Contents of cabin safe exposed

[Stuart Suss]

I recently completed an NCL cruise.

 

On one day during the voyage, I returned from my shore excursion to find my cabin safe wide open.  I am willing to assume that this was probably my own fault, that I must have rushed out of the cabin to go ashore and forgot to lock the safe.  I checked the contents, and nothing was missing - cash, credit card, passport and other property were all there.

 

After the voyage, I received a message from Mastercard.  Two Netflix charges, on the same day, each in the amount of $13.99, appeared on my statement.  Mastercard was writing to ask me if I had been double billed for a single purchase.  I informed Mastercard that neither charge was correct, that I had made neither purchase, that I did not even have a Netflix account, and that on the date of the purchase, I was on board a cruise ship.  Mastercard took the charges off of my bill, canceled the credit card, and sent me a new card.  I have not lost any money and all is now well.

 

However, I am suspicious that this was connected to the open safe.  The credit card was brand new. It was used for the first time to pay for the cruise and that was the only other charge ever made with this credit card number.  This was not an account with a number used for many years and capable of misuse by employees at any establishment where I had ever previously used the card.  Instead, I believe that my credit card number may have been acquired by a ship staff member who took advantage of my carelessness in leaving the safe open, particularly since the charges were made while the ship was at sea, and while I was on board the ship.  

 

Do cruise employees have access to Netflix while on the ship?  Is this worth reporting to NCL Security in Miami, or should I let the matter go away?

 

Thanks.

 

[PTC DAWG]

I’m thinking it was something else...why just take a Netflix sub....? 

 

I’d let it go myself...

[GUT2407]

Report if you want.

 

not sure what they can do about it, though

[don't-use-real-name]

Maybe worth while to report it to NCL - if there is a problem employee - needs to be flagged.

Charges on account were removed (credited).

Amount was petty.

Only a few people on the ship have access to the cabins.

If there has or is a problem with an individual it is going to show up eventually.

Why just the Netflix card was used is the oddity.

Perhaps Netflix can ascertain the movie and viewing time to a specific location ?

Probably an internal glitch with Netflix but charging your CC ?

Report it or not - after that let is go - don't lose any Netflix sleep over it but do

when it is convenient get a copy of your credit report to see if you have been hacked.  

 

 

[bonvoyagie]

I had a similar thing happen back in 2012 just not with a safe, instead my card number was used at a few places in the port city just after my cruise. While it was not a new card - it was the one I used both for the cruise and the hotel pre-cruise. Someone rang up several hundred dollars - which my CC company took off my account - while issuing me a new card.

 

I do know that someone onboard has the ability to open the safes - they do this if you miss the ship and they need to find your passport to leave with the port authority. I am not sure if the room stewards can do this or not. So that is why I don't put much more than a passport in the room safe - and carry my CC with me.

 

Sorry this happened to you - but glad your CC Company made good.

[mapleleaves]

I would report it.  You're not pointing fingers, just reporting an incident. 

IF they DO have a problem employee, there's not much they can do if incidents aren't reported.

[Budget Queen]

No,   the stewards can NOT open up any safes.    Only 2  safety offers can.     Verify this directly instead of speculating.     

 

These events are never going to be known.   

[Turtles06]

47 minutes ago, bonvoyagie said:

I do know that someone onboard has the ability to open the safes - they do this if you miss the ship and they need to find your passport to leave with the port authority. I am not sure if the room stewards can do this or not.

 

From everything I've read, I am virtually certain that the cabin attendants cannot open the safe, that this must be done by security, and possibly in the presence of a witness.

 

OP: I'm sorry this happened to you.  The safe being open suggests that you possibly left it open as you say, and that someone who was in your cabin (maybe even maintenance came by, or the bar staff to check the minibar?) took advantage of that opportunity.  [ I think cabin stewards have too much to risk by doing this.]   Netflix has to be tied to an email address, something used to set up an account and stream video.  Netflix has that information...I think there is something that can be investigated there.   You also need to be sure there  was no fraudulent Netflix account opened in your name as appears may have happened; it should be closed if there was.   (Also, if that happened, you should consider filing an identity theft report with the government and putting a fraud alert on your credit reports, which also entitles you to see your credit reports for free.)

