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Bajahowodd
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9274
Registered: 12-15-2008
Location: Disneyland Adjacent and anywhere in Baja
Member Is Offline
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Credit Card fraud
As someone who has traveled Baja since 1985, and has eavesdropped on the Nomad forum for years, I finally decided to register because I wanted to
others' experience on the topic. So, Hi to all. We were in Ensenada over the Thanksgiving weekend. Although I do recall it was not too long ago that
the acceptance of credit cards was nonexistant, I have, in recent years used plastic at what i have considered to be reputable establishments. While
in Ensenada, I used my plastic at San Nicolas Hotel, Estero Beach Hotel, Las Cazuelas and El Rey Sol restaurants. The only time the card was ever
really out of my sight was at Rey Sol. In fact, when first presented with the check, I found four dinners listed for our party of three. Took what I
thought was an inordinate amount of time to get my card back. And by the way, the food stunk. Been there many times before and enjoyed. This time, it
was like the chef quit and a busboy was cooking. Anyway, this past weekend, I received a call from a security company that is contracted by my bank.
After first inquiring if I had given my card to anyone. When I answered no, they patched me in to a loss prevention supervisor at Nordstrom in South
Coast Plaza who advised me that a woman was attempting to buy shoes there. Long story, short, Costa Mesa Police arrested her. Turns out she had a fake
duplicate. Also turns out she was a Mexican national from Ensenada. In speaking later with my credit card issuer, I was informed that there had
already been another charge of $1500 made on the card. They also told me that they are experiencing a great deal of such fraud centered in northern
Baja. I request your observations and experiences. Thanks
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Pops
Nomad
Posts: 173
Registered: 3-26-2004
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Mood: Therianthropic
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I was "re-charged" for a stay at the Fiesta Inn in Los Cabos (1991) a year after being there.
Luckily my secretary caught it and notified AE
Problem solved.
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lizard lips
Super Nomad
Posts: 1468
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: EARTH
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Welcome officially to the board Bajaho-
I would contact Jean Lupe Bitterlin the owner of El Rey Sol and tell him what happened and try and get the name of the woman who was arrested and see
if there is any connection to his employees. Jean Lupe is a very nice person and will go the extra mile with your concerns as I'm sure Niko Sadd with
Hotel San Nicholas.
This could have happened at any of the restaurants or resorts you visited but a little investigation with what is on the police report when the woman
was arrested may determine where in Ensenada this took place.
With what has occurred recently with the economy and the losses these businesses have experienced negative feedback from tourists will hit these
places even harder and I'm sure contact will get somewhere with what has happened to you.
Give it a try..... Good luck
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karenintx
Senior Nomad
Posts: 538
Registered: 3-16-2008
Location: CSL
Member Is Offline
Mood: Living The Dream
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Your story sounds like what happened to us while in Puerto Vallarta a few years ago. My husband got concerned when it was taking too long for the
waiter to return our card. Long story short...We always look at all of our credit card accounts via the internet everyday and thank goodness we do.
There were several charges there in PV that we didn't make. Starting out with a small amount then building up to a very large charge at "The Catus
Club"...a gentleman's clubs there in PV. We called the credit card company collect and was advised "we have already left a message on your home phone
in the USA." No problem all charges were reversed. My hubby's remark..."Sure hope that a**hole enjoyed his lap dance!"
We are part-timers in Cabo and use our cards everywhere. So far no problem but then that could change at anytime.
Accord to our credit card company the thieves use a card reader to capture all the data from the magnetic strip on the back of your card. They then
sell the info and someone makes up a credit card with their name on the front but it has all of your credit card info on the magnetic strip. Even if
they were asked for their ID, it would match the name on the front of the card.
Lessons we learned:
1. Make sure all of our credit card companys have not only our home and cell phone numbers in the USA but also in Mexico. If we travel anywhere else
besides Cabo San Lucas we always advise the credit card company of our dates of travel and provide them with a hotel number.
2. Continue to look at our accounts daily.
3. Don't be afraid to follow or find the waiter if you think something is wrong.
We now use Capital One credit card when traveling internationally mainly because they do not charge the extra 1 - 3 percent per charge for the
international convertion fee.
