Verizon wireless - Customer Service and FRAUD

Author

Customer Service and FRAUD

prc2u1

2007-06-18, 3:33 pm

My credit card was used to purchase $150 worth of E-cards, prepay minutes.
I contacted Verizon. They would not tell me anything or do anything because
I did not know the four digit security number on this persons account! I
told them about the fraudulent charges and wanted them to STOP processing
charges on my account number. I was told that this issue is the problem
with the credit card company and not them! I asked "so you dont mind stolen
money being used to provide service to your customers?" and she hung up on
me. I would NOT use Verizon if you gave it to me free!!!! Honest hard
working people cant even ask for an investion of a current customer unless
you have all that customer information. Can you believe this CRAP?

XS11E

2007-06-18, 3:33 pm

"prc2u1" <prc2u1@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

> My credit card was used to purchase $150 worth of E-cards, prepay
> minutes. I contacted Verizon. They would not tell me anything or
> do anything because I did not know the four digit security number
> on this persons account! I told them about the fraudulent charges
> and wanted them to STOP processing charges on my account number.
> I was told that this issue is the problem with the credit card
> company and not them! I asked "so you dont mind stolen money
> being used to provide service to your customers?" and she hung up
> on me. I would NOT use Verizon if you gave it to me free!!!!
> Honest hard working people cant even ask for an investion of a
> current customer unless you have all that customer information.
> Can you believe this CRAP?

Your complaint is with the credit card company, not Verizon. They
accepted a valid credit card which included the 4 digit security number
and would have no reason to believe any differently.

You say you didn't have that number, was your card lost or stolen and
you didn't report it to the credit card company? How else did you NOT
have the security number?

Why would you expect Verizon to investigate a customer when you have no
evidence that anything illegal occurred?

Have you contacted the credit card company or are you content to just
post a completely unbelievable message here?

--
XS11E, Killing all posts from Google Groups
The Usenet Improvement Project: http://blinkynet.net/comp/uip5.html

Kevin Weaver

2007-06-18, 3:33 pm

Contact your credit card company. They will look into it.
No big deal. If it were not you that bought the things you will not have to
pay.

"prc2u1" <prc2u1@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:7zBdi.16926$y_7.16789@newssvr27.news.prodigy.net...
> My credit card was used to purchase $150 worth of E-cards, prepay minutes.
> I contacted Verizon. They would not tell me anything or do anything
> because I did not know the four digit security number on this persons
> account! I told them about the fraudulent charges and wanted them to STOP
> processing charges on my account number. I was told that this issue is
> the problem with the credit card company and not them! I asked "so you
> dont mind stolen money being used to provide service to your customers?"
> and she hung up on me. I would NOT use Verizon if you gave it to me
> free!!!! Honest hard working people cant even ask for an investion of a
> current customer unless you have all that customer information. Can you
> believe this CRAP?
>

Just Me (remove

2007-06-18, 10:33 pm

Nope, they don't care about fraud. No one does. It is charged to the
customer as the cost of doing business. You won't find a single company
that cares. Some will go as far as marking an account created with
fraudulent cards and info as "fraudulent" to minimize further harm to
them, but not you.

You have to get with the card company and fight it out with them. They
are usually good about it. They immediately credit your account and
send the charge back to the company (Verizon in this case) any they get
dinged for it. They can usually do nothing about getting you charged
again because they have no backup proof.

I had a card fraudulently used 2 months ago, then the new card used last
month. These number are easy to Google on the internet and their are no
safeguards. Just have to live with I guess.

prc2u1 wrote:
> My credit card was used to purchase $150 worth of E-cards, prepay minutes.
> I contacted Verizon. They would not tell me anything or do anything because
> I did not know the four digit security number on this persons account! I
> told them about the fraudulent charges and wanted them to STOP processing
> charges on my account number. I was told that this issue is the problem
> with the credit card company and not them! I asked "so you dont mind stolen
> money being used to provide service to your customers?" and she hung up on
> me. I would NOT use Verizon if you gave it to me free!!!! Honest hard
> working people cant even ask for an investion of a current customer unless
> you have all that customer information. Can you believe this CRAP?
>
>

XS11E

2007-06-18, 10:33 pm

"Just Me (remove <nospam> to reply)" <2000-nospam-cam@verizon.net>
wrote:

> Nope, they don't care about fraud. No one does.

Wrong, they care very much but my guess is that the post to which you
responded was a very poorly done troll, it's unlikely anyone would be
as ignorant of procedure as the OP would have us believe.

