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| Porn Users Forum » Help! Odd charge on my credit card |
| 1-17 of 17 Posts | Page 1 |
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| 09-06-18 05:12pm - 2299 days | Original Post - #1 | |
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rearadmiral (0)
Active User Posts: 1,453 Registered: Jul 16, '07 Location: NB/Canada |
Help! Odd charge on my credit card I checked my credit card statement today and saw that I had a charge from something called "Hard Drive Productions AZ." I looked to see if I had forgotten to cancel something and I did have a membership that was set to expire on the 5th but I checked and that membership was cancelled. I also confirmed that the membership was cancelled. A Google search of the name indicates that this is a scam site and I'm guessing that's probably correct. Has anyone ever had any success tracking down what this biller is and getting the charges stopped? I'm thinking that my only recourse may be to cancel the card and get a new one. Help!! | |
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| 09-07-18 12:52am - 2299 days | #2 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User  Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
I never heard of this company. I suggest calling your credit card company and telling them this is a fraudulent charge. Then, ask if the fraud company should be blocked, or if the credit card account should be cancelled, and a new account opened. No sense in paying for fraudulent charges. It's probably better if the account is closed, and a new account number is opened. Because your credit card number, once exposed, can be sold to other scammers. I had a fraud charge once on a credit card, told my credit card company to block the card from that charging company, and a second fraud charge by the same fraud company was still made on my account after I told them to block it. On the first fraud charge, I was given a charge-back, so I didn't have to pay it. Same for the second fraud charge. Then, abut one and half year later, I got a check mailed to me for the second charge (around $15), as part of a settlement with the fraud company and the government. I offered to pay it to the credit card company, but they told me to just keep the money. So I came out ahead. True story. | |
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| 09-07-18 02:50am - 2298 days | #3 | |
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jook (0)
Active User  Posts: 325 Registered: Dec 22, '13 Location: jersey city |
I hate when that shit happens and it happens too much with me. Just this past week I had to cancel 2 credit cards because of fraud. Whenever I travel out of the country I seem to have a problem no matter what precautions I take. I generally hold off with cancelling until I'm sure my card's been compromised. It's safer to just cancel, but I find it a real PITA - waiting for a new card, changing recurring payments, etc. In your case, the only concern is seemingly 1 merchant. If you don't cancel the card, the worst that can happen is that you'll get another charge from the merchant and you'll have to dispute it. lk2fireone, it is not possible to block a merchant. However, you may not have a choice but to get a new card. If and when you dispute the current charge, the credit card company may insist on closing your account, especially if you state that it's fraud. As for getting a new card, you can get it by expedited shipping but you have to ask. Except for American Express. Otherwise, they'll take their sweet time. | |
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| 09-07-18 10:02am - 2298 days | #4 | |
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merc77 (0)
Disabled User Posts: 291 Registered: Apr 17, '16 |
I now use a reloadable card when it comes to porn. I place the money in the card and use that amount. No one can charge more as it will be denied. Many banks now offer reloadable cards free of fees these days. "Dogs think people are Gods. Cats don't as they know better." - Kedi (2016) Dogs have masters; Cats have staff. | |
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| 09-07-18 01:42pm - 2298 days | #5 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
I've never used a pre-paid card. But I was looking at the terms of a pre-paid card from PayPal: "Neither the Issuer nor PayPal is responsible for the delivery, quality, safety, legality or any other aspects of the goods or services that you purchase from others with the Card. If you have a problem with a purchase that you made with the Card, or if you have a dispute with the merchant, you must handle it directly with the merchant." So it's better to buy porn with a credit card, because then you have some protection against the money you pay: you can dispute a fee because the service you received was poor. Evidently, any problems with a fee you pay to a porn site, have to be resolved with the porn site. Except fraud. But it's seems easier to deal with a credit card company directly, than with a pre-paid card company. So I don't know whether it's worth the hassle to get a pre-paid card. Credit cards give you better protection, and they are probably much easier to deal with. | |
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| 09-08-18 09:25am - 2297 days | #6 | |
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merc77 (0)
Disabled User Posts: 291 Registered: Apr 17, '16 |
I got my prepaid card through my bank. I have had to fight a charge or two and the bank is the one to go through to get the charge dropped. I don't know about PayPal or other services. "Dogs think people are Gods. Cats don't as they know better." - Kedi (2016) Dogs have masters; Cats have staff. | |
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| 09-08-18 09:45am - 2297 days | #7 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
The pre-paid card from PayPal seems very different. They tell you in the terms of agreement, any charges, other than fraud, are between you and the merchant, are your responsibility, and PayPal and the pre-paid card issuer are not responsible. Which means they won't help. So your pre-paid card seems much better. | |
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| 09-09-18 12:23pm - 2296 days | #8 | |
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rearadmiral (0)
Active User Posts: 1,453 Registered: Jul 16, '07 Location: NB/Canada |
Thanks all for your advice. Things have actually become a bit worse so I've had to cancel the card. I had three charges from "ECHST.net" and one from Hard Drive Productions. My bank said that these two companies have the same merchant number as Epoch. I found that odd but not unreasonable. But then I contacted Epoch and they denied any connection. I really don't know who to believe. But why would my bank lie to me? What advantage would it be to them to tell me that the companies are all the same if they really aren't? Also, I found it a bit odd that Epoch just happened to have the phone number for ECHST at their fingertips. Finally, even if my Bang.com account was compromised (this was what started it all) Bang doesn't have my card information, only Epoch does. Could it be that there are dishonest people in the porn business??? Anyway, the card is cancelled. I'd definitely consider using a pre-paid card for porn and I have done so with a couple of sites that used a very disreputable biller but the issue for me is that I then end up with a bunch of cards with just a little balance left on them. I can't find that there are any reloadable cards available in Canada. | |
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| 09-09-18 01:27pm - 2296 days | #9 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
What about using PayPal or Google Wallet or Google Pay? I'm talking about PayPal, not the pre-paid card associated with PayPal. There is no fee for using PayPal to make a payment. Can also use PayPal to send money. I assume that Google Wallet and Google Pay are similar, though I don't know if there are any fees for the Google systems. PayPal can be hit or miss making a payment to a porn site. For many years, they refused to let the system make payments to porn sites. Then they allowed it. Then they only allowed it in certain cases. But PayPal can act like a pre-paid card, with other advantages, as well. You can set up a payment for one-time-only, or for recurring payments. Your financial information is hidden from the person you are paying. PayPal is safe, and easy to use, if they will process the payment to the payment processor of the porn site. I assume Google Wallet and Google Pay are similar, though I've never used them. But if PayPal won't process a payment to a payment processor, maybe the Google systems will. And then you won't have a problem of different cards with a low balance. There are different ways to fund a purchase through PayPal. You can use credit cards of your choice, or a bank account of your choice. | |
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| 09-09-18 03:13pm - 2296 days | #10 | |
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jook (0)
Active User Posts: 325 Registered: Dec 22, '13 Location: jersey city |
I've recently rethunk the matter of fraud. Perhaps I'm missing something, but I'm not overly concerned. I've had dozens upon dozens of fraud charges on various cards over the years and I never lost a dime. It's not that big of a PITA either, though it does feel like a personal violation. The PITA is having to cancel a card and thereby wait to get a new card and also to address recurring charges. Not that big of a deal. I have backup cards so being without the compromised card for a couple of days is no big deal. I'm no longer concerned about getting blacklisted for disputing a charge since I don't believe that can be done. I use a VPN. I don't compromise safety but I don't obsess over it. Edited on Sep 09, 2018, 03:21pm | |
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| 09-09-18 07:06pm - 2296 days | #11 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Do you have to pay a monthly or yearly fee to use a VPN? If so, how much monthly or yearly? And what VPN do you recommend, for ease of use, low cost, whatever? | |
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| 09-10-18 03:39am - 2295 days | #12 | |
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jook (0)
Active User Posts: 325 Registered: Dec 22, '13 Location: jersey city |
I'm far from an expert on the matter. I chose Nord VPN based on its many good reviews, including from PC Magazine. https://nordvpn.com/special/deal/?coupon...%2Fwww.google.com%2F I paid $99 for 2 years. You can also pay monthly, but it costs more. There is a 30-day money back guarantee, so I figured I didn't have anything to lose. There are free VPNs, but I felt more comfortable going with one based on ratings as well as ease of use and setup. In setting it up, I called customer service and received excellent help. | |
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| 09-10-18 04:34am - 2295 days | #13 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
@jook, Thanks for the fast response, and the link to Nord VPN. Will try the 2-year membership plan. | |
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| 09-10-18 04:46pm - 2295 days | #14 | |
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rearadmiral (0)
Active User Posts: 1,453 Registered: Jul 16, '07 Location: NB/Canada |
That's something to consider when the option is available. But would PayPal be subject to the same issues as with a credit card? Could the membership be hacked and someone just claim I authorized a payment?  | |
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| 09-10-18 05:38pm - 2295 days | #15 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
With PayPal, you can authorize a one-time payment, or a recurring payment. Your choice. If your membership is hacked, that would be fraud. So PayPal should void the charge, once your reported it. Or if, instead of using PayPal, you used a credit card directly for your porn membership, then report to the credit card that this was a fraudulent charge. Most credit cards will take your word for it, although some credit cards will require you to sign a paper the charge was fraud. Separately, you can fund transactions with PayPal either with a credit card of your choosing, or with a bank account (either checking or savings). PayPal has been around for many years, one of the largest and oldest paysites. Like I said, years ago they would not authorize payments to porn sites or porn payment processors. Then they allowed payments to porn payment processors. I don't know what their current policy is. I usually pay for porn memberships directly with a credit card. I have had fraud charges on several credit cards, and the accounts were closed, and new cards issued. But the credit card companies were easy to deal with. The only credit card company that required me to sign papers refuting fraud charges was my PayPal credit card. All the other cards took my word over the phone with no paperwork to sign. I'm not talking about fraud charges from porn sites. But fraud charges for gasoline, online payments to purchase items: these were done in Africa (which I've never visited), or in other states. I haven't been out of California in many years. But a few years ago, they used one of my credit card account numbers to pay for gasoline in some other state, I don't remember which state. So hackers can easily get your credit card account numbers--over the internet, I assume. And either use a fraudulent credit card, or just supply the account number to make purchases. | |
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| 09-11-18 02:20am - 2294 days | #16 | |
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jook (0)
Active User Posts: 325 Registered: Dec 22, '13 Location: jersey city |
A word of caution with Paypal. There is no such thing as getting an immediate credit, at least in my experience. The dispute process can be very time consuming. If the vendor disputes your claim, you stand more of a chance of losing than if you used a credit card. I only use Paypal when there is no alternative. If you do use Paypal, make sure you opt for funding with a credit card, not a bank account. By doing this, you can sometimes bypass the Paypal dispute process and go directly to the credit card issuer. The above been my experience over the years. Now, the following doesn't apply to porn sites, but there are other non-credit payment methods available. I use Venmo in place of Paypal if possible. Edit: I forgot to mention that I just had a dispute with a Paypal merchant. Jeez, I think "dispute" should be my middle hame, haha. I bought software that didn't work and I paid with Paypal, the only option. The merchant didn't respond to emails. So I disputed it with Paypal. The dispute is not really a dispute at first... all Paypal did was forward my "complaint" to the seller, which was totally ineffective. At that point, I said to hell with Paypal and went to American Express, the card used to fund Paypal payments. They refunded my money immediately. Edited on Sep 11, 2018, 02:26am | |
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| 09-11-18 01:57pm - 2294 days | #17 | |
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rearadmiral (0)
Active User Posts: 1,453 Registered: Jul 16, '07 Location: NB/Canada |
Based on all the comments I think I'll stick with a CC for the sites/billers I know and trust and pre-paid cards for those I don't. The problem right now is that my card got hacked from a site and biller that I trust - Bang.com and Epoch. | |
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