[Edited on 12-17-2008 by karenintx]
[Edited on 12-17-2008 by karenintx]
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tjBill
Senior Nomad
Posts: 516
Registered: 10-6-2007
Location: Tijuana
Member Is Offline
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Thanks for the heads up. 
I always try use pesos cash and avoid anything quoting dollar prices.
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Bajafun777
Super Nomad
Posts: 1103
Registered: 9-13-2006
Location: Rosarito & California
Member Is Offline
Mood: Enjoying Life with Wife In Mexico, Easy on The Easy
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I use my credit card but my wife always makes sure we can see what they are doing or I have to go see where they are at with it. I just tell them
that I was going to go to the men's room and wanted to get the card transaction done before doing so. They sometimes tell me they will wait and bring
it to me and I just say it's ok I am already here and I can wait a few minutes. I must admit I too always have a problem of if I can not see them
then I need to. These young ones woking in these places now know so many tricks in this new computer world it is just not worth the worry while
traveling and even if you check your emails daily sometimes they can wait a few days getting you to let your guard down and bam they strike. I have
eaten at El Rey and always got good food and the San Nicholas several times as I like their bar and restruant being in one easy access along with the
Caliente and slots too!! I have not had any false charges and I have only heard about the "Catus Club" while down in P.V. but since I did not have
any dollar bills on me I did not go . Later-----bajafun777
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fdt
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4059
Registered: 9-7-2003
Location: Tijuana, Baja California
Member Is Offline
Mood: Yeah, what if it all goes right
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I feel bad about what happened to you and I was just on the phone with a representative of the Ensenada Tourism Board and a friend of Mr. Bitterlin ,
the owner of the Rey Sol and they would like to do a follwo up on this.
The contact email is mybajacontact@yahoo.com and the name is Mr. Juan Saldana.
I hope this helps.
Fernando
A well informed Baja California traveler is a smart Baja California traveler!
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Theplaintruth
Banned
Posts: 2
Registered: 12-16-2008
Location: Spartanburg, SC
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This is a common problem in Mexico and you should never use your cards in Mexico. There is no law enforcement in Mexico for gringos and they will rip
you off with your credit cards because its not face to face robbery.
Americans get defrauded every day in Baja because they think the Mexican authorities care about the fraud problems and the crime against Americans in
general. The do not care and its going to get worse.Leave all valuables at home and only spend pesos. Drive an older vehicle and do not flash cash.
Better yet,Stay home until they clean the cesspool up.
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fdt
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4059
Registered: 9-7-2003
Location: Tijuana, Baja California
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Mood: Yeah, what if it all goes right
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is that the plain truth newbie?
A well informed Baja California traveler is a smart Baja California traveler!
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longlegsinlapaz
Super Nomad
Posts: 1685
Registered: 11-18-2005
Location: La Paz
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| Quote: | Originally posted by fdt
is that the plain truth newbie? |
fdt, that's NO newbie, it that same old repeatedly banned
person making a flimsy attempt to hide behind a new persona!
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BajaVida
Senior Nomad
Posts: 541
Registered: 9-1-2003
Location: Motown, Califas
Member Is Offline
Mood: muy cool
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hell, I was a victim of this type of fraud in Central CA
this is not unique to Baja, so why bother posting this stuff?
a charge appeared on my card from Milan, Italy and I have never been there
and the source of the fraud was someone from the good old USA
these card readers are everywhere
someone told me that credit card companies refuse to encrypt their cards to make this more difficult
No se apure y dure.
Don\'t hurry and you\'ll last longer.
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fdt
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4059
Registered: 9-7-2003
Location: Tijuana, Baja California
Member Is Offline
Mood: Yeah, what if it all goes right
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| Quote: | Originally posted by longlegsinlapaz
fdt, that's NO newbie, it that same old repeatedly banned person making a flimsy attempt to hide behind a new persona! |
Can't wait to see the word Banned under the handle.
A well informed Baja California traveler is a smart Baja California traveler!
