Fraudulant card use

[GaryHN]

Over in Australia we have had a big problem with skimming, And the majority of them has been from a well known burger bar.

Funny thing is most of the transactions have come out from the UK.

With credit cards I would recommend a smaller limit card for online purchases. Falcon the online system is amazing!!! I work for a bank and the amount off transactions it picks up amazes me.

Some of the big companies also use Amazon to put the transaction through this happened to me when I bought some baby clothes from Marks and Spencers.

Gary

[GD]

Over in Australia we have had a big problem with skimming, And the majority of them has been from a well known burger bar.

Funny thing is most of the transactions have come out from the UK.

With credit cards I would recommend a smaller limit card for online purchases. Falcon the online system is amazing!!! I work for a bank and the amount off transactions it picks up amazes me.

Some of the big companies also use Amazon to put the transaction through this happened to me when I bought some baby clothes from Marks and Spencers.

Gary

Only last week I noticed that I had donated 10 Australian dollars to a charity and when I queried it the bank said I had been in Sydney which is strange I don't even have a passport, anyway the bank that gives a little xtra were very quick to sort this out and refund me the same day so full marks to them.

[Oldddudders]

Banks and card acquirers do their best to keep our money where it belongs - but they often trip over their own shoelaces in doing so. For example, I have been with Alliance & Leicester Giro since 1968, long before the former building society was carpetbagged, and turned from a mutual into a bank, acquiring Girobank from the Government thereafter. When I moved to France I kept the account open, and it has a little money in it. I have a cash card with Visa facilities. Now, many online sites use systems e.g. Verisign that add additional security before authorising card use. So when I attempted to use my A&L card online a while ago, up popped a need to register a password etc. Because I live in France, this proved impossible - as the card was issued in Britain, Visa required a UK address! Rang A&L's so-called helpline and got zero help, of course. Not our problem, we only hold and use your money!

 

No doubt the software for this and much other stuff is specified by Americans who don't even hold a passport. The idea that you would choose to live in a country other than that of your birth is just far-fetched, after all...... The same applies to online forms for addresses, which despite listing every country you've ever heard of, insist that the postcode appears in a certain place in the address, and that you provide a county or state, which are often not part of the address at all, as here in France. Every country in the world has its own format for addresses, but you wouldn't guess that.

[PhilH]

One positive thing about internet banking and credit card accounts is the immediacy of it - any transactions can be viewed the next day.

 

Much easier than the old monthly paper statements for sorting out anything untoward.

[muddys-blues]

Hi my experience of this problem is with tester transactions, I noticed a £2.00 difference, yes only £2.00 sat on my on line Banking statement, I rang my Bank and they told me it was for Knapster.com a music download website, this was on the account for 5 days but unsuccessful, then I got a call from the Bank asking if I was purchasing £236.00 worth of items at Carphone Warehouse, which I was not, so the cards were cancelled and new ones issued, so keep an eye on the little differences on your Banking balance.

 

I now never use debit cards over the phone, the type were you read all the details and someone writes it down on a slip of paper to leave hanging around till the orders are processed, also if Paypal is available I will use that as it gives you a better sense of protection, you may here some suppliers moaning about paypal, but it can be just as cost effective for a shop to use Paypal than any other card machine supplier as the Banks screw you on the cost of each machine transaction as well, also paying for phone line calls of each transaction "unless on broadband dial up".

[Downendian]

Purchased some model items this week from a well known southern England parts supplier by phone. On the same night my debit card details were used fraudlantly to try to buy some electrical goods amongst other things

 

Obviously not naming names just wondered if anyone else has had any problems this week - ofcourse my card may well have been scanned some time ago and the model shop purchase was just a coincidence - I would obviously like to think so

 

 

Wow, seems to be a lot of this happening this week. I have been done over too, and it looks like it was a UK model shop too. Investigations are ongoing at the moment and info has been handed over to the police. Seems the ones who done me over were none too smart in the end. I dont want to say too much as it has yet to be 100% confirmed but right now all the evidence in hand is stacking up that way. A real shame, but spineless thiefs should always be punished.

 

Hmm me too.....visa card cancelled very shortly after placing an order. Apparently over £470 was tried from my card, on line gambling apparently.

 

 

 

[Philip Jackson]

only use my UK card for model railway purchases, had an attempt to take $2000.00 which was blocked by my bank. Not naming names but I know which retailer to avoid now.

[Fireman Sam]

Funny enough I got contacted by my card issuer today as well over unauthorised transactions. Although I haven't used it for a while it is the card that I buy models with. So got to wait now for a new card to appear but at least they spotted it straight away.