 

I don't think we as a society should just ignore these relatively small amounts of fraud   --- they all add up.  Had this been a card the OP had used a great deal, having to cancel and replace it could have been a real hassle.    (I was the victim of an identity theft/credit card fraud last month while we were on a cruise, and I don't believe it was a coincidence that it happened while we were in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.)

Edited December 28, 2018 by Turtles06

[Husky1987]

I guess it's a possibility that someone went to the trouble of stealing card information to watch some Netflix movies but left cash in the safe.

 

 

[fshagan]

We had a safe problem where it wouldn't open once, so asked our cabin steward about it. Security came with two people, opened the safe and fixed something on the door. From talking to the cabin steward he said only security can open the safe and it must be done with two people there. That's the procedure anyway.

 

That doesn't preclude a security person gaining access to your cabin and using the card illegally. Just that they take the safe security very seriously. 

 

I'm just skeptical that any crew member would buy a Netflix subscription that they couldn't use most of the time (they pay for Internet access too and it would be pretty expensive to use Internet minutes on board to watch a movie). 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

my husband's cards are always in his possession, yet somebody bought $1,400 worth of Beyonce tickets with his card.  Then somebody used my work-issued amex for Vera Bradley and Walgreens purchases...  Needless to say, my card never left my purse either.

What I am trying to say - it may have absolutely nothing to do with the open safe.

[don't-use-real-name]

31 minutes ago, fshagan said:

snip -

I'm just skeptical that any crew member would buy a Netflix subscription that they couldn't use most of the time (they pay for Internet access too and it would be pretty expensive to use Internet minutes on board to watch a movie). 

NCL crew employees probably have a free or reduced rate internet account - but not access to the movies

available to the guests - and then maybe they do ?

 

Going back to the post of the OP leaving the safe door open ???

Did he also leave the cabin door open to access the safe inside the cabin ?

Of all the cash and CCs in the OPs safe why Netflix ?

Netflix should be able to tell the title and time of play ?

The Credit Card company (MasterCard) should be able to furnish date and time of charge -

Was the physical card swiped chipped or manual done with the card number expiry date and CVV security code ?

Something is rotten in Denmark - No this Norwegian Cruise Lines -

Sherlock Holmes is in London 221 Baker Street -

Better bring out the Ouija Board to solve this puzzle !

Times up - The cabin steward did it in the stateroom with the purloined credit card info - my best guess !

But then again why Netflix and not a bunch of other stuff ?

AND THERE WERE TWO MOVIES (charges) ? 

[don't-use-real-name]

19 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

my husband's cards are always in his possession, yet somebody bought $1,400 worth of Beyonce tickets with his card.  Then somebody used my work-issued amex for Vera Bradley and Walgreens purchases...  Needless to say, my card never left my purse either.

What I am trying to say - it may have absolutely nothing to do with the open safe.

This is possible with the new chip cards - all that is needed is a Radio Frequency (chip) reader in close proximity

to the card to read its code and effect the charge - it is not Hollywood or Science-Fiction anymore.

[ziggyuk]

 

5 hours ago, Budget Queen said:

No,   the stewards can NOT open up any safes.    Only 2  safety offers can. 

 

5 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

I am virtually certain that the cabin attendants cannot open the safe, that this must be done by security, and possibly in the presence of a witness.

 

Those safes are very easy to get into by anyone who has the mind to do it and has access to your room, it is really not a case of who can get into your safe but who can get into your room, the cabins are not that secure and anyone who knows you're on an excursion knows they have hours.

 

This demonstrates just how easy it is to get into these cheap hotel and home safes:

 

 

And fully digital safes without a dial often have a master code to easily get in.

