Debit Card Fraud

[wizer]

Yesterday, while cringing at my bank balance online, I noticed that I had 2 transactions to National Express. I had to think long and hard whether I'd booked any coach tickets lately. When I realised I'd never been anywhere near National Express or their website I decided to report it. This morning on the phone to the fraud dept at Intelligent Finance, I was told that there as another transaction pending for NE and a £10 transaction to Oxfam. Again, neither of these where anything to do with me. Thankfully the bank was extremely helpful. They've stopped my card which is quite and inconvenience but increased my OD limit to absorb the costs until they are charged back. All I have to do is sign a form confirming they are nothing to do with me.

I'm not actually too fussed about this except for being extremely curious as to who's used my card details and how they got them. In the past month I've only used my card in large chain shops like Boots, Morrisons, WH Smiths etc. Online purchases have all been via known woodworking companies. The only iffy thing that's happened is that I sold something on eBay and the winning cretin did not have a PayPal account (even tho that was the only accepted payment method). So he asked for my bank details for transfer. I gave him my ACC number and Sort Code but have heard nothing since. He's gone cold on me. But I'm not sure you can purchase anything with the details I gave him. So this is probably a coincidental red herring.

It seems the bank don't bother to investigate these single one-off cases. Probably not worth their time, they just take the hit. So the criminal has got away with a couple of day trips on National Express and some junk from a charity shop.

So today's lesson is: Keep an eye on your statements, even the small transactions.

 

[Ironballs]

I think you got it just in time, they will often go for a small transaction gain often to a charity, just to see if it works and then go to town on your card. I've had fraud a couple of times, once I think tied to a petrol station and the other I think because a website I'd used got hacked - which is why I only use the credit card for internet purchasing.

I think you may have found your culprit, the ebay moron. Get him reported just in case.

Interestingly my brother has now followed me out of Lloyds and into the Co-op after he had fraud on his card a few months back. They refunded it at the time but a month ago they got back in touch to say they were putting it back on his card and if he thought it was a fraud he would have to recover the money himself. Essentially accusing him of criminal activities. Rants to the card folks and his personal banking silly person did nothing so he took it on himself.

Amazingly he got the money back from some Kaspersky company who ironically do credit checks or fraud security. He'd certainly never used them. As you might expect a very strongly worded letter went to the bank manager expressing his disgust and intention to switch post haste.

I got my final letter from my bank yesterday as part of my switch, it was badly photocopied and the sig at the bottom looked like someone had written a full stop and then sneezed. Thanks for 19 years being our customer......

 

[head clansman]

Hi wizer

If it of any help i had it happen twice , once in one of the big sheds where the counter assistant took the card from me turned to chat to the manager about nothing to do with my transaction as he did so he turn slightly to the left and but his hand containing my card into his pocket briefly , (CARD READER IN POCKET) luckily my statement came through a few days later with a strange debit on it and this was the last time it was used all other transactions was accounted for , luckily the manager was a friend so needles to say assistant disappeared a few days later .

Second time was, we went down to Devon for the day when my grandson was over from Holland i took him to see his other grandparents , on the return trip stopped at a garage for fuel within a stone throw from axminster tool shop, no body else in the shop only myself and the assistant next day someone had set up a new phone account on my card . Lesson learnt . I only use it in super market etc plus Now i only pay cash while away from home & it's never let out of my sight .hc

 

[cambournepete]

...a garage for fuel within a stone throw from axminster tool shop, no body else in the shop only myself and the assistant next day someone had set up a new phone account on my card...

I assume you mean it was scammed in the garage shop (Tescos?), and not in the Axminster shop itself?

 

[head clansman]

Hi cambourepete

yes the garage shop and no it was neither (tesco) or axminster tools . hc

 

[woodbloke]

I had my card cloned a couple of years ago at a petrol station on the way 'oop North' and the first I heard was when the cretin bought a hoover at Curry's in Huddersfield...and I've never been to Huddersfield in my life! I never now let anybody physically handle my card and always cover up the machine with my left hand when I enter the pin. The bank were pretty good and refunded all the money...about £500 'cos there were a couple of other 'transactions' :roll: one of which was the Man U ground at Old Trafford. Now why would any sane individual in their right mind ever want to go there? :duno: - Rob

 

[kenf]

I thought cheating was closely associated with that place.

