credit card security

[tmetro-blu-5a1Jt6qxUNc at public.gmane.org (Tom Metro)]

dan-dChtYZcB954 at public.gmane.org wrote:
> Daughter #4 lost her credit card to scammers MasterCard said that it
> was not possible to stop automatic renewal of magazine subscriptions
> made with a valid card, even if the card was reported stolen at a
> later date as the assumption is that the sale in question was made at
> the beginning time and the recurring renewals are deferred billing,
> not new charges.

That doesn't sound quite right. I would dispute the original charge that 
led to the recurring renewals, if indeed it was not authorized. That the 
charges are recurring or when or if the card was later stolen should be 
irrelevant. Of course if the clock ran out on your time window for 
disputing the original charge, then they might still have a case. But if 
they took that stance I'd close the card and take my business elsewhere. 
I suppose they'll point to the fine print that says your account will 
remain open as long as charges keep coming through to that account.

If this is for online purchases, I'd look into credit card companies 
that offer one-time-use/one-merchant numbers, such as Discover, or any 
card used through PayPal. After finding fraudulent charges on two 
different cards this past year, I've switched to using merchant-specific 
credit card numbers. Much like the way I use merchant-specific email 
addresses. Now if my account data gets leaked, I'll know whose poor 
security practices to blame and avoid in the future.

  -Tom

-- 
Tom Metro
Venture Logic, Newton, MA, USA
"Enterprise solutions through open source."
Professional Profile: http://tmetro.venturelogic.com/