Fraudulant Credit Card Usage

My other half has received her credit card bill for a card she hasn't used in months yet there are two transactions on it for the same company.

She got straight on the phone to the card company and was told they'd investigate it but they suggested in the meantime that she should make the minimum payment. Surely this can't be right ???

Anyone else had a similar experience ?      

I have just gone through the worst ever experience with Barclaycard, involving someone I'd met stealing my mail and spending almost two grand about three or four months ago.

WARNING: prepare yourself for a rant.

To this day, Barclaycard have not been able to tell me whether I'll be footing the bill. Luckily, the guy came forward (I only found out who it was last week and he turned himself in).

They *will* keep upping the interest you owe unless you pay. For me, well, I'd never even seen the credit card so none of the transactions were my own outstanding ones to pay any minimum balance on.

I went to the police when I was back in the UK and was given an 'incident number', and told that the police rarely get involved. Turns out it was a good thing: having an incident number apparently makes it much easier for the police to prove the guy had done it (even though he handed himself in  :dontknow: ).

When attempting to inform Barclaycard of the recent boon, I was place don hold a further three times and eventually hung up, rang back and asked someone to call me since I'd spent too much money internationally dialling just to speak to incompetent staff. "Sure" they said, "we'll pass your number onto post-customer care", and I've never heard a damn thing.

To top it off, I spent an hour in at Barclays (I recommend this if it's Barclaycard) with a fantastic staff member calling Barclaycard on my behalf and using their own terminology (the dickheads on the other end of the phone don't understand layman's speak apparently), and I thought that they had successfully changed my address so that the guy who had already stolen two cards (even though I'd asked them not to send a replacement and to cancel my account months earlier) would not then steal any more - or the paperwork that I apparently needed to fill out to say I didn't take the damn money in the first place. So, when I called them most recently, they told me they still had my old address.  

The second person out of the three who put me on hold told me that had my French address, not my old address.  

The third person who put me on hold told me they had my old address.  

Two days later, some forms arrived in the mail.        

THEY ARE IDIOTS. DO WHATEVER YOU HAVE TO DO TO MAKE SURE STUFF GETS DONE BUT DO IT FACE TO FACE IF YOU CAN!

And good luck with it: I hope it causes you a lot less stress than my mess has caused me!

Nightmare !

So were you asked to make payments to clear the debt or did you stand firm ?

i work for a bank, even though your mrs didn't use the card herself, i'd still make the minimum payment. if you don't, you'll only end up with charges.

make the minimum payments while they are investigating it and you should get it all refunded and the rest written off when they find out it is fraudulent.

nothing is as instant with banking as people think, although people shouldn't make promises they can't keep.

they can't just cancel the balance on the card, or postpone the monthly payment instantly.

i do see some nightmare problems but i work at the first stage of contact (NOT ON THE PHONES!) so i rarely see the outcome of these things.

DubPartz said

Nightmare !

So were you asked to make payments to clear the debt or did you stand firm ?

I'm *still* being asked to pay the lot!! The day before the forms arrived, another statement arrived with the full amount still owing.

There is no excuse for the incompetence I've experienced and I wish I'd got the financial ombudsman involved months ago (still thinking about it). I'm just glad the guy has handed himself in and hopefully saved me some hassle (caused by him in the first place).

I have never paid anything off the statement, because, as I said above, the card was a new card sent in the mail, and I had none of my own transactions on it. So, as far as I was concerned, I was never going to make a minimum payment on money I hadn't spent, especially since it was a card I had not asked for and had no idea about until a statement with over a grand owing arrived.

If I'd had outstanding stuff to pay, I would have paid mine and refused to pay any more.

Screw it: why should the consumer pay for the fraud? The banks SHOULD have the ability to freeze payments while they're investigating. Why should the consumer suffer when the consumer isn't the criminal?

mk1john said

i work for a bank, even though your mrs didn't use the card herself, i'd still make the minimum payment. if you don't, you'll only end up with charges.

i have been asked twice by a member for my bank details to pay for items, each time i have said i dont give out my details
am i just being to cautious ??
or have i just saved myself from a possible nightmare ??

opentop you have pm

opentopvw said

mk1john said

i work for a bank, even though your mrs didn't use the card herself, i'd still make the minimum payment. if you don't, you'll only end up with charges.

i have been asked twice by a member for my bank details to pay for items, each time i have said i dont give out my details
am i just being to cautious ??
or have i just saved myself from a possible nightmare ??