--
XS11E, Killing all posts from Google Groups
The Usenet Improvement Project: http://blinkynet.net/comp/uip5.html

George

2007-06-18, 10:33 pm

prc2u1 wrote:
> My credit card was used to purchase $150 worth of E-cards, prepay minutes.
> I contacted Verizon. They would not tell me anything or do anything because
> I did not know the four digit security number on this persons account! I
> told them about the fraudulent charges and wanted them to STOP processing
> charges on my account number. I was told that this issue is the problem
> with the credit card company and not them! I asked "so you dont mind stolen
> money being used to provide service to your customers?" and she hung up on
> me. I would NOT use Verizon if you gave it to me free!!!! Honest hard
> working people cant even ask for an investion of a current customer unless
> you have all that customer information. Can you believe this CRAP?
>
>
Its totally between you and your credit card company (and law
enforcement if necessary).

And I applaud their handling of the situation by not giving you the
personal information of others.

Larry

2007-06-18, 10:33 pm

"prc2u1" <prc2u1@sbcglobal.net> wrote in
news:7zBdi.16926$y_7.16789@newssvr27.news.prodigy.net:

> My credit card was used to purchase $150 worth of E-cards, prepay
> minutes. I contacted Verizon. They would not tell me anything or do
> anything because I did not know the four digit security number on this
> persons account! I told them about the fraudulent charges and wanted
> them to STOP processing charges on my account number. I was told that
> this issue is the problem with the credit card company and not them!
> I asked "so you dont mind stolen money being used to provide service
> to your customers?" and she hung up on me. I would NOT use Verizon if
> you gave it to me free!!!! Honest hard working people cant even ask
> for an investion of a current customer unless you have all that
> customer information. Can you believe this CRAP?
>
>
>

Wrong handling! Your phone call should have been to your police
department. Better yet, you should have gone directly TO your police
department and rode with the investigator TO the Verizon office. Any
business' manager is much more impressed by a detective's badge than he
is his screwed customers....

What you describe is a FELONY everyplace I know of. CALL THE COPS!

Larry
--
http://www.spp.gov/
The end of the USA and its Constitution....RIP

Frankster

2007-06-18, 10:33 pm

Thank God they didn't listen to you. Grow up.

-Frank

"XS11E" <xs11e@mailinator.com> wrote in message
news:Xns995388D35275
9xs11emailinatorcom@
127.0.0.1...
> "prc2u1" <prc2u1@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>
>
> Your complaint is with the credit card company, not Verizon. They
> accepted a valid credit card which included the 4 digit security number
> and would have no reason to believe any differently.
>
> You say you didn't have that number, was your card lost or stolen and
> you didn't report it to the credit card company? How else did you NOT
> have the security number?
>
> Why would you expect Verizon to investigate a customer when you have no
> evidence that anything illegal occurred?
>
> Have you contacted the credit card company or are you content to just
> post a completely unbelievable message here?
>
>
> --
> XS11E, Killing all posts from Google Groups
> The Usenet Improvement Project: http://blinkynet.net/comp/uip5.html

Nick Danger

2007-06-18, 10:33 pm

"Larry" <noone@home.com> wrote in message
news:Xns9953C68CC742
Fnoonehomecom@208.49.80.253...
> Wrong handling! Your phone call should have been to your police
> department. Better yet, you should have gone directly TO your police
> department and rode with the investigator TO the Verizon office. Any
> business' manager is much more impressed by a detective's badge than he
> is his screwed customers....
>
> What you describe is a FELONY everyplace I know of. CALL THE COPS!

At best, you'll get a big yawn from the cops. Maybe in a small town, they'll
take a drive to the store just to keep the customer happy and get out of the
station house for a few minutes. Otherwise, they only have time for major
felonies and whatever "important issue" the politicians and the media are
foaming at the mouth about this week. If you just look through the press for
stories about identity theft, you'll see lots of accounts where the victim's
credit has been used to generate tens of thousands of dollars of fraudulent
charges, and the victim still managed to figure out who the perp was and
track him down to his house. Then when they called the cops, the cops just
shrugged, asked them if they were out any actual money after the banks and
the insurance company took care of the loss, and then told the victim not to
worry about it. Eventually CNN or MSNBC or Fox or someone will run a
multi-day special on the topic, and then the cops will take action until the
next special comes along.

Steve Sobol

2007-06-19, 4:33 am

On 2007-06-18, Larry <noone@home.com> wrote:

> Wrong handling! Your phone call should have been to your police
> department. Better yet, you should have gone directly TO your police
> department and rode with the investigator TO the Verizon office. Any
> business' manager is much more impressed by a detective's badge than he
> is his screwed customers....
>
> What you describe is a FELONY everyplace I know of. CALL THE COPS!

