U.S. Credit Card Users Hit by Mysterious 25-Cent Charge
Credit card customers across the United States are reporting finding a mysterious charge for about 25 cents on their monthly billing statements, prompting concerns about a widespread scheme to defraud potentially millions of victims.
The charges shows up as coming from “Adele Services” in Melville, N.Y., but investigators say there is no such business. It is unclear how many consumers were stung by the apparent credit card billing scam.
Many consumers whose accounts were hit are concerned that the 25-cent charges are just the beginning of problems and will be followed by more expensive charges made to their accounts. However, officials report no such larger sums have been charged.
Some investigators suspect the scheme was simply designed to defraud a large group of consumers for a small amount that might go unnoticed. If enough credit card accounts are hit for even a nominal sum such as 25 cents, the cyber-thieves could make off with millions of dollars, officials said.
Former Massachusetts assistant attorney general Edgar Dworsky, who runs ConsumerWorld.org, said the scam reminded him of an old adage: “It’s easier to steal $1 from a million people than $1 million from one person.”
Dworsky said the thieves are most likely gambling on the fact that most credit card consumers do not carefully review their monthly statements and are therefore likely to overlook the small charge. Many more victims may notice the charge, but since it is for such a small amount, will ignore it and just pay the bill without reporting it to authorities.
Officials are advising credit card users to closely examine their monthly statements and see if there is a charge from “Adele Services.” If there is, consumers are urged to file a dispute over the charge with the credit card company and also report the charge to the Federal Trade Commission (www.ftc.gov) and the Internet Crime Complaint Center (www.ic3.gov) of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National White Collar Crime Center, and the Bureau of Justice Assistance.
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