Credit card identity fraud - I finally got done!
Discussion
So, after having my credit card for 11 years, I've finally succumbed to the ID fraudsters.
I've always been careful with it, ripping my name and address off the top of bills to shred before throwing them away, shielding my PIN and being careful to only use it on "https" websites. I've even walked away from the night window at a petrol station in central Birmingham when the sign said "pay first" and the lone attendant wanted to take my card and keep it inside whilst I filled up.
But finally, I got done. Natwest spotted someone using my card to buy a £15 O2 phone top up (which was flagged up as I've been with Vodafone for 10 years) and called me to check the transaction was me. It wasn't - I was tucked up in bed at the time. They've refunded the transaction and immediately cancelled the card - I'm very impressed actually, from spotting what could be seen as a normal, innocent transaction to phoning me to cancel the card took under an hour.
Since I've been talking about the incident amongst friends and family though, it seems as if virtually everybody has been a victim of this - my mother's had someone place an order for £3000 worth of pharmaceuticals from the States, my sister's been got, work colleagues have been got multiple times etc etc...
Just how rife is it?!
I've always been careful with it, ripping my name and address off the top of bills to shred before throwing them away, shielding my PIN and being careful to only use it on "https" websites. I've even walked away from the night window at a petrol station in central Birmingham when the sign said "pay first" and the lone attendant wanted to take my card and keep it inside whilst I filled up.
But finally, I got done. Natwest spotted someone using my card to buy a £15 O2 phone top up (which was flagged up as I've been with Vodafone for 10 years) and called me to check the transaction was me. It wasn't - I was tucked up in bed at the time. They've refunded the transaction and immediately cancelled the card - I'm very impressed actually, from spotting what could be seen as a normal, innocent transaction to phoning me to cancel the card took under an hour.
Since I've been talking about the incident amongst friends and family though, it seems as if virtually everybody has been a victim of this - my mother's had someone place an order for £3000 worth of pharmaceuticals from the States, my sister's been got, work colleagues have been got multiple times etc etc...
Just how rife is it?!
I had exactly that with my Nationwide card a couple of months ago. A £15 O2 top up that went through and then they tried to authorise a 2nd purchse. Nationwide put a block on my card and sorted it out quickly, the account is used solely for bills/direct debits. The 1 and only time I used it as a debit card was at a Shell petrol station about 2 weeks prior to the O2 debit. Coincidence? I think not....
My Goldfish Barclaycard was done back in July. Think it happened at Gatwick Airport. Paying for breakfast in one of the airside restaurants.
Next thing I know is a charge to a real estate company in Florida, £30 top up to Orange and a National Express bus ticket from Birmingham. All refunded quickly and efficiently.
Next thing I know is a charge to a real estate company in Florida, £30 top up to Orange and a National Express bus ticket from Birmingham. All refunded quickly and efficiently.
Zippee said:
The 1 and only time I used it as a debit card was at a Shell petrol station about 2 weeks prior to the O2 debit. Coincidence? I think not....
No wonder Shell is making massive profits!Mine was used for currency in a bank and to buy plane tickets. Both seem incredibly blatent, but the credit card company didn't seem to give a toss.
I was done last month as well. Barclays debit card.
I have always been careful with the card also.
Had a call from Barclays who picked up the transactions - three sets of "Racing post online £3.50, then Ladbrokes online £800" so they tried to put through around 2000 quids worth with Ladbrokes. Barclays refused all the transactions after the initial racing post one, and were thankfully very on the ball - new card out to me the next day etc.
Its more common than you might think these days.
R.
I have always been careful with the card also.
Had a call from Barclays who picked up the transactions - three sets of "Racing post online £3.50, then Ladbrokes online £800" so they tried to put through around 2000 quids worth with Ladbrokes. Barclays refused all the transactions after the initial racing post one, and were thankfully very on the ball - new card out to me the next day etc.
Its more common than you might think these days.
R.
I got snaffled while working in Poland. They took about 4 thousand dollars. HSBC were great about it. I got the lot back after a week, or so, but because I was in Poland, I couldn't get any mew cards, (they said they would only deliver to billing address), so was stuck without money for a few days, and got my sis to send me cash through western union, (which simply made me feel like a scammer)
One of my cards was done even though I had not used it for years. The particular firm in question were then informed that my passport was six months out of date and that I have never bought aviation fuel in Barcelona yet alone been there. It was a replacement for an out of date and I suggested that maybe it was an inside job. They refunded the lot without a question.
More recently I have had my debit card done and it was suggested that people have hacked someone's data base and stolen the info rather that scammed you directly through a cash point or discarded bill. Be careful who you buy from on line.
More recently I have had my debit card done and it was suggested that people have hacked someone's data base and stolen the info rather that scammed you directly through a cash point or discarded bill. Be careful who you buy from on line.
I was done 3 years ago. Got a call off my bank to ask if I was in Amsterdam buying flowers, I wasn't. Turns out they were trying to order 10k's worth (2x5k) of flowers.
They cancelled the card but they had managed to pay a T-Mobile phone bill for £320.
Shirley they would have been easy to catch paying a bill like that?
They cancelled the card but they had managed to pay a T-Mobile phone bill for £320.
Shirley they would have been easy to catch paying a bill like that?
