Card scams at petrol stations

dag_2

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6578595.stm
http://www.shropshirestar.co.uk/2007/04/petrol-pump-card-scam-alert/

I guess you can get around this one by paying by cash instead of card ...

Has this happened to anyone here?

Apparently, it's only a problem with the small independent retailers, because they're obviously much more vulnerable to organised crime.

However, you can't assume that just because you see a big name label on a petrol station, that it isn't a small independent retailer. Most of them are run as franchises.

So I'm wondering, what about petrol stations attached to the big supermarkets like Sainsbury and Tesco? Presumably they're safe, aren't they?

Mind you, there's a petrol station down the road from me - I think it's BP - but it's got a Tesco Express attached to it. What about shops like these?

peterbaker

dag wrote: »

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6578595.stm
http://www.shropshirestar.co.uk/2007/04/petrol-pump-card-scam-alert/Apparently, it's only a problem with the small independent retailers, because they're obviously much more vulnerable to organised crime.

However, you can't assume that just because you see a big name label on a petrol station, that it isn't a small independent retailer. Most of them are run as franchises.

Yes, so have we seen a deliberate Sri-Lankan take over of these franchises in the last few years?

I am not homophobic but I do notice trends - I have felt uncomfortable with the trend of apparent ownership of MOST of our non-supermarket big branded petrol stations for some time.

The attitude of many of the counter staff has led me feeling that they are very much there for their own benefit and I am just a punter and can take it or leave it when I speak up about practices I think are wrong.

Crazy example - The big shell station on the way out of London on the A13 around Ilford - one night I got told I HAD to leave my card behind the counter before I could draw fuel, and then I HAD to sign rather than use CHIP & PIN because this station is controlled by someone who does not wish to pay Shell or VISA or whoever for the CHIP & PIN service overnight. The same station at an earlier date charged my card for petrol on another pump that had already been paid in cash before I noticed it. The cash was not in the till it hadn't been left on the counter by the customer. But it was there. Yeah ... I wonder how that can happen ... if I was generous I could say perhaps it was an innocent mistake by someone that was unfamiliar with the job. But I think not. It was a mistake alright.

Shell themselves had a very important "IN-HOUSE" fraud problem with their stations in 2006. They introduced compulsory CHIP&PIN on the 14 February 2006 and then a short while later put CHIP&PIN on hold for MANY months because someone had infiltrated their franchises and tampered with CHIP&PIN machines.

These things makes Shell look STUPID, and I have other examples of poor trends including a trend toward frequent mislabelling of inferior Shell products e.g. V Power and Diesel Extra labels on plain bog standard Diesel pumps.

I would hope that the executives responsible for awarding franchises from the main brands are actually sitting in police stations right now assisting the police with their enquiries. I am sure they have interesting information to impart about who has been mopping up the franchises and some of the scams they know of which are not public knowledge.

piggeh

Happened round the corner at a BP garage. Luckily I have no debit card so always pay in cash, but lots of people were affected.

peterbaker

The Sri-Lankan High Commission officer Maxwell Keegal explained on BBC News 24 what has been happening.

Sri-Lankan asylum seekers have been loaned money to buy petrol station franchises by organised 'Tamil Tiger' criminals.

Great.

He didn't say how long it has been going on, but he knew all about it and was telling it as if it was common knowledge.

I thought it was a bit odd that the faces behind so many petrol station counters had become so "ethnically cleansed".

I had no idea that there were as many as 200,000 Tamils in the UK. I guess they are mostly asylum seekers because if they weren't at risk they would surely be back in Sri-Lanka as it is a nice place is it not? Arthur C Clarke still thinks so I believe.

The fraudulent transactions have apparently been made in Thailand, Indonesia and India. India is of course no surprise as it is so adjacent to Sri-Lanka.

And in 2007 we also have half our banking call centres based in India. What a perfect combination for someone.

Time for the UK Government to implement some proper Data Protection I think.

pinkfluffybabe

Our local Shell still isn't taking Chip and Pin and is making customers sign. I have a particular current account that I use for petrol only so I would notice anything untoward pretty quickly. Plus only my petrol money for the month is in it, and no overdraft.

My mums card was skimmed at our local Esso a couple of years ago, but Lloyds clocked the unusual transactions and luckily managed to stop them going through. There was an investigation and soon after it shut down and reopened as a Morrisons garage.

peterbaker

I think I'll apply to Shell and BP for a franchise ... there must be quite a few up for grabs after this weekend.

b33r

I'm in Leeds and interestingly enough my Egg Card was cancelled a few weeks ago because "my card details had been cloned" but they couldnt tell me anything further as it was an ongoing police investigation but my card had been cancelled and they were sending me a new one and not to worry about anything that appears as it will be automatically refunded, which it has been. I use my card at quite a few Petrol stations as well, I'm usually pretty safe when entering my pin though so don't know how it happened.

Stations I use are Shell, Spar and Asda

peterbaker

I'll be checking my Shell VISA Credit Card statement. Stations I use are Shell, Shell and Shell, including Norwich. Like a number of Shell VISA customers I suspect, I never use my Shell VISA for anything else! So they would be dumb to have cloned that!

Grandmama

I must have had a sixth sense this last Easter Hols. I spent two weeks touring England this Easter travelling from my home on the Isle of Man in my new Campervan. For some strange reason I decided to pay cash for my fuel instead of my bank card on the four times I needed to fill up. Approx £35 for half a tank each time. Maybe I had a lucky escape. That's it, cash only in the future. Also a cashpoint in Hampshire I often use on hols but did not this time was skimmed over Easter. Scary.

movilogo

What a news!!! I buy from Shell and they are managed by some people from Sri Lanka (they told me themselves)! I'm going to use cash only from now on!