Identity Fraud

[CarverFan]

Thanks Cuore, but I already spoke to my Amex card issuing office and they say my card's fine, they can't help with anything in Argentina. Amex Argentina won't or can't help. So I'm stuck with someone impersonating me, signing my name and and giving my phone number and irrate shop keepers are calling me and it takes a while to convince them I am not to blame for the money they've lost...
When it started a few months ago, only my phone number was used, now it's my name too, they can probs get my dni number off the net and address and make it even more convincing!

 

[Napoleon]

That's why they don't send replacement credit and debit cards to Argentina, if yours gets stolen

And I had mine sent even to Serbia several years ago

I'm having someone bring down a replacement card for me. Nothing stolen, nothing wrong, just a replacement card. But there's no way that I would have my family send it down to me. I don't trust the mail here.

 

[Napoleon]

PS- I just went through my receipts and cut up all of the ones with my FULL CREDIT CARD NUMBER, MY NAME, and my "ID NUMBER" on them. Sometimes it was just PART of my CREDIT CARD NUMBER...

My god what decade are the merchants living in? For the full number to be on a card still is just mind boggling. I think that that went out in the early '90s in some other countries. Just saying.

I might be bringing a shredder back next time I go to the States. The quality crosscut kind.

 

[cuore]

Thanks Cuore, but I already spoke to my Amex card issuing office and they say my card's fine, they can't help with anything in Argentina. Amex Argentina won't or can't help. So I'm stuck with someone impersonating me, signing my name and and giving my phone number and irrate shop keepers are calling me and it takes a while to convince them I am not to blame for the money they've lost...
When it started a few months ago, only my phone number was used, now it's my name too, they can probs get my dni number off the net and address and make it even more convincing!

Mmm could it be because it's a bank-issued amex card??? Like HSBC or any other....in that case yes, they can't have it embossed in Argentina and I suggest cancelling it and requesting a replacement sent to your US answer and shipped here by DHL.
But if it's a direct amex card (no banks involved) it should be done they way I described.
Let me know cause I could resolve your problem by contacting some old co-workers.

 

[citygirl]

Seriously - I'm still confused. How are purchases getting refused *after* the purchase is made? When the card is swiped, authorization is given at that moment (or its declined). So either the card is valid or it isn't in which case transactions shouldn't go through.

ETA - Obviously not questioning the phonecalls you're getting and how much of a PITA this is to go through. I'm just trying to figure out how it's possible that these merchants are getting scammed like this.

 

[syngirl]

Thanks Cuore, but I already spoke to my Amex card issuing office and they say my card's fine, they can't help with anything in Argentina. Amex Argentina won't or can't help. So I'm stuck with someone impersonating me, signing my name and and giving my phone number and irrate shop keepers are calling me and it takes a while to convince them I am not to blame for the money they've lost...
When it started a few months ago, only my phone number was used, now it's my name too, they can probs get my dni number off the net and address and make it even more convincing!

Is your landline in your own name? If so it's easy to get the name associated with the number by just entering the number on the telecom / telefonica directory. And yes, DNI are very easy to get -- addresses as well. Sometimes I'm surprised how easily people give out DNI numbers here, considering how paranoid most people usually are. Even just with the number of the patente of a car you can get a pretty detailed history of the owner.

 

[CarverFan]

citygirl, I don't understand either, my Spanish is only intermediate so I didn't grasp it all. Tey mentioned some online procedure. Maybe the DNI didn't corroborate....