Credit Card Theft
I do not believe that anyone likes a thief. I don't even think that thieves like a thief. A thief comes into your house/workplace and takes things from you. Credit card thieves seem to be a little lower than that. They choose to hide in remote locations around the world and use their computers hidden behind proxy servers to steal from you.
It used to be as simple as checking the 3 or 4 digit code on the backside of your credit card (CVV2), to ensure that the card being used was in your possession, and that you were not a victim of credit card theft. But here is something you may not have known, not only does the credit card thief have your credit card number, he also has the CVV2 and more importantly he also has your home address and full name. That's right, they have your personal information. It's no longer just about credit card theft, it's about identity theft.
"How did they get all of this information? I thought the Internet was safe."
This is a phrase I hear quit a lot when I speak to victims of credit card theft. The answer is pretty simple, irresponsible vendors you have purchased from before. Let's be honest with each other, any server can be hacked if there is a motivated person to do it. If Microsoft's own web site can be hacked, what makes you think that the vendor you have purchased from is safe? These irresponsible vendors who "save your information" to make it "easy" for you to complete another purchase down the road are to blame. Are they really making it more convenient for you, or are they simply putting you at risk? If you ask me, they are putting you at risk. One of the more recent cases of mass credit card theft occured at Amazon.com (story) an extermely popular online store.
Credit card theft occurs because of the "convenience" these irresponsible vendors give you. That's the bottom line. They claim it's making it easier for you to place an order, but is it really that hard to type in your credit card number when you want to place an order?
Credit card theft can be stopped. Write to the vendors you choose to do business with, ask them if they store your personal information and how it is stored. You are in control over who you do business with, but only by asking the vendor will you have the information you need to prevent yourself from becoming a credit card theft victim.
So why is BosDev taking the time to publish this web page? Pretty simple actually, we got tired of receiving charge back notices in the mail saying that Jane Doe's credit card was stolen and used on our web site. Every time a stolen credit card was used on our web site, not only has one of our products been stolen (and most likely "warezed" but that's a whole different story) but we are also charged a $14.95 fee for the stolen credit card use. So not only have you been a victim of credit card theft, but so have we.
As of March of 2005, BosDev has started fighting back against credit card theft. We now manually verify all orders that are received on our web site to do everything we can to verify it's real. And if it is not real, we decline the transaction, gather up as much information as possible for reporting the credit card theft to not only the credit card company, the authorities in the thief's location, and you as the victim. Since we have placed our new system into place and as of this writing, we have gathered information on 125 potential credit card thieves. And I'm sure they will continue to try to steal again.
BosDev does not store any credit card information for our customers. Our transactions are handled directly with Authorize.net, with only minimal information returned to BosDev. We have no interest in storing your credit card information at all. We're not going to make it "easy" to purchase additional software from us, I'm afraid you'll have to actually take the time to type in the credit card information. BosDev has your interests in mind, not our own.
Contact your favorite vendors today, see if they are being responsible with your credit card information.