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From: mkw0@bunny.UUCP (Maurice Wong)
Newsgroups: net.consumers
Subject: Re: Credit card carbons ("No, you can't have them")
Message-ID: <327@bunny.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 4-Feb-86 13:31:49 EST
Article-I.D.: bunny.327
Posted: Tue Feb  4 13:31:49 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 6-Feb-86 05:14:41 EST
References: <8529@ucla-cs.ARPA> <514@mhuxl.UUCP> <11638@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> <24@druak.UUCP>
Organization: GTE Laboratories, Waltham, MA
Lines: 37

> There is a problem with gas credit card fraud.
> It occurs in two forms:
> 
> ......
>
> Second:
> Consumer groups recommend that you never let your gas
> card out of your sight and make sure that all carbons are destroyed.
> Some crooked gas stations run through extra copies of the
> card while the customer isn't looking, and filling in a charge later;
> forging the signature in the process.

This actually happened to me last year.  It was a self-service Gulf
station in Somerville, MA.  Three different slips within a period of
several weeks were forged.  The amount in each was around $20 to $25,
when the actual amount of purchase was $10 to $12.  Since I own a small
car (Ford Escort), it's not hard to show that I did not buy that much
gas since I would not have any place to put it.  What really amazes me
is that the signatures look very similar to mine, and it's hard to
believe that they weren't done by professionals; but then repeating it
three times in such a short period of time, and for only a gain of about
$10 each?  Either they're really stupid or it's an extensive and widely
practiced scheme.

Anyway, I reported it to the bank and several months later was given
credit for all three charges, but I doubt if anything was done to the
Gulf station, which is in business as usual every time I pass by.  (I
of course no longer go there.)  I also called the Consumer Protection
Division affiliated with the Attorney General, and all they did was send
me a complaint form to fill out and would not discuss anything on the
phone.  I have not bothered to fill it out as I'm not so sure that they
would do anything either.
-- 
Maurice Wong

ARPA or CSnet : wong%gte-labs.csnet@csnet-relay
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