unauthorized charges on credit card statement using canceled credit card?

Question

I received my credit card statement today, and there was an unauthorized charge on it. The strangest thing about it though was that the credit card used was the OLD account number, which has not been in use for several months! Our bank issued us new credit cards months ago. How could someone get a hold of the old credit card number and use it, when that account number is no longer useable??? Please help! I have already contacted the bank and disputed the charge, as well as the place the purchase was supposedly made- the transaction does not show up in their system, based on our names and adresses. HELP!

Answer 1

It's good that you immediately contacted the bank.
You should also go to the police and file an ID theft complaint.
You might also consider placing a fraud alert on your credit reports.

Filing the police report will show the bank that you are serious in that it was not "you" that had made the charges.

It's hard to say how someone got hold of the old credit card number. It could have been from someone stealing the info when you made a transaction on the card before the card was replaced, from old statements, etc. that you had thrown out without shredding them first, etc., etc., etc.