Guest Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 My credit card was declined at Tesco last night. When I got back home, I tried a transaction through iTunes - again, it was declined. This morning I checked my statement online and there was a £7.35 charge to UGC Cinemas in West London which was not mine! I phoned the fraud section of the bank and they said my credit card account had been locked due to suspicious activity. They locked it after the first £7.35 transaction, but she said there were a *lot* of attempts last night to use my credit card number at UGC Cinemas. I am a very careful person over anything to do with privacy/financials, so I was shocked that anything like this had happened to me. I asked the person in the fraud section how they could do this. She said they use a computer program called "Credit Master". It calculates valid credit card numbers - then they just guess at the expiry date and try online transactions until it works. I thought most places used the three code verification number on the signature strip? And what about name/address/post code - I thought these were all part of the checks? Perhaps that's why they locked it after the first transaction. So be warned. Check you credit card balance often - preferably ever day. Did a quick search and found this at the US dept of commerce: "Credit Master is a product that can be purchased to calculate the algorithm of a credit card number until it makes a match. The user can only calculate the account number and then try to match the expiration date. If a match is not made, the transaction is declined. The users of this product usually use a mail order or internet merchant to test the transaction. If they are successful, then fraudulent charges may appear on the affected account." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melcotton Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 grd - sorry to hear about that - it just shows you how easy it is and how we all think it won't happen to us! Good job your credit card company were on the ball. Hope it all gets sorted out and doesn't cause you too much stress! Mel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 Blimey Thanks for the warning grd I am a demon for checking all statements but I will be even more vigilant now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popcorn Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 Quite unsettling isn't it. Glad they stopped the card at such a little amount Grd - I take it you haven't got to pay up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 No - they said they would re-imburse the amount. But it's not really the amount I'm bothered about. It just seems that no matter how careful you are over these things, it can still happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 Hope it gets sorted out quickly grd, my dad was victim of credit card fraud, way back before there was any real publicity about it. A hotel owner ran up a £1000 bill back in the early 80's on my dads Visa bill, all in about 36 hours before he maxed it out. It took months for my dad to be convinced that my mum hadn't gone on a shopping spree without his knowledge. Luckily, the police caught up with the man is question very quickly, and everything was sorted out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clare* Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 Thank goodness it was on £7 odd. Your bank did really well to pick it up and stop the card so quick. You hear of such horror stories where £1000's have been taken and then the banks take an age to pay it back. I check all my accounts daily online. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 I've had this too. About 3 years ago I noticed an amount in Dollars on my card,which I had always assumed was eBay. I phoned the company,to be told it was an *ahem* adult web site fee,& the reimbursed me for all the prior transactions too....about £200 in all. I was dumbstruck that I hadn't noticed it,& am now very careful to check my balance regularly & shred all pertinant documents that come my way. Good on your bank grd for locking your card quickly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popcorn Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 We had a bit of a situation at our house a few months back. The lady that used to live here didn't let her credit card company know her new address, so we were getting regular statements for her. We kept putting them back in the post box with 'no longer at this address' messages, but had no joy. The next thing to arrive was a new updated, unsigned credit card, followed shortly by a pin number I had to make the decision to open the letter and call the credit card company to explain, only to get a right earfull for opening mail that wasn't addressed to me, and almost being accused of fraud! There's no justice is there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 I had to make the decision to open the letter and call the credit card company to explain, only to get a right earfull for opening mail that wasn't addressed to me, and almost being accused of fraud! There's no justice is there Blimey! Thats really unfair,Gina. You were only trying to do the right thing :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 I had to report the Bank of Scotland to the banking ombudsman a while back My ex had gone into his bank and even though we have never had a joint account at any bank they changed my address to the same as his even though he lives over 100 miles away They say it is because we had a joint insurance QUOTE from the HALIFAX when his address was to be changed the computer apparently flashed up this customer has two addresses so the assistant changed them both nice and helpful Then my new card got sent to him, he didn't notice and tried to use it in the hole in the wall and it got refused he then realised it was mine and told me I went to the bank and got the address changed back then my pin number got sent to my ex as you can imagine I was furious. Not only did the machine not retain the card a new pin was sent out without anyone checjking that this new card had been sent to its rightful owner Apart from anything else just having to speak to my ex on the phone is an incredibly stressful thing for me to add insult to injury I wrote and complained and they did nothing so I reported them and they had to investigate it I got £50 compensation as well I am no longer a customer of Bank of Scotland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffie Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 Sorry to hear it grd, have you bought anything over the phone using your card? We had it happen to us and they thought the amount was odd so stopped our card and contacted us. Makes you think doesn't it! BBx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kazaddress Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 my friends were really stung by this. they got hit by the slips that get inserted into ATM's the fraudsters lived in the same town as my friends.. and even shopped in the same supermarket. because of this the bank would not refund any of the charges made in that store (even though the fraudsters spent £1000's on electrical goods in the store). because they could not prove it was not them doing it They lost £4000 in total Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken on a mission Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 My hubby nearly got stung when attempts were made in Ireland, Russia and some other country which I forget to make non-present payments. Morgan Stanley were on the ball and called him before anything happened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trish Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 A friend of mine had his card swiped at a garage, he ddin't realise it had been done twice, nce in the real till, once in a machine that took all the details off it. The next thing