cards -all good and all that - but we STILL only had one CC account. (he does have a business one which he is using at the moment, but I have only the one linked to his). I gave the example of the card being skimmed/stolen while we were on holiday in Japan (thinking Dec here) - and how inconvenient that would be. He, as usual, thought I was being melodramatic and anticipating Armageddon when really there was no risk. However - first thing Tuesday morning - when he gets home - we are off to the bank to sort out a number of cards with a number of banks - just to have the back-ups and safeguards. WIN to me Link to post Share on other sites
RobBright 35 Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 Where did he get skimmed for definite? Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 unsure Rob. It was either when his card was test swiped by ANA hotel, or at the ATM in Tokyo Tower. Waiting to see if anyone else turns up with a problem coz a few of them used the same ATM. Because they are the only transactions he made with that card in Japan. The attempts to charge 10K, 10K and 5K (AUD) were at Ultimo or Ultimate Bar, Tokyo - don't know of it myself but that is what the bank said... Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 It's a big problem in China, hence the terminals are taken to the table for settlement, they are remote terminals and the card never leaves your sight. Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 1 credit card ot even 2 or 3 sounds quite unreal to me. I have at least 15 and I've stopped counting. They send those to me and keep reminding me to activate them. I use about 6 currently, but I concentrate my spending on 1. Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 Originally Posted By: thursday 1 credit card ot even 2 or 3 sounds quite unreal to me. I have at least 15 and I've stopped counting. They send those to me and keep reminding me to activate them. I use about 6 currently, but I concentrate my spending on 1. Gosh Thursday!! We have just never needed more than one Credit Card - except for the inconvenience a couple of times when my handbag was stolen, house was broken into/CC stolen, and this skimming thing. We have a few debit cards. A couple of cheque books - which rarely get used now. And some accounts we access online that we really only ever move cash around online through. But times they are a-changing!! Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 ah I see. I have never lost a wallet, never had a break-in, never been skimmed or scammed. But I am very careful about checking my statements as soon as I get them. It's crazy, the card companies have given me a credit limit that can buy a house. Just so that on the impulse, I will buy a house using their card. Not so fast sunny, this one has a purse string holder. Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 Papa checks his statements asap as well - I often get a please explain phone call! We get sent the letters offering CC's all the time, but just bin them. And although our credit limit on the one card we have is much much higher than it was when we first took out the card - almost 20 years ago - we initially refused those increased credit limit letters they sent us every 3 months or so back then. Perhaps I shoulda signed some of the offers and taken the plastic Link to post Share on other sites
Jynxx 4 Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 Close call with lucky results. Yes it does happen in Japan. While back it was not illegal to carry skimmers but they made it a criminal offense to have blank cards on you. My friends dad got done in Indonesia with his amex. It was done by a person working at the hotel counter where he was staying. Link to post Share on other sites
grungy-gonads 54 Posted November 1, 2009 Author Share Posted November 1, 2009 Well my local supermarket sells skimmed milk. No taste whatsover, I feel - what's the point? But seriously, it sad to hear. I have never heard of it in Japan before. Link to post Share on other sites
stemik 14 Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 Originally Posted By: SKI But the rules are meant to be broken (hey TB?) Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 Originally Posted By: SKI But the rules are meant to be broken (hey TB?) yeah. Take it you have never went over the speed limit then, or crossed the road on a red man or any other small rule that gets broken daily by bad bad people like myself. Good for you! Glad to hear that no harm was done MB and the bank stopped the money Link to post Share on other sites
shadowtec 0 Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 There should be only 3 people you should trust with your money, Me, Myself and I.. Never have all of your eggs in one basket (well money in this case) and if you travel or use a cards a lot, then have more than one account thats my 2 cents Link to post Share on other sites
boardbaka 3 Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 The attempts to charge 10K, 10K and 5K (AUD) were at Ultimo or Ultimate Bar, Tokyo - don't know of it myself but that is what the bank said... sry to hear that but it is good that you let people know I can state unequivocally that that place is a known rip off venue - Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 Originally Posted By: boardbaka Quote: The attempts to charge 10K, 10K and 5K (AUD) were at Ultimo or Ultimate Bar, Tokyo - don't know of it myself but that is what the bank said... sry to hear that but it is good that you let people know I can state unequivocally that that place is a known rip off venue - You know of it boardbaka? Which is it Ultimate or Ultimo? I didn't quite catch it when the woman was telling me. I had a card skimmed about a year ago here in Perth, and they tried to take a few thousand from a car tyre shop in the eastern suburbs - it turned out that there was a crooked employee that was using skimmed cards to try and 'withdraw cash' at work. They got that guy. I wonder if it is an employee or if the business is aware they are being used? Link to post Share on other sites
boardbaka 3 Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 its Ultimate bar Mamabear -It was funny when I read your first post as had cleaned out my wallet / jeans the sun sfternoon after the game and I had acquired a card to that place from the touts outside - that exact same thing has happened to someone I know there they try for something really toppy probably judge by looking at the card what to try for then scale down in increments like you suggest - seems like in your husbands chanwce he was a bit lucky- the thing is they can probably tell if a group is tourists and they know it will be a lot harder to rectify things when the cardholders are likely out of the country - Link to post Share on other sites
blu 3 Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 My bank informed that my credit card with a specific $500 limit, does not stop larger transactions from being charged. I got that limit because I only use it on the Net and I wanted to lower my exposure for a fraudulent transaction. Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 That sux blu ... I want to look into that this week to see if there is a CC out there with a hard and fast limit to charges for the same purposes you suggest. Papa is home today - and it appears that his business CC was also skimmed, but the NAB didn't pick it up and allowed them to drain the available balance. So we have to lodge paperwork on that, and hope that they re-credit the dosh. I can just imagine him trying to get out cash all over Tokyo using both cards - exposing himself to the skimming - and all the while unaware of the risk he was taking. We previously had a VISA card and had no problem whatsoever getting cash in Tokyo - however this new one is a MasterCard ....why do banks change things! And it seems it is very hard to use in Japan. Also had trouble with the work CC for ease of use - hence the trying it in machines all over the city. ARRRGGHH! Link to post Share on other sites
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