Credit Card / Identity been taken.Letter from debt collector

Thanks all, im feeling a bit better............must be the wine,,,slurp!!

Diesel-dubber said

I've never heard such an extreme case! Gutted for you. Someone spent money on Betfair online on my Barclaycard once, but Barclays clocked it as suspicious (they tried to use more than my limit), and although the git got some of my money, Barclays just paid it off straight away, once I confirmed it wasn't me, no questions asked. That was a card I had used online and over the telephone before - so it's all too easy for people to get their dirty mits on your card details. Hope you get it sorted, such an extreme case can't be nice at all.  8O

They don't even need to get hold of your card details. For a start, a 16 digit credit card number isn't 16 digits, its about 10 unique digits + 6 which define the type of card, the issuer, their product line, etc. Fraudsters cracked the algorithm which was used to generate seemingly random card numbers (cards aren't simply sequentially numbered, that would be too easy….) a while ago. There's programs out there on the internet which can 'generate' card numbers and a lot of the time, this is all you need to make a transaction, or at least start the 'fraud' ball rolling.

For example, card number + good guess at address (can be cracked online, by repeatedly attempting transactions at an online shop), can be used to find date of birth and mother's maiden name, and that's enough to be able to phone up a credit card company, speak to an Indian call centre operator and rant a bit and convince them you're genuine, and want to inform them of a change of address. Once that's done, then you 'lose' the card and receive another, so you have a working card and a safe haven for goods to be delivered to. Need I go on?

Basically, you can apply for a credit card and immediatly set fire to it, and you can still be caught out by fraud.

And a lot of fraud is also done by identity theft then impersonation to apply for credit in your name……

I shrunk my limit to ?1,500 and have online banking which I monitor.  Many people think it's fine if the banks keep increasing your limit… so ?1,500.. then ?2,000,  ?3,000 etc but then if it gets cloned…. they'll investigate you…. errr hold on you increased the liability not me!!  I just put mine at ?1,500 and tell them to leave it there.

P.S we shred everything… banks statements etc… but… if they're determind enough then anything is possible… we try to make it as hard as we can.

Just in case people didn't know they could take some steps to minimising their risk by lowering their liability and credit limit.  A shredder is a must have item these days  :cry: … sad times… scum of the earth fraudsters  :evil:

The CC companies are gits…they notice you're swiftly paying them off for a change, so they raise your limit - talk about encouraging debt. Good point Spud, the higher your limit, the more there is for others to steal! I'm currently paying mine off with the intention of cancelling the accounts, so I'll have to hope the same thing Daz is going through doesn't happen. Probably no 100% sure way of 'cutting the cord' though?
Let us know how you get on, Daz! Don't over-do the wine!  

Diesel-dubber said

The CC companies are gits…they notice you're swiftly paying them off for a change, so they raise your limit - talk about encouraging debt. Good point Spud, the higher your limit, the more there is for others to steal! I'm currently paying mine off with the intention of cancelling the accounts, so I'll have to hope the same thing Daz is going through doesn't happen. Probably no 100% sure way of 'cutting the cord' though?
Let us know how you get on, Daz! Don't over-do the wine!  

Yep. They're all gits. Chip and Pin was a turning point, because whereas before, the cardholder bore much of the burden of fraud, these days they can say that chip & pin is so secure that a lot of the onus on fraud, is now put on you. Also there's some dodgy 'practices' which occur in the industry, which basically, leave a big loophole for fraudsters to exploit.

If the industry were better regulated, it would have meant that much less credit line was offered to customers. The FSA is SLOWLY catching up now, credit cards used to be a really profitable area of banking and now its not so good. These key facts are: OFT ruling on ?12 cap on fees; FSA investigation into selling PPI at the same time as the card (misselling, etc); much higher risk of exposure to bad debt.

At work the credit sales department is shrinking and the collections department is growing….

i have never had a credit card,ive just got a debit card for the hole in the wall,i dont trust cards,never have,i like looking at the queens head too much  
Bert

Luckily I've never been in a position where I'm in minus figures on my card.. I put a bit on each month so I'm in credit… then it's there if I need it… hope I don't have to be in a position where I need to use the ?1,500  8O … at 13% +  it'd be a nightmare

One mate uses his like it's going out of fashion so he's in debt… thinks it's free money… not saying people on here do… far from it… my mate buys beer fags etc from the supermarket on it… aye  8O …. he then only pays the minimum and wonders why hes got no money each month  :roll: …got to love em  :wink: …

Unfortunately its very easy to redirect someone elses post or to 'move address'. Youre not the 1st person this has happened to and unfortunately you wont be the last.

1st thing you need to do is contact the police, they wont do anything but will give you a crime ref number and wish you luck.

2nd, Contact the credit card company and ask them to send you a complete list of all account activity from a few months before you stopped using the cards. Then ask to speak to their fraud department to discuss the matter. Give them the crime ref number. they probably wont need it but it shows your not some scum bag tryin to rip them off.

3rd, contact the debt collection agent and inform them that the debt is a result of fraud which is now being investigated by the credit card fraud department. Also provide them with the crime ref number the police gave you, to again show them youre not just trying to get out of paying the bill. its a good idea to get someones name and direct number so youve got a real person to interact with rather than being passed from pillar to post.

