Credit and debit cards are handy tools for payment. They can be used online or in person, and it’s easy to use somebody else’s card. In fact, cards often get passed around, stolen, or otherwise used in ways that weren’t intended, according to www.thebalance.com.
But credit cards are printed with an authorised cardholder’s name. If anybody else uses the card, the card user or cardholder faces serious problems.
Unauthorised use
Fraudulent or unauthorised use is obviously a problem. If your card gets used without your permission:
- Report the problem to your bank/card issuer immediately. Your bank/card issuer is the company that you applied for the card with. If you have a debit card, you can contact your bank. Notifying the card issuer should prevent things from getting worse, and it maximises your protection under the law. The longer you wait, the more your liability increases.
- Report the unauthorised activity to the police: To make a claim with your card issuer, you may need to file a police report and provide a copy of the report. The individual who used the card may face criminal charges.
Using a card with permission
What happens when you use someone else’s card with permission (or you allow somebody to use your card)? Even with permission, this is against the card issuer’s rules, so the account holder is breaking the agreement they signed with the issuer.
Most of the time, nobody will notice or care, but you should be aware that it’s technically against the rules. When you consider how easy it is to make self-service payments at gas pumps or online stores, it’s not surprising that cards are often used by friends, spouses, employees, and others.
If your bank or credit card company finds out that you’re lending out your card, there’s a chance that your account will be closed.
- Unexpected charges: Lending out your card is risky. There’s no guarantee that the card will only be used in the way you intended. It’s hard to recover funds if you let somebody use your card because the usage was not unauthorised. Banks won’t reimburse you if somebody drains your account at an Automated Teller Machine after you must have given the person permission to use your card and the PIN.
- Risk for ‘borrowers’: Using somebody else’s card is risky. Nobody really knows if you got permission ahead of time, so the default assumption may be that you’re committing fraud.
If a merchant asks for identification and you can’t provide it, things might get complicated —the card might be taken away, the police might get involved, and so on. What’s more, the person who gave you the card can later claim that you took it without permission (if you spend too much, for example, or if your relationship sours).
In many cases, transaction records and store surveillance video can be used to bring charges against you.
- Get permission in writing: If you must use somebody else’s card, which you simply shouldn’t do, at least get a signed note from the cardholder saying you have permission to do so. Keep the note tucked away unless you really need it.
If you use the card at a store, the merchant does not want to know that you have somebody else’s card—they’re risking a chargeback, and stores stand to lose money unless the authorised cardholder made the purchase.
- Get authorised: Instead of using somebody else’s credit card or lending out your card, take advantage of ‘authorised users’. At an account holder’s request, credit card issuers will provide additional cards with somebody else’s name. The account still belongs to the primary cardholder, who is responsible for the payment, but the authorised user is allowed to use the account. If that user is asked for identification, everything will match correctly.
Using cards without permission
When permission is not given, using somebody else’s debit or credit card is a form of identity theft. Laws are broadening definitions of what constitutes ID theft, and penalties for those activities are getting more severe.
The details vary from country to country, so visit a local attorney if you have questions regarding your particular situation.
In many countries, possession of somebody else’s card is illegal. Possession of multiple cards – or other financial tools listed below – can easily bring the crime into felony territory (if it wasn’t already a felony). In addition to criminal charges from the state, you may have to pay restitution to account holders and other victims.
If you have got your hands on somebody else’s cards, you’re playing with fire. It doesn’t matter what you intend to use the cards for – if you can’t prove that you have permission, you’ve got problems. That means you can’t ‘borrow with intentions to repay the cardholder, and you can’t even use the card for benefits that won’t cost the cardholder any money.
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For example, you can’t show the card for free access to cardholder events or services, or use the card to purchase goods that you’ll return before the bill is due.
Likewise, it doesn’t matter how you got possession of the cards – if they were sent to you in error or if you found them on the street, for example, you never intended to steal them.
However, it’s a bad idea to hang onto anything that might make you look like an identity thief. Drop cards off with local police, the lost and found wherever you found the cards, or at a bank that issued the cards.
Beyond cards
Debit and credit cards are not the only way to trigger identity theft charges. Many countries outlaw the unauthorised possession of any ‘financial transaction device’, such as:
Prepaid cards
Bank account numbers and routing information
Personal identification numbers
Card numbers (you don’t necessarily need the card itself)
Cheques
Money orders
And other devices
It may also be illegal to possess information that can be used for access to accounts and account information such as usernames and passwords.
An individual’s mother’s maiden name (you might know this about anybody, so the facts and circ*mstances are important – a spreadsheet with this information is, of course, more problematic than your casual knowledge of a friend’s family)
Other personal information
Finally, it’s generally illegal to possess tools for financial identity theft, such as card skimmers and similar equipment.
As an expert in financial security and fraud prevention, I have an in-depth understanding of the concepts and practices related to credit and debit card usage. My knowledge is grounded in real-world scenarios and a comprehensive grasp of the subject matter.
Firstly, the article rightly emphasizes the convenience and versatility of credit and debit cards as payment tools, both online and in-person. However, it also highlights the prevalent issue of unauthorized use, where cards can be passed around, stolen, or misused.
In the case of unauthorized use, the article recommends immediate action, urging individuals to report the issue to their bank or card issuer promptly. This step is crucial for minimizing potential financial losses and maximizing legal protection. The importance of reporting the unauthorized activity to the police is also emphasized, as it may lead to criminal charges against the individual responsible for the fraudulent use.
The article delves into the consequences of using someone else's card with permission, even if seemingly harmless. Despite permission, such actions violate the card issuer's rules, and the account holder may face repercussions, including the closure of their account. It also points out the risks for both the cardholder and the person using the card, such as unexpected charges and potential legal complications.
To mitigate risks when using someone else's card, the article suggests obtaining written permission from the cardholder. Additionally, it advocates for the use of authorized users instead of lending out cards. Authorized users are individuals added to the account with the card issuer's approval, allowing them to use the card while keeping the primary cardholder responsible for payments.
The article also addresses the serious legal implications of using cards without permission, categorizing it as a form of identity theft. Laws regarding identity theft vary across countries, and unauthorized possession of multiple cards or other financial tools can escalate the crime to felony territory. Penalties may include criminal charges, restitution to account holders, and other victims.
Furthermore, the article expands the discussion beyond traditional credit and debit cards, emphasizing that possession of various financial tools, including prepaid cards, bank account information, PINs, cheques, money orders, and even personal information like mother's maiden name, can lead to identity theft charges. It also underscores the illegality of possessing tools designed for financial identity theft, such as card skimmers.
In summary, the article provides a comprehensive overview of the risks associated with credit and debit card usage, both in authorized and unauthorized scenarios, while also shedding light on the broader spectrum of financial tools and information that can contribute to identity theft.