he knew was when the bank phone him to say there had been unusual activity on his account, not many people spend £40 on petrol is 5 different garage in Manchester on the same night, not when they live in Leeds anyway. Turns out the number was sold to someone working for a taxi firm in Manchester who passed out fake cards to his mates. Fortunatley that little ring was traced and stopped and my friend got his oney returned, even though, scary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieP Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 All of these stories are just incredible! It seems like we all have one to share! Mine is pathetic, but annoying nevertheless. Every month a debit is taken from my bank: MFI geneaology. $12.40. I have never subscribed to this institution, and to be honest, didn't notice this going out for a few months, as I did do some geneology stuff over the Internet a while back. It was only when I noticed it was in dollars one time that I realised. Anyway, because its a direct debit the bank cannot stop it. I have no details to stop it with either. I was hoping it would stop when my card expired, but no, it continues. The bank reinburses me the amount every month, but because it is for such a small amount, they haven't got the time or personnel to investigate it. It drives me mad! It has been going out of my account for 18 months now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 Annie - do you have online banking? On my Nationwide account it lets me cancel any of my direct debits that I like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken on a mission Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 If it goes under the direct debit scheme then you are covered by the direct debit gaurantee and in unauthorised payments should be cancelled by you bank and you should be reimbursed with the bank fighting it out between them and the company involved. I can only think that this is not a direct debit but can't think of any other payment method that would not allow you to cancel it. I would contact your bank to find out exactly what system this payment is being made through and go from there. You may find this useful: http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/publications/ombudsman-news/27/27-directdebit-guarantee.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kannie Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 Sorry - but yet another tale! About 18 months ago we popped out for breakfast at a local cafe. Shortly after getting home I had a phone call from my bank. Thinking it was (yet another) a sales call, I was rather short with them - especially when they wanted proof of who I was, when it was them that had called me! Finally they told me that they were calling because they suspected my credit card had been stolen & used fraudlently. I thought this was ridiculous as I'd used it just the night before and it was only about 9am! I was quite shocked when I went to my bag and found the card really had gone out of my wallet! The thieves had taken the card & placed the wallet carefully back in my bag without me even noticing - presumeably so that I wouldn't notice the absence of 1 card when I paid for my coffee. In the half hour that had elapsed they'd tried several small purchases with British Rail & petrol stations - and the bank/credit card company had obviously realised very quickly! I don't quite understand how they did it, but I was very grateful for their vigilance and didn't loose a penny! Thanks Nat West! (I might even forgive them for all those sales calls...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacky Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 I decieded to take out an extra credit card to get one of those 0% deals and only ever used it in two shops, but some how it got cloned I rang the bank when the first two transactions took place and they refunded straight away I didn't use the card again, a few months later the bank rang me because of some strange transactions they blocked the card straight away but I asked them to cancel the card as i hadn't really used it much anyway. I did also find a strange transaction on my bank statement which i querried that turned out to be genuine I just didn't recognise the name of the retailer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Managing Director Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 A. Every month a debit is taken from my bank: MFI geneaology. $12.40. It was only when I noticed it was in dollars one time that I realised. Anyway, because its a direct debit the bank cannot stop it. I have no details to stop it with either. I was hoping it would stop when my card expired, but no, it continues. The bank reinburses me the amount every month, but because it is for such a small amount, they haven't got the time or personnel to investigate it. It drives me mad! It has been going out of my account for 18 months now! when I read this I thought that can't be right but apparently that just shows how naive I am. If you have an international direct debit on a credit card the only person who can cancel it is the company making the claim So if you buy something on a credit card in the US they can charge you for as along as they like even if you think you have closed the account thye will still keep charging it it's not actually called a direct debit as such but 'direct debit' laws only apply to transactions within the UK. the moral of the story seems to be never use your credit card to set up a 'direct debit' for overseas , I find it amazing that the banks will just keep reimbursing a fraud rather than stop it happening (but glad for Annies sake that they do ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken on a mission Posted May 12, 2006 Share Posted May 12, 2006 WOW thanks for posting that MD. I'll warn hubby but he's such a know it all that he probably knows that anyway I wonder if you can get out of it somehow for not having signed and instruction or something like that. Could you threaten the bank with assisting in fraud. Would you have to report to the police and get a crime number for the bank? Surely there's something that can be done Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieP Posted May 13, 2006 Share Posted May 13, 2006 Phew, I'm glad you wrote that before I waded in trying to explain MD, thanks! Very clear! That's right: because its international, only the company can cancel it, and I haven't got a clue who the company is! I cannot get any details and neither, it seems can my bank (through trying or not bothering, I don't know)! Anyway, as I said, the bank reinburses me every month, so I am not out of pocket, but its such a petty annoyance knowing that these companies are probably doing it to thousands of people, who maybe haven't realised! What really annoys me is that the card they must have cloned the info from went out of date over 6 months ago, but these transactions are guaranteed for as long as the debit lasts, so will just continue to go out every month! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken on a mission Posted May 13, 2006 Share Posted May 13, 2006 My must learn to read properly Didn't see the bit where you said you were reimbursed every month so the bank wouldn't keep paying out if they had any way of stopping it. What a strange banking system in that it actually allows banks to be out of pocket They say you learn something new everyday and this is mine for the day so thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted May 15, 2006 Share Posted May 15, 2006 If the bank isn't investigating Annie the ombudsman can help I have used them but you have to follow the rules to the letter and write first then wait a month before reporting it keeping all dates and if possible names my claim was sorted in 2 weeks. The assign you someone and they phone you and keep in touch at all times Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
