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From: spaf@gatech.UUCP (Gene Spafford)
Newsgroups: net.flame
Subject: Re: Credit Card (mis)Usage
Message-ID: <8265@gatech.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 20-Jun-84 19:48:15 EDT
Article-I.D.: gatech.8265
Posted: Wed Jun 20 19:48:15 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 23-Jun-84 04:13:29 EDT
References: <394@teldata.UUCP>
Organization: The Clouds Project, School of ICS, Georgia Tech
Lines: 33

First off, check with the consumer protection agencies in your state
and in CA.  The crime was committed in CA (fraud) and occurred as a
STATE crime.  Thus, contact the state attorney general in CA.

Don't pay for the charge when it shows up on your bill.  Submit IN
WRITING a letter explaining why you aren't going to pay the charges.
The merchant was taking a risk in accepting a charge without validating
the identity of the purchaser.  To my knowledge, it is the
responsibility of the merchant to ensure that the person using the
charge is actually the authorized user of the card.  That is why a
merchant may ask for other ID when you make a purchase.  It is up to
the merchant to recover the cost of the item which was purchased,
although you may be responsible for the first $50 of the charge.
Check with a lawyer for specifics.

Third (maybe you should do it first), get a new account number
IMMEDIATELY and list the old one as stolen.  That will prevent you
being liable for any further charges.

Last of all, if any further charges result which occur across state
boundaries, contact the FBI.  In fact, try it now.  Wire fraud statutes
cover a number of cases such as you mention, and placing a fraudulent
order over the phone constitutes wire fraud.

I'm not a lawyer, so don't believe anything I say.  Of course, if I was
a lawyer, you still shouldn't trust me...
-- 
Off the Wall of Gene Spafford
The Clouds Project, School of ICS, Georgia Tech, Atlanta GA 30332
Phone:	(404) 894-6169, (404) 894-6170 [messages]
CSNet:	Spaf @ GATech		ARPA:	Spaf%GATech.CSNet @ CSNet-Relay.ARPA
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