A caution about Amazon shopping - Page 5

geoffwood · 05-06-2012, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beej231

I said I had a letter of apologizing that MY credit card, not all their servers had been compromised. Followed by all the stuff they do to make it safe yada yada and things I can do to make it safer on my end (which I was already doing). This arrived with a $50 gift certificate, like that would replace the $538.92 that was stolen from me. Well, why not? The credit card company is on the hook for that

When you guys here something you don't wish to believe, you either over react with a loud hue and cry or just continue to function in that foreign land called DENIAL.

You sound like a bunch of drooling idiots.

Well thanks for that. I guess that explains how you have managed over 250 posts without receiving any karma

It was nice of Amazon to apologize, but I'm not at all surprised that the apology was for your inconvenience, not because there was any reality to your accusations. If I was you I'd be happy that you wound up getting $50 from a company that did nothing wrong and get on with your life. As for any theft, your credit card company was the victim, not you.

iPatty · 05-06-2012, 04:53 PM

[QUOTE=beej231;2071658]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SameOldStory

YOU GOT A LETTER FROM AMAZON STATING THAT THEIR CREDIT CARD SYATEM HAS BEEN COMPROMIZED!!!!

Call the news papers! Call the TV stations! THIS IS NEWS!

I don't think that you are Amazon bashing, but it's kinda hard to believe some of the things that you want us to believe.

It's far more likely that your computer was compromised sometime in the past. Even if it has no malware on it now, that's a more likely suspect than an Amazon employee dipping their hand in to the data stream and getting your numbers.

Whatever.

I said I had a letter of apologizing that MY credit card, not all their servers had been compromised. Followed by all the stuff they do to make it safe yada yada and things I can do to make it safer on my end (which I was already doing). This arrived with a $50 gift certificate, like that would replace the $538.92 that was stolen from me. Well, why not? The credit card company is on the hook for that

When you guys here something you don't wish to believe, you either over react with a loud hue and cry or just continue to function in that foreign land called DENIAL.

You sound like a bunch of drooling idiots.

Well, many of us are. Are you trying to say that you are normal and have a social life? <g>

iPatty · 05-06-2012, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by geoffwood

Well thanks for that. I guess that explains how you have managed over 250 posts without receiving any karma

It was nice of Amazon to apologize, but I'm not at all surprised that the apology was for your inconvenience, not because there was any reality to your accusations. If I was you I'd be happy that you wound up getting $50 from a company that did nothing wrong and get on with your life. As for any theft, your credit card company was the victim, not you.

I must admit I was a little surprised by the crazy reaction you guys had to a
simple warning about a problem with online shopping. You don't sound like blithering idiots but you do sound a little like me till I got on the proper medication. <g>

SameOldStory · 05-06-2012, 08:03 PM

One day my wife was pounding on her keyboard yelling that her computer was way too slow.

I did several scans without booting her computer and found OVER 360 instances of viruses and malware on her hard drive. UNTIL THEN she thought that the ONLY way that you could get viruses on you computer was by going to web sites that you shouldn't be going to (such as porn sites).

Now, she knows better.

So let me reiterate - You MAY have had something on your computer, AT SOME TIME, that recorded your credit card number. Your computer MAY be clean now.

People who write virses write them to get past anti-virus programs.

Companies that write anti-virus programs write new programs to block the latest viruses.

This is the most probable cause of your card info getting out.

You can bet your life that NO ONE hacked Amazon's transaction servers just to steal a few card numbers. And no one walked over to one of those servers and had free access to the credit card info. As someone mentioned you are far more likely to have credit card info theft while buying something with your card.

One of the things that I work on is security systems, including card access systems. I have the equipment to copy all 3 tracks on any mag stripe card in one quick swipe. AND to duplicate it on a blank card, or store it for later use. This is part of my job. Think of a collage setting where the staff at a counter encode an ID card for students. What the criminals have is MUCH smaller that those.

Back in the '70 I was invited to a co-workers house for dinner. A few days latter they noticed that something they had shown me was missing and accused me of stealing it. A month later they found it between the couch cushions and tried to apologize. HELL NO.

You are doing the same thing. You DON"T know.

