ristina Prado, a sophomore from Brazil, thought she misplaced her wallet.
Before she realized what actually happened, more than $2,000 had been stolen.
“It really changed the way I’m going to do things,” she said. “You feel so vulnerable. It’s not really about the money that they spent, but what they stole from me emotionally.”
Prado noticed her wallet was missing from her purse as she left work from the International Center on Jan. 19.
Her debit card account on the Internet showed fraudulent charges had been made. She called the card issuers immediately and canceled her debit and credit cards. All her money was refunded.
“It’s really uncomfortable because you don’t know who did it,” Prado said.
More than $3,300 of fraudulent charges have been made using credit cards stolen on campus since Dec. 14, according to an e-mail from campus police.
In a year, one in 20 people fell victim to credit card fraud, according to a study by Gartner, Inc., a research and consulting company.
But a thief doesn’t have to have an actual card – they just need a credit card number.
Kevin Dawson, the director of football operations at Western, experienced this type of credit card fraud.
Someone stole the number off a credit card Dawson kept in his desk for football team business.
“I would say the reason it happened was just accessibility,” he said.
Internet charges were made using the card. They weren’t detected until the billing statement came. An administrativeassistant noticed the charges and called the Web site carrier. All the charges were dropped
except one.
Dawson said he’s now locking up the card.
Simple precautions can protect cardholders from fraud.
Campus police recommend locking valuable items whenever possible, or at least keeping them out of sight. Students should also take note of unfamiliar guests in their dorms.
Lori Farris, mediation branch manager of the consumer protection division of the Kentucky attorney general’s office, said it’s important to keep up with financial records.
“One the best things you can do is look at your statement,” she said. “So many people don’t do that.”
Farris recommends checking credit or debit card statements against receipts from purchases and transactions to make sure they’re accurate and free of fraudulent charges.
Credit and debit card issuers usually allow a specific number of days to dispute a charge, which makes it important to check statements as soon as possible, she said.
All receipts and statements should be torn into small pieces before disposal, Farris said.
Banks are also taking precautions to guard their customers against theft and fraud.
National City Bank offers zero liability on fraudulent charges, and card holders have 30 days to notify the bank of these charges, said Amy Vincent, a branch consumer banking consultant from National City.
Vincent said students can be more susceptible to credit card fraud.
“Students are sometimes at a greater risk because they are more willing to offer their info,” she said.
At US Bank, customers have 60 days to report fraudulent charges, said Lisa Bowles, regional operations manager of US Bank in south central Kentucky.
Both banks use a Visa database that detects unusual charges including charges made in a location different from the resident’s region. The bank will notify the customer or block all charges until the situation is resolved.
If a card has been stolen or lost, the owner should call the credit card issuer immediately to cancel the card or have their charges blocked, and then contact law enforcement.
To report identity theft, people should call the consumer protection division of the attorney general’s office.
Suspicious behavior on campus should be reported to campus police at 745-2548.
Reach Samantha Hupman at news@wkuherald.com.
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