Never, never, never give out your bank details to anyone ever. You have saved yourself a lot of grief. We have enough problems with the government loosing our personal details with out fraudulent people who are pretending to sell stuff after them as well!! If you ever want to buy stuff from people on the forum try and use pay pal if they have an account, otherwise be very careful but don't give out any personal info crooks don't need much to steal you identity and your money.

I had this done to me some years ago. The person spent ?2000 in france on wines and a camera, When I phone up the Credit card company they asked me some questions and if I could prove that I was not in france on the dates the card was used. I said I could, I don't like the french and have never been to the *******L, plus i was in training and on one of the dates was sitting an exam. The company (MBNA) stopped my card froze the account unit I sent a letter.

It turned out my card had been cloned when I paid for petrol at a garage on the M1

I'm baffled by how Helens card details have been stolen as she hasn't used it for months. It's been kept in a very safe place. The customer service bod' was not over pleasant and the suggestion to pay the minimum on the card, which bearing in mind none of the transactions are hers seems a bit much. I have noticed how two of her statements are missing/never received so perhaps someone has utilised those.  :dontknow:

I read on a website that the police are not the ones to speak to on such matters and that we should take it up with the card issuer. I think we'll try to call them again and see if we get a more understanding response.

it can't be written off instantly though, so it's up to you, make the payment and get it reimbursed or not pay it and get hit with numerous charges and bad credit file

mk1john said

it can't be written off instantly though, so it's up to you, make the payment and get it reimbursed or not pay it and get hit with numerous charges and bad credit file

Thanks John. It pains me but I guess that's the way we'll have to play along with it.
 
BTW. I long for the end of this year. You wouldn't believe the amount of chew we've had with one thing and another  :cry:

1. How on earth is a bank going to take your DD if you don't give them your bank details?

2. Fraudsters can guess your credit card number because they have cracked the formula which is used to randomly generate credit card numbers. This is why credit card numbers are now 19 numbers long instead of 16, with the 3 extra verification numbers on the back. This is tied to each physical card that is embossed, ie if you get a new card with the same 16 digit number, the 3 extra numbers will be different.

3. Offer APRs are just that - an offer. Not meeting the T&Cs of the contract (ie not paying the minimum payment) will mean you lose the offer.

4. You need to provide details to your bank to allow them to investigate the fraud. At the end of the day, you can't sort it out on your own, but the bank can.

5. When you phone up, its invariably a call centre and its only a kid (probably aged 20-25) who takes the call. Don't be hard on them, they're just doing their job, they don't make up the rules.

paul_c said

1. How on earth is a bank going to take your DD if you don't give them your bank details?

2. Fraudsters can guess your credit card number because they have cracked the formula which is used to randomly generate credit card numbers. This is why credit card numbers are now 19 numbers long instead of 16, with the 3 extra verification numbers on the back. This is tied to each physical card that is embossed, ie if you get a new card with the same 16 digit number, the 3 extra numbers will be different.

3. Offer APRs are just that - an offer. Not meeting the T&Cs of the contract (ie not paying the minimum payment) will mean you lose the offer.

4. You need to provide details to your bank to allow them to investigate the fraud. At the end of the day, you can't sort it out on your own, but the bank can.

5. When you phone up, its invariably a call centre and its only a kid (probably aged 20-25) who takes the call. Don't be hard on them, they're just doing their job, they don't make up the rules.