SameOldStory · 05-06-2012, 08:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iPatty

I must admit I was a little surprised by the crazy reaction you guys had to a
simple warning about a problem with online shopping. You don't sound like blithering idiots but you do sound a little like me till I got on the proper medication. <g>

Quote:

Originally Posted by beej231

My credit card number was stolen just a few hours after making a purchase from Amazon, someone made a fake card and had some fun at Walmart. I was able to prove it and the money is being refunded by the credit card co but is that fair? I use ONE card for Amazon and don't use it for anything else, so I know it happened there. Trying to decide what to do so I can actually purchase a book. The credit card company suggested purchasing Amazon gift cards at retail stores (and use cash to purchase them). I guess I'll see if that works.

I have Amazon Prime and my husband like to rent movies. I'm sooo annoyed. Even my shampoo was cheaper there.

There are so many inconsistencies in her story that I find it very objectionable. I'm willing to believe that her credit card info was used, but the rest??? Not so much.

iPatty · 05-06-2012, 10:31 PM

I'm confused as to why you would find any of it inconsistent or objectionable. She could be wrong about where her credit card got screwed up--COULD be wrong. Was it the shampoo? Her husband watching movies? Really, there was nothing objectionable till the drooling idiots statement. That wasn't nice.

ApK · 05-06-2012, 10:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rhadin

It's not mind boggling at all. The popular mantra is: Amazon is my friend and will do me no harm. Consequently, whenever Amazon does someone harm or might be the culprit, the mantra chanters rise to its defense. The thinking is that if the mantra is repeated often enough and loudly enough, it will be true. There is no need to get bogged down in facts or the idea that sometimes bad turns of events are, indeed, Amazon's fault. It is always the person who was harmed who is at fault -- or one of Amazon's nefarious competitors.

Umm...no, that's not it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by geoffwood

Well, let's see, I can take the word of a random person on the internet, or I can trust Amazon. For me that is not a tough choice.

That's it.

And it's not so much trusting Amazon, it's knowing who they are, knowing their reputation, and knowing their accountability.
To paraphrase some MR member's Isaac Asimov signature quote, it is not so much that I have confidence in Amazon being right, but that I have so much in anonymous strangers on the Internet being wrong.

iPatty · 05-06-2012, 11:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ApK

Umm...no, that's not it.

That's it.

And it's not so much trusting Amazon, it's knowing who they are, knowing their reputation, and knowing their accountability.
To paraphrase some MR member's Isaac Asimov signature quote, it is not so much that I have confidence in Amazon being right, but that I have so much in anonymous strangers on the Internet being wrong.

Well, I see your point but doesn't Amazon have QUITE a motive to insist their site is safe even if there are perhaps a few holes here and there?

beej231 · 05-07-2012, 12:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by geoffwood

Well thanks for that. I guess that explains how you have managed over 250 posts without receiving any karma

It was nice of Amazon to apologize, but I'm not at all surprised that the apology was for your inconvenience, not because there was any reality to your accusations. If I was you I'd be happy that you wound up getting $50 from a company that did nothing wrong and get on with your life. As for any theft, your credit card company was the victim, not you.

Honey, no karma with this group of social misfits is a good thing.

kennyc · 05-07-2012, 07:16 AM

and odds are even her bank that issued or processed the card is at the same risk of being the cuplrit as amazon.

And I think her last statement above is very telling.

beej231 · 05-07-2012, 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beej231

Honey, no karma with this group of social misfits is a good thing.

Wait!! Wait!! I meant ANGRY social misfits.

ApK · 05-07-2012, 08:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iPatty

Well, I see your point but doesn't Amazon have QUITE a motive to insist their site is safe even if there are perhaps a few holes here and there?

Certainly. It COULD have happened, but they also have a strong motive to prevent it from happening, and there are plenty of other explanations, even if we assume for the sake of discussion the whole thing isn't an outright lie.. We consider our experience with Amazon, our knowledge of how they have handled mistakes in the past, our knowledge of how companies handle both data security and security breaches.
We weigh that against the unsubstantiated anonymous posting of an unknown who says stuff like:

Quote:

Originally Posted by beej231

Honey, no karma with this group of social misfits is a good thing.

