| Red Cross Debit Card Photo Results in Fraud | |||
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| Netlore Archive: According to this email tale, an AFP news photo containing a close-up of a Red Cross Debit Card issued to Hurricane Katrina victim Latesha Vinette instantly resulted in fraudulent charges on a massive scale | |||
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Email example contributed by Jessica C., 23 September 2005:
 (STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images) Astrodome: Within two minutes of AFP photographer Stanley Honda electronically publishing a photo of Katrina victim Latesha Vinette holding up her Red Cross debit card, Ms. Vinette was paged by the management of Reliant stadium to receive a call from MasterCard asking about cash advances totally $65,237, the attempted purchase of a Ferrari automobile using her card #, along with hundreds of purchases from eBay, including, ironically, camping gear. "I don't know what I was thinking" said AFP photographer Honda, who failed to obscure any of the card's digits, or expiration date in his photo. I guess I could have just had her put her thumb over the first four digits." Ms. Vinette's balance reportedly dropped from $2000 to .45 cents in less than three minutes.
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Comments: Though the above story was originally published on a spoof Web site and many of the details were apparently fabricated, the AFP news photo is real and an incident corresponding to the story has been confirmed by a MasterCard official.
Shortly after the Red Cross began issuing debit cards to Hurricane Katrina evacuees, MasterCard International vice president Suzanne Lynch told Reuters wire service recently, a newspaper photo of one beneficiary holding a card was published and disseminated on the Internet. Within 8 hours there were fraudulent charges on the card.
"Somebody had seen the picture — and unfortunately they hadn't blocked the number — and so somebody used the card fraudulently," Lynch explained.
At least one other close-up photo of a Katrina victim's debit card has been published, but with the number obscured by the holder's finger.
Sources and further reading:
Katrina Death Toll Could Be Lower than Feared
CBC News, 8 September 2005Experts: Online Fraud 'Ahead' of Credit Card Companies
Reuters, 20 September 2005
Last updated: 09/30/05
