It can happen to anyone: Obama's credit card declined

WASHINGTON - Apparently, even the president of the United States can have trouble with his credit card.

Barack Obama on Friday said his card was declined at a New York restaurant he went to while visiting the United Nations.

"I was there during the General Assembly, and my credit card was rejected," Obama said at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, where he unveiled new measures to stem credit card fraud and identity theft.

"It turned out, I guess I don't use it enough. So they thought there was some fraud going on," he said to laughter, adding "fortunately, Michelle had hers."

The president signed an executive order which adds "chip-and-pin" protection for US government cards and payment terminals, at a time when the financial industry is moving in the same direction.

"I was trying to explain to the waitress, no, I really think that I've been paying my bills," Obama said.

"Even I'm affected by this."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

US Chief Justice a victim of credit card fraud

WASHINGTON- Chief Justice John Roberts, who spent the last two days presiding over high-profile oral arguments on gay marriage, has been a victim of credit card fraud, a U.S. Supreme Court spokeswoman said on Thursday.

Roberts' credit card problem was first reported by the Washington Post in a story that said the chief justice was heard talking about it in a suburban Maryland Starbucks on Tuesday morning. That was the day the court weighed the validity of Proposition 8, a California ban on gay marriage.

Roberts was again in the spotlight on Wednesday when the court weighed the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which restricts the definition of marriage to opposite-sex couples for the purposes of federal benefits.

Kathy Arberg, the court spokeswoman, said Roberts had no comment on the incident.

source: abs-cbnnews.com