Who's your response aimed at Paul ? :dontknow:

1. ?? :scratch:
2. Fraudster must have guessed the 3 digits on reverse of card, having already got the others from statement
3. ???  :dontknow:
4. Done
5. We weren't hard on them but if they choose a job in the firing line then they should expect a bit of flack

Tell the police and give the company the crime referance number. it's no longer a police matter to investigate as this is down to the bank, however you will need a crime No to show that you have reported it and this gives the bank a kick up the A***

I am really stunned by the amount of grief you have been getting over this. In the past both me and my hubby have had fraudulent transactions occur, dh's was on his debit card (cloned) and cleaned his account out. Lloyds were brill and sorted it straight away so that all his dd's were still met and he still had access to the same amount as was taken.
I had a surprise call one day from barclays checking I wasn't in the dominican republic as my card had been used there. I said no and that was it the transactions were reversed.

a friend of mine pays something called setinal protection which is sposed to prevent this from happening and help if it does but unsure of the details.

i must admit i personally aren't that careful with my details but (touch wood) nothings happened to me yet!

On the same theme, received the following email this eve. This is from a friend of mine and actually happened to her so I'm taking notice!



This one is pretty slick since they provide YOU with all the information, except the one piece they want.

Note, the callers do not ask for your card number; they already have it.
This information is worth reading. By understanding how the VISA &MasterCard Telephone Credit Card Scam works, you'll be better prepared to protect yourself.

One of our employees was called on Wednesday from "VISA", and I was called on Thursday from "Master Card".

The scam works like this: Person calling says, "This is (name), and I'm calling from the Security and Fraud Department at VISA. My Badge number is 12460. Your card has been flagged for an unusual purchase pattern, and I'm calling to verify. This would be on your VISA card which was issued by (name of bank). Did you purchase an Anti-Telemarketing Device for $497.99 from a Marketing company based in Arizona ?" When you say "No", the caller continues with, "Then we will be issuing a credit to your account. This is a company we have been w atching and the charges range from $297 to $497, just under the $500 purchase pattern that flags most cards. Before your next statement, the cr edit will be sent to (gives you your address), is that correct?"

You say "yes". The caller continues - "I will be starting a Fraud investigation. If you have any questions, you should call the 1- 800 number listed on the back of your card (1-800-VISA) and ask for Security .

You will need to refer to this Control Number. The caller then gives you a
6 digit number. "Do you need me to read it again?"

Here's the IMPORTANT part on how the scam works. The caller then says, "I need to verify you are in possession of your card". He'll ask you to "turn your card over and look for some numbers". ; There are 7 numbers; the first 4 are part of your card number, the next 3 are the security Numbers'
that verify you are the possessor of the card. These are the numbers you sometimes use to make Internet purchases to prove you have the card. The caller will ask you to read the 3 numbers to him. After you tell the caller the 3 numbers, he'll say, "That is correct, I just needed to verify that the card has not been lost or stolen, and that you still have your card. Do you have any other questions?" After you say No, the caller then thanks you and states, "Don't hesitate to call back if you do", and hangs up.

You actually say very little, and they never ask for or tell you the Card number. But after we were called on Wednesday, we called back within 20 minutes to ask a question. Are we glad we did! The REAL VISA S ecurity Department told us it was a scam and in the last 15 minutes a new pur chase of $497.99 was charged to our card.

Long story - short - we made a real fraud report and closed the VISA account. VISA is reissuing us a new number. What the scammers want is the 3-digit PIN number on the back of the card. Don't give it to them.
Instead, tell them you'll call VISA or Master card directly for verification of their conversation. The real VISA told us that they will never ask for anything on the card as they already know the information since they issued the card! If you give the scammers your 3 Digit PIN Number, you think you're receiving a credit. However, by the time you get your statement you'll see charges for purchases you didn't make, and by then it's almost too late and/or more difficult to actually file a fraud report.

What makes this more remarkable is that on Thursday, I got a call from a "Jason Richardson of Master Card" with a word-for-word repeat of the VISA scam. This time I didn't let him finish. I hung up! We filed a police report, as instructed by VISA. The police said they are taking several of these reports daily! They also urged us to tell everybody we know that this scam is happening.

Please pass this on to all your family and friends. By informing each other, we protect each other.

We spoke again today with the card supplier and this time were told we SHOULD NOT make the minimum payment, that their fraud department were investigating the matter and we'd hear from them in due course. Helen will not be black listed either.

dont get a credit card! get a pre-paid one! they are pretty good!