Check your credit card statements

[Randall]

I looked at my credit card statement online today, and found a charge for $7.95 to "WEBFORCE, INC. ALEXANDRIA VA." The transaction details only refer to it as a "COMPUTER SOFTWARE STORE."

When I did a search on the merchant name, all I found were forum discussions about fraudulent charges over over the past two months. Can't find any evidence of an actual "Webforce Inc." in Virginia, though there was apparently a translation software company by that name in California at one time.

I called Citibank, the customer service guy led me through a standard set of questions, and then announced that he could resolve the situation immediately and credit my account. I think they've been hearing a lot about this and already know the drill. Or maybe it was the brittleness in my voice that convinced him.

Webforce was mentioned alongside a number of other dubious companies in those forums, so if you see something you don't recognize, start Googling now.

And check your bank statements, too. Some people got hit there as well.

Randall

[Melissa]

Originally Posted by Randall

Webforce was mentioned alongside a number of other dubious companies in those forums, so if you see something you don't recognize, start Googling now.

Thanks for the warning, Randall. Sounds like another major one to watch out for is one showing up as "Digital Age".

http://antivirus.about.com/od/emails...igital_age.htm

The vast majority of complaints involve a fraudulent charge of $24.99 posted to the credit card as DIGITAL AGE 888-529-98 CYPRUS.

Also:

Other fraudulent charges, for $7.95 or $9.95, were allegedly made in conjunction with the Digital Age fraud. Reports of these additional charges included one or more of the following:

TROUBLE BUBBLE LLC 215-310-9444 PA
KC SOFTWARECOM LLC
SUN SOFTWARE SYSTEMS 480-4520120 AZ
JM BUSINESS PRODUCTS
ART MAGIC INC.COM
INNOVATIVE SOFTWARE-Computer Maint & Repair
WWW.BURDETTINC.COM 801-407-1342 UT
SOFTPROJECTS LLC COLUMBIA SC

[Andilinks]

Maybe this?

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/200...312255_F.shtml

Credit-card processor CardSystems, which lost the data of 40 million credit cards to a hacker -- data it wasn't even supposed to have -- is being bought out.

[Randall]

Sounds like another major one to watch out for is one showing up as "Digital Age".

Yes, Digital Age seems to be at the center of a big one. And despite the fact that it's been over a month since these charges started showing up in late September and early October, there's been precious little media attention:

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&q=...ch&sa=N&tab=wn

Hard to tell if "Webforce" is directly related to the Digital Age scam charges. Some people have been hit by both, but those seem to be isolated cases.

One victim found a phone number for Webforce on their statement that also shows up on bogus charges from an "Appropo E Solutions Co." So that's another one to watch for.

Randall

[Snarpy]

Doesn't this mean that they have access to your CC number, linked to your name? Shouldn't you do something more, like cancel that card?

[Andilinks]

Shouldn't you do something more, like cancel that card?

I would, it is a huge security hole. I would also defer or avoid opening another account with that bank and let them know that the cancellation was due to compromised security. They all use the same card processing companies but if you give the appearance that you're not returning they are more likely to notice (and maybe fix) the problem.

Andi

[Randall]

Doesn't this mean that they have access to your CC number, linked to your name? Shouldn't you do something more, like cancel that card?

To be honest, unless it happens again I don't see any point in closing the account. It's not a stolen card, and the transaction didn't even have my name on it. My identity is still mine -- my credit reports were clean a month ago, and I don't expect that they've changed overnight.

One bogus transaction (especially one as casual and random as this) isn't worth going through the trouble of closing the account. A repeat attack would be another matter though, so I'll be watching.

Randall