I don't typically call the cops unless I'm pretty sure intentional fraud is
involved. I've only done it once, to a company in Miami that I stopped doing
business with six months prior. The dispatcher at the Miami-Dade police
department agreed with my reason for calling, thought it was a good idea for
me to file the complaint, and was happy to help me.

But usually, you want to call the bank first. They can get things resolved
quicker, and on a complaint like this, you will often just get the amount
credited back to you temporarily until a permanent resolution is reached.
(Depends on the bank, of course.)

Todd Allcock

2007-06-19, 4:33 am

At 18 Jun 2007 20:04:19 +0000 prc2u1 wrote:
> My credit card was used to purchase $150 worth of E-cards, prepay
minutes.
> I contacted Verizon. They would not tell me anything or do anything
because
> I did not know the four digit security number on this persons account!...

<SNIP rest of story>

> Can you believe this CRAP?
No, frankly, I don't. The story, I mean...

Most credit card "fraud" is performed by acquaintances, friends or family
members of the card holder. Only a small percentage of this usage is
actually "fraud"- most are just forgotten charges.

As to your story, very few people are stupid enough to use a stolen card
for a traceable purchase, like an account that has their name and/or SSN
attached to it.

More plausible stories in a scenario like yours are a cardholder fishing
for info on a girlfriend's, spouses', (or ex's) account, or running a
scam- i.e. let a buddy "steal" your credit card to buy airtime cards and
then trying to get a refund by claiming fraud.

I'm not suggesting YOU are doing this, just that it happens, so companies
are rightly reticent to reverse charges just because a cardholder cries
"fraud."

When I owned a cellular retail store and someone cried "credit card
fraud" with a story like yours, I'd cheerfully agree to cooperate with
any investigation by the police or the creditard company, but I wasn't
going to refund charges on someone's word alone. Credit cards are often
issued to multiple people- my wife and I have different last names and
share quite a few cards and use them without consulting each other first.

Privacy concerns would prevent me, as a retailer, from giving you any
information on the susposed "fraudulent" purchase, particularly if I
believed my employees followed sound credit card acceptance procedures.

You need to take this up with your card company- it's exactly what the
charge dispute procedure is for.

Justin

2007-06-19, 10:33 am

Larry wrote on [Mon, 18 Jun 2007 23:27:20 +0000]:
> "prc2u1" <prc2u1@sbcglobal.net> wrote in
> news:7zBdi.16926$y_7.16789@newssvr27.news.prodigy.net:
>
>
> Wrong handling! Your phone call should have been to your police
> department. Better yet, you should have gone directly TO your police
> department and rode with the investigator TO the Verizon office. Any
> business' manager is much more impressed by a detective's badge than he
> is his screwed customers....

What does Verizon have to do with this? Oh yeah, NOTHING. They accepted
a card online that they thought was valid because the CC company told
them it was. It's the CC company at fault. They should NOT be giving out
customer information or compromising a customer's account on the word of
someone claiming they had their card fraudlently used.

Cubit

2007-06-19, 10:33 am

In this case, I think the rep was right. [ducking]
They have to be careful in who can make changes to an account. Your story
could have been bogus.

Blocking the card number and doing chargebacks from the credit card company
is the right way to do this. Remember to mail the credit card company a
written confirmation of the problem. Phone calls might get it resolved, but
without a written notice to the card company you lose all of your rights.

It is up to the card company to contact Verizon.

When I signed up, my service was delayed for some days until I had a
conversation with a special Verizon rep that was verifying my identity as
the card holder. In my experience, Verizon is careful about this. I would
expect them to be careful because their service is not cheap. They stand to
lose a lot by mailing a phone to a bogus customer.

"prc2u1" <prc2u1@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:7zBdi.16926$y_7.16789@newssvr27.news.prodigy.net...
> My credit card was used to purchase $150 worth of E-cards, prepay minutes.
> I contacted Verizon. They would not tell me anything or do anything
> because I did not know the four digit security number on this persons
> account! I told them about the fraudulent charges and wanted them to STOP
> processing charges on my account number. I was told that this issue is
> the problem with the credit card company and not them! I asked "so you
> dont mind stolen money being used to provide service to your customers?"
> and she hung up on me. I would NOT use Verizon if you gave it to me
> free!!!! Honest hard working people cant even ask for an investion of a
> current customer unless you have all that customer information. Can you
> believe this CRAP?
>

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