Credit Card Advice Needed

 I have to buy some stuff online from companies that I don't exactly
trust.

If I give them my credit card, how exposed am I,legally and
practically,to their making fraudulent charges on my card or selling my
card info to someone who might? If they misrepresent the product or
falsely advertise how difficult is it to get the CC company to charge
back/remove the charges; what can I do if they refuse?

I heard somewhere I am only liable for the first $50 for unauthorized
charges, is that correct? What's the real situation with this? Some of
these online companies ask you to sign agreements that there cannot be
any charge backs, also.

The bank is now offering temporary credit card numbers but I have to do
banking online and submit my SS number and CC number online for that,
and I wonder what risk that is?

Any good advice welcome.

  nowizard wrote:


You arent legally exposed at all.

You are only practically exposed in the sense that you do need to tell
the card company about the fraudulent charges to have them reversed.

You can also get one time card numbers which can only be used the once too.


That varys with the card company but in a practical sense in the US its pretty
easy.


is that correct?

It is in the sense that you arent liable for any more than that,
but in a practicall sense you arent even liable for the first $50
either if you report the fraudulent card use.


See above.


Then dont deal with those companys if you dont like that condition.


No risk at all.

 

<edit>


No risk eh? What about all the major companies who have had their
databases compromised and credit card numbers stolen? What about
man-in-the-middle attacks on supposedly secure bank web pages. These are
considerable risks when you're giving you social numbers and other info
used to access bank accounts.

 JeffS wrote

Irrelevant if you use a temporary credit card number.

And I was talking about the risk of giving the bank your SS number there anyway.


Trivial to avoid that when getting a temporary credit card number from the bank.


And trivially avoided. If you dont like the risk with a temporary credit card
number, you
can always go to the bank in person and get the temporary credit card number
that way.

  you

Do you know if most banks charge you for this service?