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thebajarunner
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3718
Registered: 9-8-2003
Location: Arizona....."Free at last from crumbling Cali
Member Is Offline
Mood: muy amable
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BV is right on
| Quote: | Originally posted by BajaVida
this is not unique to Baja, so why bother posting this stuff?
a charge appeared on my card from Milan, Italy and I have never been there
and the source of the fraud was someone from the good old USA
these card readers are everywhere
someone told me that credit card companies refuse to encrypt their cards to make this more difficult |
I recently got a charge from a toy store in a town in New Jersey (only 3000 miles from here) that I have never heard of.
Don't hang this one on Mexico, it is universal...
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Woooosh
Banned
Posts: 5240
Registered: 1-28-2007
Location: Rosarito Beach
Member Is Offline
Mood: Luminescent Waves at Rosarito Beach
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Most likely owners of the establishments you visited with your credit card won't even be aware of the problem- unless multiple people like you contact
them. It is the waiters that carry their own credit card readers (they are battery operated and palm-sized now), swipe all the cards and sell them in
bulk. They get paid by the number of good credit cards they can sell. The buyer reloads the account info onto any other credit card or a blank for
use right away- before you even get back to the states. It's the same technology guys use to pirate the satellite cards- and you know how many of
those guys there are around! We were victims of this last year- the people were caught at the Coach outlet store.
The stolen card users must be spoiled brat TJ women as they were caught at Nordy's and Coach. I wouldn't be surprised if it was an all female crime ring. Sound perfect- non violent, not a direct crime, and they get to go
shopping too! Why wouldn't the women of Mexico find a way to work the system?
\"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing\"
1961- JFK to Canadian parliament (Edmund Burke)
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bonanza bucko
Senior Nomad
Posts: 587
Registered: 8-31-2003
Location: San Diego
Member Is Offline
Mood: Airport Bum
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credit card fraud
The last time we stayed at the El Cortez in San Felipe we had our card cloned. We have stayed there and eaten there for years. No more.
When we checked in and attempted to pay with our card we waited about fifteen minutes and were told that the card reader was inop. We paid cash.
Then in the restaurant later that day the same thing happened.
The El Cortez was the only place we used the card in Mexico. Upon arriving back in San Diego a week later we were called by our credit card company
and told that two purchases for about $1000 had been made at WalMart in Yuma.
We don't know if the hotel was the thief or someone in the back office or someone in the restaurant. But, the bottom line is, convert to Pesos at the
border and pay cash....you'll get ripped off on the exchange rate if you pay dollars.
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Skeet/Loreto
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4709
Registered: 9-2-2003
Member Is Offline
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This happens all over the World>
Happened to me in Terrell Texas at a Holiday Inn Express.
The Clerk had one of those copy machines. She stepped back out of sight and did a swipe. The company caught it in a cou[ple of days.
Don't let your Credit card out of Sight. At a Resturant go with the Waiter to watch your card being swiped.
Skeet/Loreto
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805gregg
Super Nomad
Posts: 1344
Registered: 5-21-2006
Location: Ojai, Ca
Member Is Offline
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One way to defeat this type of fraud, use cash.
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Baja&Back
Senior Nomad
Posts: 549
Registered: 9-10-2004
Location: Vancouver, Canada / todo de Baja
Member Is Offline
Mood: Rarin' to go South!
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Theplaintruth
This is a common problem in Mexico and you should never use your cards in Mexico. |
C'mon.It's a common problem all over the world, not just Mexico! Credit card rings move THOUSANDS of stolen cards every day in Hong Kong. Data is
collected & distributed via internet and sold to theives in every country.
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Bajajorge
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2604
Registered: 10-13-2005
Location: Topaz Lake, NV/San Felipe
Member Is Offline
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I quit using my credit card in Baja a couple of years ago when they got me for a couple of thousand. Deal in Pesos only.
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Iflyfish
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3747
Registered: 10-17-2006
Member Is Offline
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Welcome to Nomads and I appreciate the post. It is good to be periodically reminded of scams so that we can remain vigilant.
Iflyfish
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