First, the Conway story. Kentucky's AG was buying a tune from Itunes and for some reason his credit card was refused. Looking deeper into the situation the AG discovered someone else had been using his card. The credit card had not been stolen. There was no reason to report that it might be misused. Someone, somehow lifted the name and number for their own fraudulent use.
Just days after reporting this on the news --- I got another report. This time from my sister. Somebody charged thousands of dollars to Mom and Dad's credit card account.
Now, I won't go into all the details for obvious reasons but I will tell you we are pursuing it legally. Secondly, just as in Conway's case my parents didn't lose their card someone just stole the numbers. We're not sure how. It could have been in the few short moments they gave it to someone at a business or it could be a far more sophisticated electronic method of duplication. Again, we're not sure.
We do know this. In both cases the theft was spotted quickly and reported to the credit card company. There should be no liability for the card holder. But, it's still a tremendous hassle and it's scary. It's a lesson to us all. Check your accounts. Do it online and check the bills when they come in. Someone somewhere may be living it up on your card. In my parents case, the culprits bought thousands of dollars in "gift" cards.