[RE-wrenches] Credit Card Fraud - Again

[Wind-sun.com]

Depending on what store or ecommerce platform software you have, you might 
be able to just block all of those by IP. We have about 95% of Africa, 
China, and a host of other blocked so they cannot even access our websites.

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Northern Arizona Wind & Sun - Electricity From The Sun Since 1979
Solar Discussion Forum: http://www.wind-sun.com/ForumVB/
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----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jeff Yago" <jryago at netscape.com>
To: "RE-wrenches" <re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org>
Sent: Friday, May 08, 2009 9:36 AM
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Credit Card Fraud - Again


>I know this has been discussed here a few times in the past but now there 
>is a new twist.
>
> Our web site includes a solar "store" with some limited products of 
> smaller solar items just for those not yet ready to contract a full size 
> system. Anyway, we recently received a large number of internet orders for 
> unusual quantities or combinations of equipment that did not make any 
> sense. For example, one guy asked for several of each size solar pump and 
> modules.  Another ordered 60 solar charge controllers at a cost of over 
> $5,000.00 which makes no sense since we are a retail outlet. If I was 
> going to order 60 charge controllers, I would order from a distributor at 
> a much lower quantity discount. The thing is, ALL of these credit card 
> purchases went through, but they all had a different shipping address from 
> the card holders address. Many of the credit card holders were women, but 
> the shipping address was to a man in another state.
>
> We contacted most of these card holders after tracking them down and none 
> of them knew somebody was ordering high dollar solar equipment with their 
> credit cards which were still valid. We then contacted the police 
> departments for those cities where the shipping addresses were located. We 
> were asked to ship an empty box full of wood blocks to the address given 
> and they set up sting operations. These crooks usually give the address of 
> some unknown homeowner, then they track the UPS shipment on line. When 
> they see the package will be shipped at a specific day and time frame, 
> they will hang around that neighborhood and when they see the UPS truck 
> they will act like they are just coming out of the house at that address 
> and take the package from the driver.
>
> In my case, all of the addresses were UPS shipping and mail box centers, 
> and when the person did not show up that day the police checked with the 
> UPS center and found they had instructions to re-ship to another address. 
> While the police were there, several more high dollar packages showed up 
> for the same guy I was shipping to, but these stores really did ship 
> valuable merchandise as they did not catch the bogus orders.
>
> After contacting these other vendors and using internet tracking 
> procedures, the actual buyer who placed all the orders using stolen credit 
> cards was located in the Muslim country of Mali, located in southern 
> Africa.   I was advised that these guys can "buy" hundreds of stolen 
> credit card numbers off other internet sites and that solar equipment is a 
> prime target since these can be easily sold in most developing countries 
> where there is limited or no utility power lines.
>
> Hope this post helps others avoid getting stung.
>
> Jeff Yago
>
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