Victim of Debit Card fraud again - what must I be doing wrong?

black-saturn · 27 May 2007 at 5:45PM

I've only had a debit card for about 18 months but in that time I have been a victim of fraud twice. Once was at the start of me using it and then yesterday I received a letter from the bank saying that there are some irregular transactions on my account. I rang them and they said about £60 has gone out of my bank in the last week to companies which are in foreign countries and not part of my usual spending pattern.

Thing is I saw the manager of my branch about a week ago and said that my account seemed lower than it should be and I asked her to check if all my deposits had gone in properly. She didn't once warn me that I could have been the victim of fraud again.

So what on earth must I be doing wrong? Since it happened last time I check every bank machine to make sure it hasn't been tampered with, I only use my card with reputable companies I've heard of like tesco, Iceland and play.com, I cover the machine up when I'm typing my pin number in, I shred all my paperwork. I'm really at a loss as to how it happened.

Sagaris · 27 May 2007 at 6:04PM

Same thing happened to us - it's only because I'd registered for internet banking that I found it quickly and managed to put a stop ot OH's card. Like you we racked our brains to think where his card details could have been cloned/swiped/whatever, and it seems none of these apply - looks like these people can now work out the relevant details needed to use your card without ever having sight of it. All to do with computers I think - and you don't have to use your card online, I think they use a computer generated code to work out the necessary details and dip into your account. :mad:
All you can do is to be as careful as you have been with your card (s) and register for internet banking, and keep checking so at least you can do something as soon as you notice anything dodgy going on.

bargains83 · 27 May 2007 at 6:25PM

Can only echo what Sagaris has said, everyone should be registered for internet banking. Its not too much of an inconvenience to log on once or twice a day to check everything is in order. This way you will notice a discrepancy in your balance immediately if their is a problem, and you will see who the money has gone to within a couple of days and will easily identify any fraud.

When I get my 30 day postal statement, I couldn't bare going through several hundered transactions thinking about each individual one:

did i really spend that much there?, what did i spend that on?, is the balance right?

With e-banking the transactions are fresh in your mind so you know exactly whats gone where.

roger_c · 27 May 2007 at 6:41PM

A work colleague of mine has been the victim of debit card fraud three times with the same bank - A&L...

Suffice to say she has moved to RBS. Can I ask what bank you are/were with out of interest?

Sagaris · 27 May 2007 at 6:46PM

Mine was Abbey - and apparently they have been inundated. The fraudulent transaction (well the first of many!) was to Blizzard Entertainment in dollars!
Thread on it here: http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=450004

black-saturn · 27 May 2007 at 6:48PM

Sagaris wrote: »

Blizzard electronics in dollars!

OMG thats who my transactions were to. I bank with Nationwide.

Kilty_2 · 27 May 2007 at 9:50PM

The vast majority of cards that seem to be affected by that scam are issued by banks that issue Visa (ie, not MasterCard) ....... coincidence?

jazzyjustlaw · 27 May 2007 at 10:35PM

Do the banks make you pay the loss? I cannot believe what you are all saying. Something really has to be done about this.

ginger_nuts · 27 May 2007 at 11:18PM

jazzyjustlaw wrote: »

Do the banks make you pay the loss? I cannot believe what you are all saying. Something really has to be done about this.

my mate had his card cloned and used in Comet and stagecoach .He got his money back from the bank . But you may have to prove you didnt use it .( He didnt have to prove anything )

bargains83 · 27 May 2007 at 11:18PM

I have read all about the Blizzard Entertainment transactions, I haven't experienced any myself but it seems the fraudsters have some sort of algorythmn that attempts a transaction on a card number, then changes the last digits of that number and keeps counting on and on and on until it finds one that works and completes the transaction.

This 'Blizzard Entertainment' is likely to be a legitimate company but their banking system is not stringent enough to check the cardholders address or block the card after several attempts at guessing CVV2 and Expiry dates.

Its VISA and the Merchant of 'Blizzard Entertainment' who are to blame for not completing proper security checks. Unfortunately this type of fraud has the potential to hit every VISA card unless it is nipped in the bud.

The banks are aware of this fraud though and they will refund the transactions and probably issue you with a new card number, but how long that will be safe, who knows.

nanana_2 · 28 May 2007 at 10:01AM

black-saturn, first question. You say you've been a victim twice. Did you cancel the relevant card both times?

secondly, have you ever transacted with the relevant cards where they've gone from your sight?

secondly, have you ever used the relevant card details on-line - including for online banking?

Victim of Debit Card fraud again - what must I be doing wrong?

Comments

Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply

🚀 Getting Started

Categories

Is this how you want to be seen?

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free