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Very weird experience with NewEgg

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trents

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2008
I tried to make a purchase this weekend online with NewEgg and the transaction was cancelled, something about the security code was invalid. I assumed I had just typed the CVC code wrong. So I cancelled the order and tried to place another order early this morning. It too was cancelled by their system. I have used this account for Egg purchases for several years without problem. I checked the card number, expiration date, billing address, etc. on my NewEgg account page and it was all correct. I checked the bank account online and there was plenty of money in it and no suspicious activity. I called the fraud department of the bank and they checked it too and saw nothing funny.

I got on the phone with Egg customer service and they told me the account was locked. They emailed their fraud department to check on it and got the account unlocked but the fraud department will no longer accept the current payment method. They insisted that I use another payment method. Well, the one I have been using was for my tech business account and the only one I have unless I use my personal credit card. So to continue using Egg as a vendor I have to got the hassle of getting a new business debit card and changing all the info for all the vendors I use.

But here's what frosts me. The NewEgg fraud department will not give any info about why they nixed the payment method. In an email they told me they could not give any justification because of "security purposes." That's a big help, isn't it! Could they even tell me something general like, "We detected suspicious activity on the account." Makes me wonder if they are trying to hide something that's going on in the inside.

Anybody have a similar experience with this vendor?
 
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That's strange. My first thought is a data breach and they're trying to work around making it public , but something like that would be hard to hide. They have a lot of customers It's odd that they won't tell you what sort of "suspicious activity" they're talking about. The cardholder should be the first person they talk to. Can your bank get any info from newegg? A bank may be have more weight to lean on them a little.
 
Yeah, I thought about the data breach as well. Kind of an afterthought, though. And, yeah, you'd thing the customer base would be the first they would tell. Maybe they are still investigating and haven't come up with a public statement yet. I googled that and there have been a couple or three times in the past where Egg was hacked. I'm kind of leaning with that theory.
 
I have had problems with Newegg security, they have had popups asking to open up a application in my browser, I contacted Newegg about the popups and it seems to have gotten a little better, I think they defiantly have security problems.
 
Part 2:

Can't believe this! NewEgg has suspended both my accounts now. I had one I used for business and one for personal purchases. They initially locked me out of the first one and suggested I change the payment method. So I contacted my bank and got a new card with a new number for my business. I did that this week. Since I was locked out of the account I use for business I added the new credit card to the account I used for personal purchases. My strategy was going to be just to use a different card for personal purchases v. business related purchases. You can switch payment methods on the fly during the check out process.

So to test this I purchased a $4 item this morning on the business visa. Got an email shortly confirming the purchase but later on got an email saying my second account had been suspended. I got on the phone with NewEgg customer service to find out what was going on but the only info I got was the account(s) had been suspended because of "fraud." Fraud! I asked to speak to the fraud department but the rep I was talking to said they could not place a direct call to the fraud department. He suggested I create a brand new account. I told him I had little faith that the same thing would not happen again if I did because name, address, phone numbers, card numbers, etc. would be the same and be cross referenced with the "fraudulent" accounts already suspended.

I guess I'll have to change my name, address, phone number and get all new cards in order to use Egg as a vendor now.

Steamed!
 
Im sure if you talk to someone else there this can get resolved. Doesn't newegg business give you a different #/team to call for 'commercial' accounts?
 
I have a business account with newegg, they have their own team for support and purchasing stuff, make sure you give them a call before you bail on it.
 
I didn't have a business account per se. I just used one of the regular accounts for business purposes.
 
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At this point it would be worth your while to check your credit report for things like new credit/debit cards you didn't apply for. It looks like newegg knows or suspects something you don't.
 
At this point it would be worth your while to check your credit report for things like new credit/debit cards you didn't apply for. It looks like newegg knows or suspects something you don't.

I doubt Newegg is pulling the OP's credit file, how else would they "know or suspect something"?

It sounds to me like you should change your account email and/or Newegg password to something new and complex. It's possible someone is trying to use it in some manner (?).

Before they suspended the second account I was thinking exactly like you were - they got hacked and are covering their tracks while also trying to minimize impact (to save face, but also to help shield customer credit card accounts). With the second suspension I'm not sure what to think.
 
I doubt Newegg is pulling the OP's credit file, how else would they "know or suspect something"?
Asked, and

Before they suspended the second account I was thinking exactly like you were - they got hacked and are covering their tracks while also trying to minimize impact
..answered. :)

I only suggested trents check for activity in his credit report because it seems newegg is suspicious of any activity regarding him. Very few answers as to "why?" come to mind. Since the problem seems confined to newegg in this case only one answer really makes sense. Until they can offer a reasonable explanation regarding why this is happening I would assume the worst, just to be on the safe side. In this case the worst is newegg had a breach and they know trents' information is at risk so they are playing CYA. The same CYA for the OP would be to check his credit report and see if anything else has come up. It could be something as simple as a software glitch, but considering the damage identity theft does every day I wouldn't take the chance. Then again, I don't use Windows 10 because they don't have a tinfoil hat app in the M$ Store. :D
 
Asked, and

..answered. :)

I only suggested trents check for activity in his credit report because it seems newegg is suspicious of any activity regarding him. Very few answers as to "why?" come to mind. Since the problem seems confined to newegg in this case only one answer really makes sense. Until they can offer a reasonable explanation regarding why this is happening I would assume the worst, just to be on the safe side. In this case the worst is newegg had a breach and they know trents' information is at risk so they are playing CYA. The same CYA for the OP would be to check his credit report and see if anything else has come up. It could be something as simple as a software glitch, but considering the damage identity theft does every day I wouldn't take the chance. Then again, I don't use Windows 10 because they don't have a tinfoil hat app in the M$ Store. :D

I did check with the bank to see if there had been any suspicious activity on the card. None. Nada. But a credit check for identity theft would be a good idea.
 
Trents, there's no need to panic or to check your credit file, at least not because of Newegg. They are vendor, they don't have any more knowledge than a perfect stranger regarding the status of your credit file, identity history/potential theft, etc. They cannot "know or suspect something" because they would have zero information to base that on since they have no access to credit file info.

The smart thing to do to protect yourself is to report the two cards as stolen with the credit card companies (you have effectively already done this with the first card). The only way any information connected to Newegg could harm you is if these card numbers got stolen, in which case simply cancelling those numbers fixes the issue (for you, perhaps not for Newegg). And make sure to change your Newegg password.

Best of luck. :) I would say steer clear of Newegg for the time being, then call the customer support line in a week or two, see if they can make sense of it and/or have some news for you regarding why they kept suspending your account.
 
There seems to be a lack of understanding where identity theft is concerned. The thieves order new cards from multiple institutions with the stolen identity. I had the unfortunate experience of being related to someone who did that for a living. They rarely get all the info from one place. They get enough from one to dig out the rest from multiple sources. It isn't that difficult. I know a girl with the IQ of a burrito who made up to $11,000 in one month.
 
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