SCAM ALERT and This is How Greedy/Stupid MBNA Are

mark99

I got send a letter with credit card pin number within from MBNA. I shredded it.

Funny, but I never applied for a credit card.

Three days later, the credit card arrived from MBNA in a letter telling me how to "activate" the card.

I phoned up MBNA immediately and complained that I did not want a credit card and they immediately put me through to Fraud Protection whom, after a few questions said I was victim of ID fraud and some-one had applied for credit card with my stolen address details.

Fair enough - it happens - but here is the stupid bit.

The fraud person whom applied had, with his application, transferred (balance transfer) £10,000 onto the card to which MBNA had immediately initiated and now had to try to stop. (They said it was clearly a fraud and I won't be liable).

In other words, before the card arriving at my address or the card being activated they had initiated the transfer of funds also they have already dispatched my first statement of minus £10,000 as this was mailed out recently too.

Now imagine the stress this would have created if I had not phoned up to moan about receiving an unsolicited card.

MBNA do not appear to take steps to protect applicants - they are too busy sending out your first statements or initiating fraudulant transactions before you have even received or activated the card.

PATHETIC.

They (MBNA) deserve to be stung for this £10K for being stupid/greedy.

If you get a unsolicited credit card in the post with PIN phone up immediately to have it cancelled.

Rgds

Mark

Ivory_Tinkler

If I was you I'd be less inclined to slate MBNA or more inclined to start checking other accounts and watching out for other cards appearing in your name.

MBNA are not being stupid/greedy, they have simply processed an application because someone gave them enough of your details to be able to get credit and a card in your name which would mean the fraudster/s probably have your name, address, date of birth and all sorts of personal info. You either haven't shredded important documents that have now fallen into the wrong hands or you have given your details to a bogus website, been the victim of a phishing scam or been careless with personal details somewhere along the line.

dmg24

I agree with Ivory Tinkler, and your reaction to something that MBNA have dealt with efficiently and that has caused you no harm at all is completely over the top.

krissy08

they are quite lapse. I received a scam call claiming to be from them and asking me to confirm some details. I dropped the phone and called their customer services dept, I spoke to a guy and gave him the number that had called me, he confirmed it wasn't them then said quite a few people had reported this dodgy 0800 number but for the life of me didn't seem very bothered. I wasn't very happy as they scammers had my full card number. I don't use this card anymore. Thanks for the heads up.

mark99

You are kidding right?

High and mightly condescending answers. I shred all mail as a habit and run a highly protected computor.

They (MBNA) take a postal/online/phone application and, before the card hits my doormat, or the card is initiated by ME (it says on the card cannot use until initiated) they, MBNA initiate a £10K transfer and send out a statement to me of minus £10K?

You would have thought they would have waited until the card was actually initiated.

You two uptight high and mightly twits upstairs remember what this board is for - for warnings not criticism. I won't bother in future.



Mark

hollydays

But who has lost out? This stuff happens.

Ivory_Tinkler

mark99 wrote: »

You two uptight high and mightly twits upstairs remember what this board is for - for warnings not criticism. I won't bother in future.



Mark

Well I suggest you

a) Check that your computer is actually as protected as you think
b) Make sure you do shred everything and don't fall foul of any phishing emails
c) Read the rules about etiquette on this forum. It is neither nice nor acceptable to call people names

Nilrem

One thought that does occur to me, is that if the card was applied for with a balance transfer (is that possible?) at the time of application then the card wouldn't need to be activated for the balance transfer to be done.

Card activation is only needed to use the card for purchases etc, if the original application included the balance transfer that could possibly have been done at the same time the card was approved.

It sounds like someone has applied for the card in the Op's name, asking for the transfer at that point, with enough details to get it authorised.

To be honest it's not even that hard to get people's details if you're interested in doing it (especially if you don't mind whose details you get), there are many ways to get someone's name/address/DOB/Mothers name - and the government is making it easier all the time (lost databases, most bits of government correspondence to you having your NI number etc - not to mention the companies who have some/all of the data to lose themselves),

Tiggergirl

Presumably the person who actually applied for the card is an idiot, since the 10k transferred on to it would be traceable.

mark99

I have now had the statement through showing me owing £10,300 for a balance transfer. Nilrem is correct.

Also a letter thanking me for the business and taking out card protection.

So, MBNA have opened themselves up to a rip off all because they rushed into this application and did not wait for activation.

They ask the customer to beware about fraud yet don't take simple steps themselves it appears. If someone applies for a balance transfer with application why don't they wait for activation or think "this could be ID fraud lets take more care".

Mark

RobertoMoir

How did you know they didn't take "more care", whatever that means exactly.
The point is that fraudsters know what they're doing and know how the system works. MBNA and what have you tighten up their fraud protection system, the fraudsters tighten up their system for defrauding card companies.

And if someone has managed to successfully apply for a card in your name, it's pretty clear that regardless of how it happened, a significant amount of your personal details are out there in the hands of fraudsters. I'd be more worried about that than MBNA's internal processes myself (and this comes from someone who won't knowingly deal with MBNA).