[pointstaken]

If I buy on Ebay, I only use Postal Orders for sellers. If they don't take P.O.'s, I don't deal with them, thus minimising any loss.

 

Dennis

[hollywoodfoundry]

PayPal is very attractive to the purchaser, they offer you all sorts of incentives, promising buyer protection and added securuty. But what do they offer the seller, nothing.

 

In fact they charge more than a credit card company for transactions and if you happen to use them for a an overseas transaction they throw in the 'cross border fees'. They know their fees are higher, but simply rely on enticing the purchaser to use their services, knowing that sellers will then have to follow.

 

So when you say you will not use a merchant who does not offer PayPal, this is probably the reason they do not offer it. I did offer the service for a while until I got hit with a 13% charge on an overseas purchase, that's a full 10% more than I get charged by Mastercard. No more, I cancelled the account.

 

As for useful credit card tactics, I use one for all on-line or overseas purchases, and one that is only used locally. The overseas card is on a very low credit limit and is maxed out at any time. That way I only place enough credit on the card to cover an immediate purchase, then it becomes maxed out and cannot be used again.

 

In my experience, the credit card companies will ALWAYS take the side of the credit card holder. If you contact them and tell them you did not make any given transaction, they will always cancel it.

[Accurascale Fran]

Hmm me too.....visa card cancelled very shortly after placing an order. Apparently over £470 was tried from my card, on line gambling apparently.

 

 

 

 

Mine was via online betting too, interesting.... All I can say is that the online betting company were very helpful in sorting things out, there were three cards on the account in question apparently... The retailer I was using was not in Southern England though.

[deltic79]

Not quite. Restaurants are notorious for allowing card details to be leaked. They are sometimes paid to do it and there is a card reader somewhere that is literally logging your card details from a a mobile phone SIM that is in the card reader. Apparently, it is so difficult to prove as a crime that it is rarely reported. At the same time, and it also applies to petrol stations that go this route, the CC clearers are aware of these sites and monitor their transactions so that your card is in a reporting phase so that they can pick up unusual activity. Remember that your online transactions are coming from the same place all the time. these fraudsters are forced to use public sites and these are readily identifiable as are the transactions that they attempt to do. They are always big ticket and easily sold on merchandise.

 

These restaurants and petrol stations are nearly always within a few months of ceasing to trade. They lose their credit card licence and open up a week or two later under 'new' ownership.

Perhaps the technology has improved but the wireless chip and pin terminals certainly were an issue in the early days when the technology was rolled out. I remember an article in the media at the time and I'm sure something popped up on the intranet at work.

 

However I don't agree that my online transactions would always come from the same place all of the time. Surely this would only be true if I used the same network with the same IP address for every online transaction, which I don't. I'm just as likely to use my laptop at home, my work laptop in the office, or a pc at my parents, all of which I know are secure and, in the case of my work, probably much more secure that the majority of home networks. I would never use a public site but I am likely to use different sites.

 

 

 

Luck is the wrong word. You almost certainly have some sort of Trojan or key logger in your computer. This is how they know you are logging on to PayPal but the PayPal security prevents them from seeing or being able to capture your log-in details. They will also know of your interests by which sites you log on to.

So if that's the case then neither AVG nor Spybot picks it up (AVG scans daily, Spybot weekly). And it doesn't explain why these phishing emails are received on an account that is not linked to my Paypal account? Or why I receive phishing emails on yet another email account for banks (not just UK banks either) and credit card companies. Phishing is just that - sending emails to either random email addresses or to lists of accounts purchased from less reputable sources in the hope that the recipient will be fooled into thinking that they have originated from their bank/paypal etc. UK high street banks rarely email customers (mine predominately uses messages that are integral to internet banking) and will certainly never ask you to logon from an email link.

 

 

 

 

[Edwin_m]

I'm not on Paypal and have never had a Paypal-related phishing email, even though I get many that purport to come from various banks.

[DJH584]

Not quite. Restaurants are notorious for allowing card details to be leaked. They are sometimes paid to do it and there is a card reader somewhere that is literally logging your card details from a a mobile phone SIM that is in the card reader. Apparently, it is so difficult to prove as a crime that it is rarely reported

 

And I believe that is what happened to me last week. Lynda and I visited a certain pub on the Wirral for a meal. I paid by credit card and that same evening unauthorised transactions were taking place. One transaction was for over £1000 worth of flight tickets. Fortunately my company, Egg, stopped the transactions.

 

It seems strange that this form of activity appears to have suddenly become prolific within the last week or two.