 

[MIGNAL]

I've been recently subject to a phantom withdrawal - just shy of £250. Taken on some budget airline in Italy. Can't possibly be me - I don't have a passport!
Had to be an online transaction. I never use my Debit card in shops or petrol stations. In fact it never leaves the house.
It happens and it happens frequently. I've heard the same story countless times. Giving your account number and sort code should not subject you to greater risk. I often receive payments from clients in Europe and have to give those details - I think those very details form your IBAN number. I even asked the Bank if giving out my account number and sort code would increase the chances of any potential fraud. They were pretty adamant that it did not.

 

[frugal]

The only iffy thing that's happened is that I sold something on eBay and the winning cretin did not have a PayPal account (even tho that was the only accepted payment method). So he asked for my bank details for transfer. I gave him my ACC number and Sort Code but have heard nothing since. He's gone cold on me. But I'm not sure you can purchase anything with the details I gave him. So this is probably a coincidental red herring.

If you were doing the selling then he could have set up a pay pal account in ten minutes and used a credit card via paypal to pay for the purchase, there was no reason for him to need your bank details.

Given that you were selling something via ebay, wouldn't he then also have your post code and possibly something resembling a real name and address?

The sort code will tell him which bank the account is with, a judicious bit of social engineering later and he could well get access to your bank account to get a new card. In a lot of cases all he will need to do is know your name and the bank account number and he can just write a letter to the bank asking for the address to be changed.

Or he could just use the bank account number and sort code to set up a direct debit for something.

If he has the details of the bank and some details about your name and location, looking the rest up is fairly easy (land registry, electoral roll, births, marriges, deaths to get mothers maiden name). Once he has that there is enough information to start applying for other items.

I would seriously advise signing up for a service like Credit Expert from Experian. You can get it free for 30 days and so long as you cancel it before then there are no catches (I did this when we bought a house a couple of years ago just to check up on my credit report). Alternatively get a one off report from Experian and Equifax to see what credit applications have been done against you.

I got hit by ID fraud 4 years ago and the first I knew about it was when the bills for 3 store cards and a mobile phone dropped on my mat. It took best part of a year of hassling companies and Experian to get my credit report tidied up.

 

[wizer]

Guess that's fairly feasible Frugal, however the timescales involved would mean this particular eBay cretin wouldn't have had time to steal my ID. Also if he's tried to take out credit in my name, he's not going to have got very far

I think Mignal is correct, you can't easily make purchases from an account number and sort code. It must be someone else who's either cloned the card or hacked a website.

 

[Alie Barnes]

Ive had to replace my card twice in the last year.

One transaction was for about 4 visits to a tesco petrol station and the other was for clothes and i contested all payments and got everything back.

Lloyds were incredibly helpful and it only took a couple of days.

I dont know how i had my card cloned on both occasions i can only assume it was interwebs related.

 

[white_sw]

I've had this happen to me lots of times. Ranging from phone topup cards to dell computers to van clutches.
Mainly for credit cards though, only once for debit cards.

I used to have 1 credit card only. Now I have several. Two for everyday use, you know, food shopping, petrol
etc with a low credit limit. I phone to cancel one of them every 6 months and alternate between cards. My third
card is for online purchases and payal only. Since I started doing this, I haven't had any fraud activity touch wood....

The banks have always been very good though. Always refunded the transactions without question. Only ever
had to sign a document once to say the transaction wasn't mine as it was around £400.

I check my transactions at least once a week online to keep track of them.

For eBay I have a seperate current account which I always keep empty and have no overdraft on it. Take any
payments into that, then transfer to another account online.

Cheers,
Sam

 

[devonwoody]

I told yer, I told yer.

Never ever use any bank details on the web.

Its bad enough with credit cards but at least they give you notice time, with bank accounts your money has gone and you have to get it back usually before you can spend it.

 

[wizer]

John are you saying you never buy things on line?

I buy pretty much everything except groceries online and I've had this problem probably 3 times in 15yrs. Like I said above. I'm just not fussed by it.

 

[white_sw]

As Frugal mentions above about Experian and Equifax. I have and use this service as it is free with my Capital One
credit card. I can have 2 reports for free each year and if there are any changes to my credit rating file I get email
and text message alerts.

Cheers,
Sam

 

[MIGNAL]

You can buy a pre-payment card and use that for online purchases. There may be better guides out there. This one is the first I come across. There is a cost - of course.

http://www.prepaymentcard.co.uk/

 

[wizer]

I've used those before. When missus was preggers it was the only way to regulate what she was spending on the impending arrival :shock: :lol: