Feds Investigating Mysterious $30 and $40 charges on Credit Cards

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7150531/

Federal authorities have opened an investigation into a rash of mysterious $30 and $40 charges appearing on consumer credit cards around the country, MSNBC.com has learned. The charges are for the purchase of DVDs and CDs from a company named "Pluto Data Ltd." Thousands of complaints about the charges have appeared on a Web site devoted to the mystery, with consumers saying they've never heard of the company.

Adding to the mystery -- most consumers report a 1 cent or $1 charge appearing on their cards first, followed by the larger charge from Pluto Data or PLUTO D, NICOSIA.

Phone calls to the toll free number listed next to the charge on the credit card bills provide little additional information. The firm answering the calls, Answer Quick Telecommunications Inc., located in Baton Rouge, La., says it was an answering service for Pluto Data prior to closing the account several weeks ago. Answer Quick referred questions to local law enforcement investigators.

Don Kelly, a spokesman for the Baton Rouge police, said his office has received 125 complaints about the alleged fraud. "We are working with the FBI and the Secret Service," he said. He added that Answer Quick was not a suspect. "We are keeping track of the complaints and doing what we can to help them on what's going on."

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

1. Credit where credit is due:

This story was first broken on Broadband Reports:

http://www.dslreports.com

Interestingly, since they started covering this story, BBR has been experiencing DoS attacks that have knocked it offline several times.

I do believe they have hit a nerve somewhere.

[Hugin]

2. Very interesting...

Yes indeedie... Very interesting.

[Redstone]

3. Did you post this in LBN, too?

It seems important. Or is it not "late breaking" enough to go in LBN?

Redstone

[RamboLiberal]

5. I was tempted - but played by the rules today

Story was dated yesterday.

[Just Me]

4. Hmmmm. I wonder where this "Pluto Data" got their information,...

,...on these debtors credit card accounts.

:eyes:

[fudge stripe cookays]

6. So they're in Cyprus?

Interesting.

Thanks for the heads up. I'll keep an eye on ours.

FSC

[Trillo]

7. With the large numbers of individuals credit data that

has reportedly been compromised, is it any wonder that the criminal(s) would go the 'mass-market' fraud route? Perhaps they thought that small charges would be less likely to be challenged than a single payment of a large amount appearing on a few ID theft victim's statements.

The root of the problem is bought and paid for legislators and a complicit Executive Branch that failed to ensure citizen's 4th amendment rights over the course of many years. The police involvement is merely an after-the-incident attempt to address the symptom instead of the root cause. It's a band-aid folks.

Good Luck!