So, seriously, you don't have to post your answer, but if you had to bet the grocery money on one or the other.....?

ApK

geoffwood · 05-07-2012, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beej231

Wait!! Wait!! I meant ANGRY social misfits.

Keep digging

jgaiser · 05-07-2012, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beej231

Wait!! Wait!! I meant ANGRY social misfits.

Just a question. Why do you stay amongst us ANGRY social misfits? You've made your point about your feelings about Amazon's security. Most here aren't impressed. And yet you remain still trying to make your point. If it were me, I'd just throw up my hands and move on.

Jessica Lares · 05-07-2012, 02:22 PM

Amazon doesn't really seem to care about fraud done on their site. There are a lot of bad merchants that use their services to sell counterfeit goods and steal money from consumers who they never send orders to. They even let people place orders with stolen details.

But they also seem to be one of those companies that say the customer is always right. No other company will let you take TWO months to ship back a faulty Kindle (it's in the box, I've just been lazy and need to go to the store and buy tape to seal it

), or even ask for an extension to do so. No other company will take back a device for wear and tear, and most will argue with you over a refund. Amazon on the other hand seems to enjoy handing out money to just about everyone.

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05-06-2012, 08:03 PM	#64
SameOldStory My True Self Posts: 3,126 Karma: 66242098 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Trantor, Galactic Center Device: Galaxy Tab 2 7.0	One day my wife was pounding on her keyboard yelling that her computer was way too slow. I did several scans without booting her computer and found OVER 360 instances of viruses and malware on her hard drive. UNTIL THEN she thought that the ONLY way that you could get viruses on you computer was by going to web sites that you shouldn't be going to (such as porn sites). Now, she knows better. So let me reiterate - You MAY have had something on your computer, AT SOME TIME, that recorded your credit card number. Your computer MAY be clean now. People who write virses write them to get past anti-virus programs. Companies that write anti-virus programs write new programs to block the latest viruses. This is the most probable cause of your card info getting out. You can bet your life that NO ONE hacked Amazon's transaction servers just to steal a few card numbers. And no one walked over to one of those servers and had free access to the credit card info. As someone mentioned you are far more likely to have credit card info theft while buying something with your card. One of the things that I work on is security systems, including card access systems. I have the equipment to copy all 3 tracks on any mag stripe card in one quick swipe. AND to duplicate it on a blank card, or store it for later use. This is part of my job. Think of a collage setting where the staff at a counter encode an ID card for students. What the criminals have is MUCH smaller that those. Back in the '70 I was invited to a co-workers house for dinner. A few days latter they noticed that something they had shown me was missing and accused me of stealing it. A month later they found it between the couch cushions and tried to apologize. HELL NO. You are doing the same thing. You DON"T know.

05-06-2012, 10:31 PM	#66
iPatty Zealot Posts: 110 Karma: 4200 Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: California Device: Kindle2 KFHD 7, Galaxy 10.1	I'm confused as to why you would find any of it inconsistent or objectionable. She could be wrong about where her credit card got screwed up--COULD be wrong. Was it the shampoo? Her husband watching movies? Really, there was nothing objectionable till the drooling idiots statement. That wasn't nice.

05-07-2012, 07:16 AM	#70
kennyc The Dank Side of the Moon Posts: 35,891 Karma: 119230421 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Denver, CO Device: Kindle2; Kindle Fire	and odds are even her bank that issued or processed the card is at the same risk of being the cuplrit as amazon. And I think her last statement above is very telling.

05-07-2012, 02:22 PM	#75
Jessica Lares Wizard Posts: 2,240 Karma: 5759170 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Near Dallas, Texas, USA Device: iPad Mini, iPod Touch (5th gen)	Amazon doesn't really seem to care about fraud done on their site. There are a lot of bad merchants that use their services to sell counterfeit goods and steal money from consumers who they never send orders to. They even let people place orders with stolen details. But they also seem to be one of those companies that say the customer is always right. No other company will let you take TWO months to ship back a faulty Kindle (it's in the box, I've just been lazy and need to go to the store and buy tape to seal it ), or even ask for an extension to do so. No other company will take back a device for wear and tear, and most will argue with you over a refund. Amazon on the other hand seems to enjoy handing out money to just about everyone.

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