Digital Star unauthorized charge

Complaint

0
Steve
Country: United States
A preauthorization for $74.95 from Digital Star with a bad phone number (208-123-7377) showed up on my debit card account 1/29/12.  Called bank fraud department and had the account killed immediately.  They stopped the charge since it had not completed.  Do not know who Digital Star is or what the charge was for.  I use the card for online purchases mainly through Amazon.  No purchases in the last 30 dqays.  However, I placed orders in the last 60 days from a company called Turncraft (woodworking plans), Personal Creations, and Entirely Pets. I wonder what companies others have used recently.

Comments

  • 0
    Jorsdad
    74.95 charged to my Wells Fargo Acct on 1/29/2012 by digital star. I have made several amazon purchases so I do think it is linked. Had to cancel card and file complaint. Wells Fargo new which charge it was before I told them. They have had several people calling in.
  • 0
    Rachele
    You guys are lucky they only charged you $75. They charged my card for $498.99 on 1/30/12 and the idiots at Capital One would'nt do anything about it because it was still pending. They just let them take my money before they will even try to do anything about it. It finally posted today so I will have to go dispute it at the bank. I find it hard to believe that there is nothing they can do until after the purchase is posted. It would make a whole lot more sense if they would cancel fraudulent charges before they take my money.
  • 0
    Drawer
    Same charge amount, same company, charged on 1/29.

    Called Chase Visa - card cancelled, charge removed.
  • 0
    Karen
    Just noticed the $74.95 charge from Digital Star in my Wells Fargo bank account.  It cleared on 1/31/12.  Contacted Wells Fargo and they agreed to credit my account.  I also recently bought a few books on Amazon.  Is Amazon aware that they've been compromised?  I cancelled my debt card and am getting a new one.  I will have to fill out a claim with my bank, but I am glad that they credited the money back to me before having to get all of the paperwork completed.
  • 0
    Matt
    Same amount, same date 1-27-12.  This type of thing has happened to me more than once!  Really frustrating.
  • 0
    andrew
    same charge and amount.  on the phone with wells fargo now trying to get it reversed.
  • 0
    Vivian
    My husbands card got hit today 2/1/12.  Wells Fargo cancelled card ... filed fraud complaint on charge.   Amazon charge was the link.  Only charge he has made not through PayPal.  Same $74.95 and Digital....  This will continue until the banks actively go after these creeps and make their lives as miserable as they make us.  Until then, temporary card number, one time only, will be the only way we will purchase online.  If online merchants can't keep their sites secure, what other choice do we have....
  • 0
    tj
    Report of suspected link to "Digital Star" fraudulent charges, and a virus infected computer snooping credit card numbers.

    https://complaintwire.org/Complaint.aspx/X5BP ... YgwCkFwjOrxwXlA

    Recent Amazon charges often show up in connection with fraudulent charges, but they are probably the largest merchant processing of lots of consumer CC charges.

    Check your computers for virus infections.
  • 0
    Imhitalso
    Same $74.95 charge.  Cancelled my card and will send in dispute claim when I get the form.
  • 0
    john
    we just got hit for the same exact amount and we too bought x-mas gifts on amazon. here we go.
  • 0
    Ron
    I got the $74.95 charge on my BoA Visa on 1/30/2012.
  • 0
    concerned_and_pissed_off
    ours was a debit card used on amazon and runs thru shazam
  • 0
    bob
    that would only make sense if you have your cc # stored on your computer. Who is that dumb.
  • 0
    bob
    it's not the sites that are the problem. It's the low life's running them or working there. Amazon and some of these sites don't check out merchants like they should.
  • 0
    tj
    Or if you enter it from your computer when buying something on-line.

    Dumb or not, that is how on-line purchases are made.

    You are connected, you are typing characters from your credit card, and all a virus needs to do is sniff the right event stream, and send out a packet on an open port.
  • 0
    Jen
    Just saw charge of $49.99 in January on my credit card with Digital Star and +442081237377.  I've never heard of this company, either.  My bank is disputing the charge.
  • 0
    tj
    Just expanding the choice of possible sources, in case others see a similar pattern.

    Amazon's subsidiary, Zappo's, was hacked recently, but supposedly just their customer account passwords were compromised, not customer credit card info, so they just blocked all current passwords and sent out emails notifying customers to change passwords.
    http://blogs.zappos.com/securityemail

    This case happens 1 day after this "Digitial Star" supposedly shuts down, after posting required legal notices weeks to months earlier.  That suggests either an insider, or someone with familiarity with payment processing who knew that might create a vulnerability that could be exploited for theft and fraud.

    Second half of the puzzle is then where the card numbers were obtained from, as no complaints report doing business with "Digital Star", and only one reports ordering tickets from a similar LA based company.

    "Amazon" is commonly reported as a recent purchase, but it is so widely used it commonly shows up suggested in card fraud complaints  (i.e. the Russian small charges fraud tracked on dslreports and reported on Red Tape Chronicles).

    You would expect an Amazon hack to be carefully exploited, due to the technical capability needed to pull it off, Amazon's technical capability to detect, block, and localize it, and it's potential value for fraud.

    In contrast, this set of charges is always the same amount ($74.95), large enough to stand out and attract attention to the whole scheme and all apparently run through one about to be defunct merchant account, all at once.  (Compare this with the more sophisticated multiyear Russian operation and its small $5 to $15 charges funneled through many front companies opened by dupes. )
  • 0
    tj
    First report of a fraudulent charge different from $74.95.

    May be trying to reduce the amount to slip more charges through.
  • 0
    paul  H
    Wow , these people are sure active .  My BOA transaction details show the same 74.95 with the merchant  
    category listed as ' Theatrical Producers ' .  The abuse dept of BOA says the transaction was from Gibraltar .
    I have not used Amazon for purchases .  Hope all this info leads to the crooks .
  • 0
    paul  H
    Wow , these people are sure active .  My BOA transaction details show the same 74.95 with the merchant  
    category listed as ' Theatrical Producers ' .  The abuse dept of BOA says the transaction was from Gibraltar .
    I have not used Amazon for purchases .  Hope all this info leads to the crooks .

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