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Watch out for Curry Club - They padded my credit card bill

Discussion in 'Area Restaurants, Dining and Food' started by lauralynne, Aug 11, 2011.

  1. lauralynne

    lauralynne Member

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    Update - I got my money back from Curry Club's manager

    He said his accounting department couldn't locate my transaction in the records but that he would "refund me, no problem." He gave me $4.90 in cash. I also showed him a print-out of Visa's information for restaurant managers (the same information I posted earlier about how the gratuity may be added due to a processing error) and he wanted to keep the print-out to investigate. Who knows if it was a processing error or restaurant-worker graft, but hopefully the manager will talk to the staff, and the problem won't occur again. I would eat at Curry Club in the future, although I will probably pay cash. ;)
     
  2. ayayagirl

    ayayagirl New Member

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    On another note, my husband and I just returned from vacation in Rehoboth and found that upon our return my husbands debit/credit card was denied at Dairy Queen here in Ashburn. When we got home, before I could even look at my account on-line, USAA called to let us know that our account had been hacked. Someone had charged $1800 on our card using it as a credit card. Thankfully our bank is stopping the charges and returning the money to our account. We are not sure exactly where the number was skimmed, as we used the card a couple of times, but one place was definitely a restaurant we had dinner at one night. Mostly we paid with cash, but we learned a lesson never to use a debit card while on vacation, although this could have easily happened at home.
     
  3. mdcrim

    mdcrim Member

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    Re: the curry club. I can't believe that he only refunded you back the disputed amount for all your troubles...
     
  4. lauralynne

    lauralynne Member

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    Yeah, I find that debit cards are really risky to have in general. I work for a financial institution, and we see this type of fraud on a regular basis. Ideally, you would have a credit card to make purchases, and an ATM card (WITHOUT the Visa/MC logo) to use with a PIN to make bank withdrawals. As you found out, having an ATM card with a Visa/MC logo just means that someone who has skimmed your card can withdraw funds from your bank account (by way of making Point of Sale purchases) WITHOUT a PIN. People often have bounced checks as a result of such fraud. If the fraud occurred on a credit card, your money never leaves your bank account.


     
  5. BellaRu

    BellaRu Member

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    I do this too. The people that work in restaurants rely on tips to live. Just because my butt isnt in a chair, doesnt mean they arent waiting on me.
     
  6. KTdid

    KTdid Well-Known Member

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    Tipping is discretionary. No one is morally obligated to leave a tip but it is customary in the U.S. depending on the service and if that service was good.
     
  7. tyger31

    tyger31 Member

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    When I use my debit card at grocery store with my ATM card with a Visa/MC logo, I always have to put in my pin....how can this be done by someone who skimmed a card?
     
  8. Mr. Linux

    Mr. Linux Senior Member & Moderator Forum Staff

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    Because you're using the card for a 'debit' transaction. Since the card has a Visa logo, it can also be used for a 'credit' transaction, which doesn't require a PIN.
     
  9. tyger31

    tyger31 Member

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    I know that - but the other post said that having an ATM card with a Visa/MC logo just means that someone who has skimmed your card can withdraw funds from your bank account (by way of making Point of Sale purchases) WITHOUT a PIN...my question is how could that be done without a PIN number.
     
  10. flynnibus

    flynnibus Well-Known Member Forum Staff

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    They mean a transaction with this card is taken from your account balance immediately - vs a true credit card/line where the CC does not automatically draft from your cash balance. Not withdrawal cash - they are talking about having to recovery the money - which can take time.

    A credit card fraud = no impact your cash account
    A debit/credit card fraud = a loss of funds in your cash account until the bank refunds it
     
  11. PDILLM

    PDILLM Well-Known Member

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    I would also not go with the assumption they don't have a pin. Many skimmers, especially at atms, have hidden cameras that capture the pin.
     
  12. your_baby_momma

    your_baby_momma New Member

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    When on vacation we always use cash, but when we went to a grocery store, I used my debit card to buy something and the guy at the register told me to be very careful. I'm not certain what he said about how people do it, but basically if you use your card as a debit card and don't wait for the receipt it gives the cashier time to act as if you wanted cash back, and then the cashier pockets the cash.
    What I've noticed using my debit mastercard at a restaurant is that you see a pending transaction for the cost of the meal, and then a few days later that amount changes to include the tip (this is with USAA).
    The $30 sounds a little obvious though; it's a round number. Let us know how it turns out. The whole accounting department deal sounds.. inflated. $5 isn't too big a deal, but if it's fraud, then it's probably a lot bigger than just this one situation.
    I know it was already discussed, but if it were me I'd certainly just call the restaurant or maybe stop in for a friendly chat and then take it from there. If he doesn't get back to you in the next 24 hours, then I'd call the bank to dispute.
     

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