Debit card fraud ?

rhylbloke

Hi,
can you tell me, is it absolutely impossible nowadays for a debit card transaction to show up on the wrong bank account due to an error, rather than fraud ?
I have had a Barclays bank account and debit card for a number of years with no problems, but last week two transactions of £32 and £35 appeared on my statement when I checked my account online. These were for Game Retail and Moneybookers and meant absolutely nothing to me. The card is just in my name ( my wife has her own account and has no idea what my PIN is ) and there is only my wife and myself in the house, I don't leave my card unattended or lend it to anybody, I haven't written my PIN down, I'm very careful on the infrequent occasions when I use ATM's, I only use the card in the supermarket, petrol station ( large, busy Sainsbury's one ) or large companies where I feel there is no chance of the details being stolen. I try to use Paypal for purchases online wherever possible, but have used the card details for purchases from firms like Amazon and from insurance companies. The computer has security software that I purchased from AVG and tells me that it's fully protected.
The bank have refunded the money to my account and issued me with a new card, and I've filled in a form for their fraud department. The lady in the branch told me that I would probably never know how it happened, which is not much help if you're trying to guard against it happening again. So, I would much rather it was due to error, if that's possible, than a fraud which I will never know how it occurred.
Does anyone have any knowledge or experience of how these things happen, and how you can find out how it did ?
Hope that all makes sense, I'd be very grateful for your thoughts.
:think:

Meadows

Probably never know how it happened ... that is the annoying part, someone uses your card details fraudulently and you never get to find out how or why!

I have had credit card fraud about four times over many years, I am very careful when on line shopping but somehow someone manages to get the data to use the card.

So far I have had Truck Drivers insurance in New Jersey
Vodafone top up (they even rang us to ask if we were doing the Top up as it was going through as they spoke - but did nothing to stop the payment!
Another one I can't remember and one where we were contacted to say they were stopping our cards and issuing new ones as the police had been on to them and our name was one of many from a list they had found of potential fraud.

They only inconvenience is you are without cards for a few days, but hey better that than having to pay for a fraud.

dalesrider

rhylbloke wrote: »

Hi,
can you tell me, is it absolutely impossible nowadays for a debit card transaction to show up on the wrong bank account due to an error, rather than fraud ?

which is not much help if you're trying to guard against it happening again. So, I would much rather it was due to error, if that's possible, than a fraud which I will never know how it occurred.
Does anyone have any knowledge or experience of how these things happen, and how you can find out how it did ?
Hope that all makes sense, I'd be very grateful for your thoughts.
:think:

No chance of a error.

You will never find out where or when it happened ( unless it hits the local papers about someone in a store taking details).
It is taken forward, but anything found as to where and when it happened, will be reported by the bank to the police to take forward with the retailer where it happened.
This is usually someone stealing a till roll or sat taking details.

There is nothing you can do to stop it from happening.

All retailers retain the full card number either on their systems or till rolls.
It will not have been someone hacking your paypal or amazon accounts as they could only commit fraud via their sites as your full card details are not visable.
So at some point you will have used a retailer where some scrote was working on that day.

rhylbloke

Hi,
thanks for that. As you both say, very annoying, and hard to know what to do for the best to prevent it happening again, other than only ever using the card to draw cash in the bank and paying cash for everything, and that sort of defeats the object of having the thing in the first place.
:mad:

yangptangkipperbang

dalesrider wrote: »

There is nothing you can do to stop it from happening.

But there is......................only use your debit card in an ATM. Pay on a credit card. If you don't like running up a bill on your credit card - do a transfer from your bank account ASAP and pay it off each time you put something on it.

dalesrider

yangptangkipperbang wrote: »

But there is......................only use your debit card in an ATM. Pay on a credit card. If you don't like running up a bill on your credit card - do a transfer from your bank account ASAP and pay it off each time you put something on it.

And how does that stop debit card fraud ????

Your card can be cloaned at a ATM. Now that could lead to overseas atm fraud, or if they have not picked up your pin. CNP fraud.

Still end up with fraud on the credit card as well.

Seems like you are going to extreme lengths to avoid something that may never happen.
never mind the logging in everytime you use a card to transfer a balance....
Whats wrong with a Full DD?

Meadows

yangptangkipperbang wrote: »

But there is......................only use your debit card in an ATM. Pay on a credit card.

How does that stop fraud? Credit and debit card are both equally vulnerable to fraud!

opinions4u

Meadows wrote: »

How does that stop fraud? Credit and debit card are both equally vulnerable to fraud!

The Consumer Credit Act gives additional protection to debit balances (credit card debt, overdraft) caused by unauthorised transactions.

Especially where the bank is claiming an element of cardholder negligence.

So you're right, it doesn't stop fraud. But it is an additional insurance against loss. Although you might still have to go in to battle.

Meadows

opinions4u wrote: »

The Consumer Credit Act gives additional protection to debit balances (credit card debt, overdraft) caused by unauthorised transactions.
Especially where the bank is claiming an element of cardholder negligence.
So you're right, it doesn't stop fraud. But it is an additional insurance against loss. Although you might still have to go in to battle.

I am well aware of that but my reply is in response to the thread I quoted where they said the following!

Quote:
Originally Posted by yangptangkipperbang
But there is......................only use your debit card in an ATM. Pay on a credit card. If you don't like running up a bill on your credit card - do a transfer from your bank account ASAP and pay it off each time you put something on it.
And how does that stop debit card fraud ????