Advice on Fraudulent card use - Co-op

earlgrey_3

At the beginning of June my wife was phoned by the Co-op to say a credit card we haven't used for some while had been used twice in Australia and asking whether it had been used by her. We've never been to Australia, the card hadn't been used by us, and our card has never been out of our possession. It wasn't our card that was used.

She asked whether she would have to pay and if she needed to do anything more. They said no, she wouldn't have to pay and there was nothing more for her to do.

On 8 July we then got a normal statement from them with a request for payment of the full amount. She phoned with me listening in and was told, no she didn't need to pay it and it would all be dealt with by them.

Today I looked at our current account with another bank and found, despite what we were told, they'd debited our current account with the full amount and put us in the red.

Have phoned again and been told that we were told previously was incorrect, we did have to pay until they decided to refund us, and, in effect, tough.

I'm hopping mad that we were misinformed by them causing us to go in the red and very disappointed with them. Can anyone advise?

Captain_Mainwaring_2

Yes, dispense with the phone and put it all in WRITING.

Start by photocopying your passport cover to cover and sending it to them (though this isn't really proof, I have 3 passports) it should give them the idea that you are serious.

I has a card cloned, and whatever happens you need to fill in a statutory declaration which I believe can take about 10 days to process, in that time a payment may of course be taken.

NickX

earlgrey wrote: »

Today I looked at our current account with another bank and found, despite what we were told, they'd debited our current account with the full amount and put us in the red.

You would have had to formally request that the Direct Debit is cancelled. They would not just have cancelled this as a matter of course.

The first CSA that you spoke to is correct, you should not have to pay for the fraudulent transactions, I suggest that the second CSA you spoke to was wrong and was trying to "fob you off" by saying that you had to pay.

I would speak to them again.

elvis_girl

I presume all their telephone calls are recorded. Can you not ask for the recording/ transcript? At the very least they should have noted the name of the person you spoke to on your account

jessie18

First of all i must say how sorry i feel for you, i had the same thing happen 18 months ago when my bank phoned to ask when was the last time i went abroad. After telling them it was 4 years ago and not feeling believed i told them to cancel my card, only to be told someone had tried to access payment from it four times that day, two of which they were successful. My bank was very helpful and sent a declaration for me to fill in, but knowing someone in india had already used my card twice made me really mad. I now only go inside the bank to get money from my account, and only pay by cash for items. It makes me mad to think honest people have to keep putting up with this kind of thing, when chip and pin is supposed to be so secure. Im sure you will get it all sorted out, but it does take a little time. Hope you get it sorted soon. Best wishes x

earlgrey_3

Thanks all.

I've just spoken to my bank and they've reversed that debit and cancelled the DD authority. Luckily I spotted the debit today when it went in so shouldn't be any charges.

I spoke to Co-op today after my wife and told them this was a complaint that I wanted dealt with and adviser reluctantly agreed that a manager would call back. I asked that they referred to the recording and he said they only recorded some conversations - so not the ones that are inconvenient to them presumably. I was listening in to all three conversations my wife had with them so know exactly what was said. Will see what they say when they call us.

Our passport expired over a year ago so that should be fairly conclusive proof we hadn't used any card in Australia. Two of the places it was used were petrol stations so not the sort of stuff you can buy over the internet.

earlgrey_3

jessie18 wrote: »

First of all i must say how sorry i feel for you, i had the same thing happen 18 months ago when my bank phoned to ask when was the last time i went abroad. After telling them it was 4 years ago and not feeling believed i told them to cancel my card, only to be told someone had tried to access payment from it four times that day, two of which they were successful. My bank was very helpful and sent a declaration for me to fill in, but knowing someone in india had already used my card twice made me really mad. I now only go inside the bank to get money from my account, and only pay by cash for items. It makes me mad to think honest people have to keep putting up with this kind of thing, when chip and pin is supposed to be so secure. Im sure you will get it all sorted out, but it does take a little time. Hope you get it sorted soon. Best wishes x

Thanks Jessie. The first time this has ever happened to us and I tend agree with you.

This wasn't a card we lost or allowed to be stolen and don't let any card out of our sight. If the banks are using equipment or systems that are open to fraud it should be their problem and not ours. They've been the victims of fraud, arguably their own fault, paid out on a fake of one of their cards and we aren't really involved. At the very least I expect them to give accurate information and minimal hassle.

James

Very sorry to learn whats happened to you.

1 . Report this to the Police and get a crime reference number.

2. As advised, put everying in writing and ask the Co-op fraud people to inform you soonest how the fraud was perpetrated. ie.

Was your card cloned and if so was the transaction verified by a PIN or signature.

Was your card details compromised? (If this were the case then, not only have they got your card details they've got your name and address too).


You should get your money back and all the interest but it's a right pain.

Banking Code - Liability for losses - Articel 12.12

Unless we can show that you have acted fraudulently or without reasonable care, your liability for your card being misused will be limited as follows.

If someone else uses your card, before you tell us it has been lost or stolen or that someone else knows your PIN, the most you will have to pay is £50.

Your main priority is to get this sorted and get your money back but you might like to consider this:

If someone has authorised these transactions using your PIN, then you'd like to know soonest. Reason being, you can either change your PINs (if you use the same PIN) for other cards, or you can get yourself CHIP & Signature Credit Cards (No PIN = NO Cardholder liability).

If someone has used your Card Details to order goods, then they've got more information on you than you think, at the very least your name and address.

It would be worth taking action to deter application fraud. Have a read of the www.freeidprotection.co.uk web site. There's a link to annual credit report (Call Credit) where you get get your Credit Report absolutley Free. I'd also check with Equifax and Experian too at £2 a go.


Good luck,

PS I'd also ask the Police/Co-op if they've any idea where your card was cloned. Then you can warn others.

earlgrey_3

Hi James,

We don't know the details only that a card that was not ours was used and our account was wrongly debited as a result. It's the Co-op/Visa who have allowed themselves to be defrauded due to their known insecure systems and really isn't anything to do with us. That the banks attempt to pass on the blame for their incompetence to their customers really bugs me. It's their problem not ours.

It bugs me more that the lying ******* at the Co-op told us a manager would phone this afternoon. We waited in all afternoon and no one called.

My bank has told me the payment to the Co-op has now been reversed and the DD mandate cancelled. I'll check my account tomorrow and write to Peter Marks, CEO of the Co-op in the hope that whichever drone answers his mail is more competent than his other useless staff. We'll see.

HamiltonL

earlgrey wrote: »

Thanks all.

I spoke to Co-op today after my wife and told them this was a complaint that I wanted dealt with and adviser reluctantly agreed that a manager would call back. I asked that they referred to the recording and he said they only recorded some conversations - so not the ones that are inconvenient to them presumably. I was listening in to all three conversations my wife had with them so know exactly what was said. Will see what they say when they call us.

That's unbelieveable they don't record all conversations. Crazy. We take all calls being recorded for granted where I work. Maybe they were fobbing you off.

In fairness to the agent, she probably had referred it to a Manager to ask them to call you back. However (and this is no excuse) sometimes the managers are in the same office and if they are madly busy, they do not get the opportunity to call back. I would have hoped though that the advisor didn't give 100% guarantee this would happen. Maybe it was passed to senior management at the back office, though these people are usually more elusive than Lord Lucan.