Marcus D. Falco responded to a question posed by myself regards the original newspaper article and an observation by Lisa Hancock:
> Her problem is that she didn't show up to contest the charges so
>> the credit card company got a "default judgement." These can be
>> vacated in court because you can appeal. But generally you can't
>> appeal an arbitration award.
>> Yes, I thought your liability from a 'stolen' card (which this
>> is) was $50.00?
> Only if you notify them within 24 or 48 hours. She didn't notify them for
> weeks, until the bill came in.
Did you mean to say 'notify them within 24 or 48 hours _of the discovery of the fraud/loss_'? Unless a person has online access to their account via computer (in which case a daily audit of your account would be a good idea, even if not practical), exactly how would one know their card had been 'stolen' or abused until the statement arrived. Now, if your statement did arrive, and all that fraud was spotted, then indeed it would be prudent to call and tell them _immediatly_ about it.
I know in the interstate handling of freight, rules about 'notify the shipper and/or delivery service immediatly about damage to the shipment' have an exception for 'concealed damage'. Even if you signed off to accept the shipment, you can later discover the damage (when the shipment is unpacked, for example). Can't the same thing be done in the case of 'concealed fraud' that you do not discover until after the fact?
I know my credit card is 'online' so I can check it at any time on a web page, and I would notify all concerned of fraud the instant I saw it on the credit company's web site.
PAT