Mine started with a congestion charge of £8, obviously at his "uncles" corner shop, then once they realised the card worked they charged £580 at Ralph Lauren in Watford and six flight bookings. In total nearly £2,500 of charges.
It was only on the off chance that I checked my statement, as I very rarely use this card.
The disappointing thing is that American Express seem to blaise about it and didn't seem interested in trying to trace it at all.
It was only on the off chance that I checked my statement, as I very rarely use this card.
The disappointing thing is that American Express seem to blaise about it and didn't seem interested in trying to trace it at all.
My card was "skimmed" at a local convenience store.
Thing is, national chain of stores, chip and pin machine and the card never left my hand, yet that very night £1200 of jewellery attempted on my card, good job I have no money!
I spoke to the head office about it and they couldn't see anything suspicious on the cctv, yet when I look online I see that someone could put a skimmer in the machine with their own card, so it could have been anybody using that machine and not the staff!
Be careful out there!
Thing is, national chain of stores, chip and pin machine and the card never left my hand, yet that very night £1200 of jewellery attempted on my card, good job I have no money!
I spoke to the head office about it and they couldn't see anything suspicious on the cctv, yet when I look online I see that someone could put a skimmer in the machine with their own card, so it could have been anybody using that machine and not the staff!
Be careful out there!
My card got skimmed at a garage.
An initial purchase was made for a bus ticket, then a case of Champagne.
Felt slightly insulted that the bank regarded the Champagne as financially 'out of character'. -But let the bus ticket slide.
But all dealt with amazingly efficiently and I like to think that ex-Spetnaz nutters were sent in to recover the debt from the scammers.
An initial purchase was made for a bus ticket, then a case of Champagne.
Felt slightly insulted that the bank regarded the Champagne as financially 'out of character'. -But let the bus ticket slide.
But all dealt with amazingly efficiently and I like to think that ex-Spetnaz nutters were sent in to recover the debt from the scammers.
timbob said:
So, after having my credit card for 11 years, I've finally succumbed to the ID fraudsters.
I've always been careful with it, ripping my name and address off the top of bills to shred before throwing them away, shielding my PIN and being careful to only use it on "https" websites. I've even walked away from the night window at a petrol station in central Birmingham when the sign said "pay first" and the lone attendant wanted to take my card and keep it inside whilst I filled up.
But finally, I got done. Natwest spotted someone using my card to buy a £15 O2 phone top up (which was flagged up as I've been with Vodafone for 10 years) and called me to check the transaction was me. It wasn't - I was tucked up in bed at the time. They've refunded the transaction and immediately cancelled the card - I'm very impressed actually, from spotting what could be seen as a normal, innocent transaction to phoning me to cancel the card took under an hour.
Since I've been talking about the incident amongst friends and family though, it seems as if virtually everybody has been a victim of this - my mother's had someone place an order for £3000 worth of pharmaceuticals from the States, my sister's been got, work colleagues have been got multiple times etc etc...
Just how rife is it?!
Be very wary of this kind of so called security alert. I had exactly the same thing happen to me a year ago from my credit card company (or so they said). They rang up and said we have had an amount of £xxx come off your card from some bizare company. I obviously said I had no idea who this company was and didn't recognise the amount. They then wanted to ask me some security questions to verify I was the card holder. I immediately said could they prove who they were as as far as I was concerened they were just a person at the end of the phone asking me for my security details. They said they could't and I had no choice or they transaction would go through and because I had not helped them I would not be able to recoup it. I hung up and rang my credit card company on a known number and lo and behold it wasn't them that had rung me. I wonder how many people fall for that one though?I've always been careful with it, ripping my name and address off the top of bills to shred before throwing them away, shielding my PIN and being careful to only use it on "https" websites. I've even walked away from the night window at a petrol station in central Birmingham when the sign said "pay first" and the lone attendant wanted to take my card and keep it inside whilst I filled up.
But finally, I got done. Natwest spotted someone using my card to buy a £15 O2 phone top up (which was flagged up as I've been with Vodafone for 10 years) and called me to check the transaction was me. It wasn't - I was tucked up in bed at the time. They've refunded the transaction and immediately cancelled the card - I'm very impressed actually, from spotting what could be seen as a normal, innocent transaction to phoning me to cancel the card took under an hour.
Since I've been talking about the incident amongst friends and family though, it seems as if virtually everybody has been a victim of this - my mother's had someone place an order for £3000 worth of pharmaceuticals from the States, my sister's been got, work colleagues have been got multiple times etc etc...
Just how rife is it?!
Usually they try a small "test purchase" online, phone top ups seem to be the rage as you have all discovered and if that goes through unchallenged, they try for the big purchases very soon afterwards.
Speaking to a Sri Lankan work colleague, he says Shell service stations are well known places of employment for many Sri Lankans of Tamil descent who have a penchant for borrowing credit card details. not sure how true it is but worth thinking about.
Speaking to a Sri Lankan work colleague, he says Shell service stations are well known places of employment for many Sri Lankans of Tamil descent who have a penchant for borrowing credit card details. not sure how true it is but worth thinking about.
arguti said:
Speaking to a Sri Lankan work colleague, he says Shell service stations are well known places of employment for many Sri Lankans of Tamil descent who have a penchant for borrowing credit card details. not sure how true it is but worth thinking about.
It does always seem to be Shell station though - is the ownership / operating model different from other petrol companies?
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