 

David

[johnteal]

I have an EGG card and they are brilliant, I often get calls checking it is me, they also count daily transactions, it always funny when I get a call from Mrs RJR in the run up to Christmas, 3 years on a run now ... it goes along the lines . "I'm in a shop and my card wont work... " she always forgets there is a limit of 7 transactions a day however small. Its my moment of power. "I'll ring egg and authorise it , but whats it worth !!!"

 

On a more serious note, its interesting that car phone warehouse has been mentioned more than once. A first thought is lots of undesirables like fancy phones so will use dodgy card details to get them. But then I remembered being in said shop and they were having problems with the chip and pin reader. After 2 attempts of reading my card the assistant said , "never mind we can override the chip and pin authorisation", how I asked " Oh simple put the card in the wrong way round and the till will default to a signed for transaction" So I did and rightly enough the till produced a receipt to be signed for. Before I had even signed though EGG was on the phone asking if I was using the card !!!! Impressive stuff.. But I would not have believed chip and pin could be beaten so easily..

 

Finally if there are several worries about a model shop in particular, I can understand it is not right to mention it in public, but perhaps each of those effected could be asked by a mod for the name and if the same name crops up in each case it would be to all or benefit to know there is a problem ???

 

John

[Edwin_m]

All shops are able to use the old signed-for procedure if they want. It happens to me reasonably often if the reader is down. I believe if fraud takes place via this procedure the card issuer will seek to recover the proceeds from the shop, whereas if chip and pin was used the issuer (or possibly the operator of the terminal) is liable. Hence it is in the shop's interest to use chip and pin wherever possible.

[Andy Y]

Finally if there are several worries about a model shop in particular, I can understand it is not right to mention it in public, but perhaps each of those effected could be asked by a mod for the name and if the same name crops up in each case it would be to all or benefit to know there is a problem ???

 

This is a difficult one. I'm certainly not ducking away from the potential to identify if there is an issue connected to a specific retailer but it would be extremely difficult to determine from a remote and uninvolved perspective. Even if 10 people came to me today and said that they'd had a problem with a specific retailer it would then be difficult to achieve anything useful. If I contacted the retailer (and just suppose they were on the take) they'd just tell me to go forth or that they hadn't got a problem. I couldn't take the information to the Police as that would be down to the individual and I don't suppose for one minute the banks would pay any attention. If I were to name the establishment I could be injuring their business without sufficient facts even if there were an issue that dealt with internally.

 

Anyone on here who has suffered card losses is likely to have bought something from a model retailer recently and probably used a card in person, over the telephone or online. Whilst accepting that sometime, somewhere, someone working for a model retailer could have been involved with card fraud it is statistically likely that the loss could be a result of other spending. Restaurants and petrol stations have been mentioned but there are also other means by which fraud could be initiated. It is therefore probable that if a model retailer is involved is coincidental rather than causal.

 

It is fairest for me to give some basic advice to minimise risks and urge anyone who has suffered any loss to contact their own bank through the appropriate channel; they would identify where there are any patterns and progress with the authorities if appropriate.

 

Basic advice.

 

Keep your card in your possession, do not allow a retailer or other business to take it out of your sight.

If a retailer does not have chip and pin facilities use a cheque with the provided guarantee card (I know they're a dying item!) rather than allowing an old swipe machine to be used.

Do not provide card details over the telephone unless you trust that retailer implicitly.

Do not provide card details via email, ever.

When buying online only enter card details on secure sites denoted by the https:// url prefix and displaying the padlock symbol in your browser (where available). Never enter any details into any site that does not use this facility.

Before buying anything online ensure your PC is adequately protected with reputable and up to date anti-virus and firewall software.

 

Report any concerns to your bank or card provider as soon as possible.

Check your banking transactions online regularly if possible.

 

If the above criteria cannot be met for good reason find another way to pay the retailer; it may be slower but it will be safer.

 

If you wish to send any concerns over to me please do but it would require any overwhelming amount of data and time before I could achieve much.

[johnteal]

This is a difficult one. I'm certainly not ducking away from the potential to identify if there is an issue connected to a specific retailer but it would be extremely difficult to determine from a remote and uninvolved perspective. Even if 10 people came to me today and said that they'd had a problem with a specific retailer it would then be difficult to achieve anything useful. If I contacted the retailer (and just suppose they were on the take) they'd just tell me to go forth or that they hadn't got a problem. I couldn't take the information to the Police as that would be down to the individual and I don't suppose for one minute the banks would pay any attention. If I were to name the establishment I could be injuring their business without sufficient facts even if there were an issue that dealt with internally.