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/hotel-room-safes-master-code-default-override-hack-security-thieves-use-a8177831.html

 

Another example of a fully digital safe:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sg-Ib5Echns

 

 

Just google safe bumping, never trust a hotel or cruise safe with anything not replaceable.

Edited December 28, 2018 by ziggyuk

[BirdTravels]

The conclusion that it was someone on the ship has not been substantiated. It could have been someone at checkin skimming cards or even some walking by as you checked in with a camera running grabbing numbers. 

[fabnfortysomething]

I have twice had fraudulent purchases on my account when card never left my possession

 

credit card company contacted me as was unusual activity on my account and charges were removed

 

it was explained to me that if a fraudster has a genuine card he puts first 12 numbers and then randomly generates last 4-one of those matched my card number

 

 

so no skimming cards required

scary stuff but onus is on credit card company 

[fshagan]

8 hours ago, don't-use-real-name said:

NCL crew employees probably have a free or reduced rate internet account - but not access to the movies

available to the guests - and then maybe they do ?

 

According to this site, they pay .10 per minute in the crew Internet lounge on NCL. For a 120 minute movie they would pay $12 in onboard charges.

 

[roger001]

Personally....because it is only speculation that an NCL employee could have done this, because it is a bizarre charge for only a Netflix subscription, because the amount was minimal, because it was refunded, because there's no way in the world to really determine what in the world caused this weird charge, me being really lazy...I'd not do anything....but that's me.  

[Arzeena]

11 hours ago, don't-use-real-name said:

Maybe worth while to report it to NCL - if there is a problem employee - needs to be flagged.

Charges on account were removed (credited).

Amount was petty.

Only a few people on the ship have access to the cabins.

If there has or is a problem with an individual it is going to show up eventually.

Why just the Netflix card was used is the oddity.

Perhaps Netflix can ascertain the movie and viewing time to a specific location ?

Probably an internal glitch with Netflix but charging your CC ?

Report it or not - after that let is go - don't lose any Netflix sleep over it but do

when it is convenient get a copy of your credit report to see if you have been hacked.  

 

 

That is how card thieves and hackers test if the card is working and if the owner catches it. If not, they will then use it for bigger purchases. It is a very typical pattern.
And sometimes it could be just some wrong numbers put in...334 instead of 343 or something like that.

Edited December 28, 2018 by Arzeena

[islesdave]

Netflix and/or your bank that issued said CC should be able to trace the charges to an IP address.  That IP address can help determine location of the offending charges, and the ISP of the fraudster.  This can help narrow it down to whether it was someone on the ship or in a port, or even someone who RFID scanned you as you walked by.      

[Itchy&Scratchy]

9 hours ago, don't-use-real-name said:

AND THERE WERE TWO MOVIES (charges) ? 

netflix usually does a monthly subscription, not a per movie charge. We've been using them for years.

[PTC DAWG]

Nice of that guy to put that "hack" out there for the world to see.  

[Homosassa]

If your card number was stolen, I would be more likely to suspect it was somehow taken at check in for the cruise when you presented the card that would be used for onboard expenses or skimmed from your wallet by a passerby before the cruise.

 

[Buford T Justiice]

"The credit card was brand new. It was used for the first time to pay for the cruise and that was the only other charge ever made with this credit card number."

 

OP: Don't forget to include NCL shoreside check staff, your TA, as well as the steward in your conspiracy theory.

 

The onboard staff pay for wifi (reduced pricing), the movie would have cost over $100 to watch if s/he used a personal device.

 

Everybody's CC data is out there, don't waste your time trying to figure it out. Life is too short.

[victory2020]

You can try to ask the credit card company all the details but in my experience when my cards have been used fraudulently they will tell you nothing. Someone ordered 12K worth of diamonds through internet on my card(we discovered fraud next day) & we kept calling to ask where ,what when, & they would give no details, not even if diamonds had been sent out.