I recently received a fraud alert for the Hilton Honors Business Card from American Express. They got a charge attempt of $583.70 at the Sheraton Grand in Nashville, TN.
I called customer service as soon as I got the alert to confirm that I did not make the charge. In addition to that charge, there was a $1 charge to a business named Jupiter. I suspect that this charge was to test if the card number was still valid before attempting to make the larger charge.
Ultimately, if the charges had been successful, I would have been able to file a dispute. American Express would have investigated. And, the matter would be settled. But, preventing the charge up front is a better option. It is definitely less costly to the hotel and to American Express.
The end result is that they sent me a card with a new number. Normally, I would update all the places that have the card stored for future purchases. But, I think I will keep the new card "off the record" for some time. I plan on canceling it on its one year anniversary. And, it is made redundant with the Hilton Honors Aspire Card I just received.
As for how it got compromised, I can imagine it happened while I was at a conference in Nashville earlier this year. The only place I used that card in Nashville, according to my account history, was at the hotel for incidental charges. Other than that, I used the AMEX Green card. Or, perhaps it is just a coincidence. The card may have been compromised online. The fact that somebody tried using it in Nashville may only be a random happenstance.
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