4th, When the statements arrive you need to go through every last transaction and try to pin point what you were doing and where you were when that happened. things like tickets, receipts, invoices etc.. basicly anything that can prove you couldn't have made even one of those payments is enough to get you off!

5th, contact a legal advisor. you may need some help at some point so its not a bad idea to have someone who knows whats happening from the off.

I dont want to upset you furthur but this isnt going to be a quick fix,it can take years to resolve. On the plus side the debt agent can't back up their threat of coming round and taking your stuff. They would need a court order to do that and no court in the land will allow them to recover property whist theres a fraud case to answer.

i love visa cards well did do ask jai  :mrgreen:

onyl had ?500 limit but wasnt a problem think i did that in 2 outings to the shops :mrgreen:

We always shred our statements / bills etc after 18months… when i paid the lump sum at the end of July 07, we went away for 2 weeks,, when we returned there was no Aug or Sept statements and a presumed i had paid it all off and it was closed  

My mate at work had his wages taken out of his bank account 2 months in a row last summer.They left him 0.55p in each time, he was totally screwed..

Have learn't one thing today…….
















Dont ask Paul_C to lend you any money :mrgreen:

bens_cab said

i love visa cards well did do ask jai  :mrgreen:

onyl had ?500 limit but wasnt a problem think i did that in 2 outings to the shops :mrgreen:

I thought Jai would be the one spending…. lol… to quote her statement yesterday "YOU KNOW WHO WEARS THE TROUSERS"… errrr…. she does mate lol… did she take them off you?  

 

ive only had a bank card for a little over 2 months she reckons its like letting a kid in a sweet shop go un supervised

bens_cab said

 

ive only had a bank card for a little over 2 months she reckons its like letting a kid in a sweet shop go un supervised

lol…. be careful mate it's probably got a tracker  :wink: …. does it start beeping when you go near parts places  :dontknow:

In all honesty I can see people using their cards more while times get harder…. even more debt for people to fall into…

how bad is credit card fraud at the min paul any ideas… on the rise.. decline  :dontknow:

bens_cab said

 

ive only had a bank card for a little over 2 months she reckons its like letting a kid in a sweet shop go un supervised

Especially when that sweet shop extends to USA Tuning Firms and Shiny Car Parts…..

Spudfingers said

bens_cab said

 

ive only had a bank card for a little over 2 months she reckons its like letting a kid in a sweet shop go un supervised

lol…. be careful mate it's probably got a tracker  :wink: …. does it start beeping when you go near parts places  :dontknow:

In all honesty I can see people using their cards more while times get harder…. even more debt for people to fall into…

how bad is credit card fraud at the min paul any ideas… on the rise.. decline  :dontknow:

Don't know really, fraud is in a separate building from the main area (the bank is too big to fit into one big building) and its a boring department, no fit birds or anything in there.

paul_c said

 no fit birds or anything in there.

LOL… paul fixes nothing in that building… stick a fit bird in there… the calls go to priority 1 straight off lol  :clap: …. man of the same mind set as me  :y:

paul_c said

These key facts are: OFT ruling on ?12 cap on fees; FSA investigation into selling PPI at the same time as the card (misselling, etc); much higher risk of exposure to bad debt.

i come on here to get away from work!

daz i feel for you.

hope you manage to get it all resolved and sorted out.

I used to work for a company who's sole purpose was to help protect peoples cards and identities from theft and help them clean up if the worst happens. I can tell you that ID theft is the fastest growing crime in the UK.

I hope you'll take the advice I gave in my last post as I do know what Im talking about on this one, probably more so than anyone else on here having delt with 100's of cases of ID theft a month with my previous employer.

The problem you face is that not only have they spent on this card but have access to your details to use again and again to open other credit accounts you know nothing about (they may have already started).

I dont want to confuse or scare anyone but you're in a pickle! Once youve got this immediate problem sorted you need to look at monitoring your credit to see if anything else is happening, both now and in the future. There are a number of ways you can do this:

Signing up to experian is one way to see if anything happens, as all applications for credit made in your name are logged for 6 years (your credit report). http://www.experian.co.uk/

The CIFAS register will protect you from bogus credit applications by asking questions which only you can answer (eg; your fave restaurant etc..)http://www.cifas.org.uk/

Both of these options are great to start with but if something goes wrong you're still on your own! For the cost of a years subscription to experian You can take out an IPA (Identity Protection) which will do the above as well as monitoring everything for you including scanning the internet to find anyone who holds your details, provide financial support to cover your expenses if the worst does happen but more importantly someone who's there 24/7 to completely clear your name if any other fraud's committed.

Its worth a read:
 http://www.cpp.co.uk/idprotection.html

Cheers Bigdave, have been to cop shop to get a crime number..it was shut!but did get a phone number off the door!!

registered for a 30 day free trial with  Experian | Credit Scores, Reports & Credit Comparison   they cannot confirm my details and are sending a pin number in the post…

Might even go and get my car out to cheer me up  8)