Protecting Financial Information

[rjordan393]

I live in Pennsylvania.
First a little background.
I recently had my credit card compromised. Now my account has been closed and will be issued a new card.
I have a clue that this occurred by an individual using an online transaction for a hotel stay.
My credit card issuer (Visa) cannot or will not give me any information other then that a suspicious transaction occurred with my number at a website called "Hotel Tonight".
This website provides information on where to stay in many cities.

I suppose I will have to do a better job of protecting my financial information which brings up a question about online sales and otc sales.
I have purchased many items online without a hitch and the same goes for otc.
One of the problems I should question is sometimes a cashier will ask to see my credit card and this occurs after I swipe my card. Now why do they ask to see the card? Should I protest this?
When I am online to make a purchase, I was told by another that to make sure the website has "https" in their
address bar. This tells me that the "s" means the site is secure. Is this correct?

 

[FlyingRon]

The merchant has the right and really should see your card. They should be looking for the obvious integrity signs as well as making sure that it has been signed (writing SEE ID there is of absolutely no merit, and in fact, without a signature ON THE CARD, the merchant should not accept it). What the merchant should not be asking for and you should not be providing, is your driver's license. If you think you have an identity theft issue with someone skimming your credit card info, believe me, the information on your driver's license (name, address and most importantly your state dmv id #) is enough to cause more problem than if you had your SSN tattooed on your forehead.

The lack of HTTPS means the connection isn't encrypted. The pressence of https means it might be properly secure. There ae more signs you need to check. Many of the browsers such as Chrome will do additional checks (chrome will show a GREEN lock icon on the address bar if things look good). Chances are if you are at home on a relatively secure wifi, you won't have a problem with insecure transfer. However, if you are using your cell phone or are using a shared wifi, you most certainly want to follow that precaution.

This isn't really a LEGAL question. These sort of inquiries are probably better made over on www.creditboards.com

 

[rjordan393]

Thank you.
Your reply is most helpful. I will have to be more attentive when using my credit card.