 

Fair comment.. Perhaps the best that could be hoped for is that it was an employee of the establishment, and that the owner was unaware. Being informed of concerns may make the owner check... But in reality I see your point that there is little if anything that could be done without potentially causing damage to an innocent party and or creating a libellous accusation by the forum / its members.

 

As stated basic security advice is best followed and lets hope we can draw a balance between caution and trust. For every fraudulent transaction there must be hundreds of successful ones. The internet can be used for good just as much as for bad.

[Sailsbury Hall]

Anyone who uses their cards to purchase fuel with is very much at risk. I only ever pay for petrol by cash as gangs have been known to terrorise forecourt kiosk staff to allow them to install card readers on their terminals, and I speak as someone who works within this industry.

 

Secondly I, like bennyboy, use a prepay mastercard for internet transactions and put the amount of my purchase on the card at a local 'paypoint' just before I place my order.

 

Thus , other than perhaps the odd pound or two, there is no money kept on this card for fraudsters to raid!

[Edwin_m]

I would hope that the card issuers are sharing information on this. If they put the transactions of everyone who complains onto a database they ought to be able to see which retailers appear disproportionately and are therefore potential suspects.

[Guest dilbert]

I would hope that the card issuers are sharing information on this. If they put the transactions of everyone who complains onto a database they ought to be able to see which retailers appear disproportionately and are therefore potential suspects.

 

If card issuers are not sharing information then they are absolute nutters... in this super-duper globalised economic society we live in, and that relies on a 16 digit card number and a 3 digit security code for txns that do not need a pin number or signature to be accepted, ... then there would be serious cause for concern...

 

One of the big problems of confidentiality is that the majority of breaches is not external to the business but comes from within - and most of the time gets hushed up for obvious reasons - a thorny issue for the businesses affected...

 

Whilst buyers need to be on the look-out for crap then so also should the sellers, because in a lot of cases it's the seller who eventually loses out - as a buyer I am very much on the look out for alternative approaches such as "PayPal accepted", or "any goods ordered via plastic card will only be dispatched to the invoicing address subject to an alternate agreement with buyer", or "once the cheque has cleared" etc...because a) I don't need more shite and b.) ultimately any losses the seller makes will rebound at some point in time to the customer base...

 

And do the banks lose out ?????...dilbert

[Guest 40-something]

I went to use my debit card on a saturday night a few months ago only to find it wouldnt work. I called the bank to enquire why and was told that the card was blocked as there had been an attempt to pay for something in Portugal a few days before. Was nice of the bank to let me know!

 

I was told to go into my branch with ID to prove my identity to allow a new card to be issued and to withdraw money to tide me over until the new card came through. All was fine until the teller asked me "so, how was the weather in Portugal?" It was at that point I closed my account and moved to another bank.

 

This was the 3rd time there had been unauthorised activity in that account, first was a petrol station (Jet) that scammed 60 quid off me, never got that back. 2nd was when a withdrawal to the daily limit was taken from an ATM in Manchester, minutes after I had used the card to withdraw money in Glasgow - took about 3 months to get the money back despite the ATM I used having a camera on it, and being the ATM I used (and still do) regularly. So no thanks for HBOS for that!

[Downendian]

Fair comment.. Perhaps the best that could be hoped for is that it was an employee of the establishment, and that the owner was unaware. Being informed of concerns may make the owner check... But in reality I see your point that there is little if anything that could be done without potentially causing damage to an innocent party and or creating a libellous accusation by the forum / its members.

 

As stated basic security advice is best followed and lets hope we can draw a balance between caution and trust. For every fraudulent transaction there must be hundreds of successful ones. The internet can be used for good just as much as for bad.

 

I've PMed the OP and its not the same supplier. Probably just a coincidence, and we were almost certainly attacked from other (non model railway) sources. According to my card supplier they probably randomly used my number but didn't have the CVV code so were thwarted.

[industrial]

I've PMed the OP and its not the same supplier. Probably just a coincidence, and we were almost certainly attacked from other (non model railway) sources. According to my card supplier they probably randomly used my number but didn't have the CVV code so were thwarted.

 

This is most likely that somebody has access to the shop credit card slip, as this will have your card number and the expiry date but not the CVC number on it. Some card machines still do not need the CVC number yet so they are hoping to get away with it.

[Ref44]

Have just been contacted by my card company querying a £1.10p charity donation followed by a £30 mobile top up at the start of the month. Both were nothing to do with me, and I'm now waiting for a new card.

Good work by the company (Tesco), but I'm now trying to think where the card has been compromised. I have a second card that is only used for petrol and settling Paypal.