Credit Card Fraud involving Blizzard Entertainment

klynnbee

This seems outrageously widespread. I too had three charges for $19.99 on my debit card for BLIZZARD-ENT*ELECUPGRD. The phone number my bank gave me to call them is always busy. Then I did a search and found this forum as well as others regarding this same thing. I'm just floored at how many people got hit on this and it seems that the law enforcement will do nothing about it because the charges are relatively small. They got $60.00 (US) from me....but it seems they hit 1000's of people and will get off scott free. Makes me sick.

Other odd thing about this is that they hit the credit card that I hardly ever use...which is really odd. Someone in another post mentioned that they used their card at vistaprint. I too had used this card at vistaprint....just wondering what the connection is. How did they get this card??

knarfb

Perhaps someone can help,I was charged by visa for purchasing dollars in the UK using my debit card,this was direct out of my current account ,now I think whatever I purchase has nothing to do with Visa,I could have bought anything in the shop where I purchased the dollars,Alliance & Leicester says it has nothing to do with them and my complaint is with them,anyone have an address phone number etc where I can chase these fraudsters.

harryhound

Hi knarfb,
Welcome to Moneysavingexpert.
I am a bit confused as to what has happened to you.
Perhaps you could try again or edit your posting to help us understand ?
Explain who you are and where you live, (presumably not in USA?)
You have a debit card with the Alliance and Leicester (Bank created from a former building society and the UK Government created Giro bank)?
Visa is the network/funds transfer organisation that acts as electronic postman between depositors, merchants and the banks (Master card is the other well known rival to Visa in the UK).

Perhaps you could name the merchant (as the plastic card industry refers to the shop/trader who sells thing you buy).
Then tell us who did what to whom and when and we will understand your problem.

Harry.

dzug

Knarfb,

If you purchased $$ in the UK using your A&L debit card, you will pay the cost of the $$ to the shop/BdeC and Alliance and Leicester (and many other UK banks) will charge you a 'cash advance fee' of 1.5%. (I may have this figure slightly wrong, but it is that sort of amount). They will know it's $$ you've purchased - the shop will tell them so. And yes, it will go through Visa en route to being charged to your current account - it's a Visa debit card.

Or are you saying you didn't purchase anything at all, or is wasn't $$? If you were as confused talking to A&L as your posting here it's no wonder they couldn't explain things.

knarfb

ok,will try and be more specific,I live in the UK and the purchase of dollars was in the uk,the purchase of $$ was in a ships chandlers paid for by Visa debit card, the same as my old switch card,I could have gone to the hole in the wall and got cash and paid but didnt as the merchant has no commission and previously had not paid any extra on foreign currency.The point Im making is I have bought Premium bonds,shares ,cars etc with no charges as the cash is taken straight out of my account (my current account}what has to do with anyone what I spend my own money on,so why am I charged and not on anything else I purchase,just on currency.The deal was between me and the merchant and had nothing to do with Visa except the name on the card,A&L says it wasnt them that charged,the merchant didnt charge so the buck was with Visa.Why do they charge.

harryhound

Hi knarfb,

How much in terms of percent was the excess charged for your dollars ?

These days all three parties to the transaction can get in on the act to insert extra charges if the transaction goes through the international system.

The merchant could have done a deal with his bank to apply "Dynamic Currency Conversion". For the "convenience" of the customer, the customer authorises a sum in the currency of his card BUT the underlying currency is some other currency and the "convenient" value already includes an uplift (typically 3%).

VISA charges 1% if the transaction goes international. See link below. This charge, which is NOT meant to be shown to the customer, I think could be to overcome the previous situation which used to occur when the merchant sold in a currency which was NOT the currency of his banking arrangements. I believe that on some foreign owned ferries the prices were up in sterling but the customer would have been amazed to discover that the pounds signed for had been converted to (say) French francs and then back to sterling before arriving on the monthly statement.:eek:

Finally the bank (in this case A&L) apply their own uplift on foreign transactions, probably 2.7 percent in the case of A&L ? (ie 1.7 for A&L and 1.0 for VISA)

Do the slips you authorised give any hints as to why this transaction is considered to be multinational ? Did you authorise a sterling figure?

Or have we found yet another way of milking the tourist?

Harry

http://corporate.visa.com/pd/consumer_services/consumer_ex_faq.jsp#faq5

MFO_2

I just got 3 unidentified credit card charges on my bankstatement:

07/08/2007 BLIZZARD-ENT*ELECUPGRD - 21.64
07/08/2007 BLIZZARD-ENT*ELECUPGRD - 21.64
07/08/2007 BLIZZARD-ENT*ELECUPGRD - 19.99

I called Blizzard about it last week, and they said these were three Upgrade Accounts from TRIAL to a Regular Account. I told them that I purchased my games at a Store, and that they were NOT Trials. They soon told me that I needed to call my credit card company, since this appears to be fraud and that someone has my credit card information. The funny thing is….if someone stole my credit card information, why are they charging ONLY World of Warcraft gaming items, and not other goods and / or services. I think there is a billing error going on within their company.

harryhound

If you read this thread from the start, you will discover the answers to your questions and raise a few more, such as which company in the Blizzard group has charged your card?

Harry

MFO_2

harryhound wrote: »

...which company in the Blizzard group has charged your card?

Harry

Dear Harry,

I don't follow this question. Are you saying there is more than one Blizzard Group?

harryhound

Hi MFO,

There is probably one Blizzard company controlling a spider's web of subsidiary companies. If I had time, it would be interesting to be a investigative journalist and track the flows of money through this virtual world and find out who really owns what. Perhaps it is all absolutely simple and registered in California, there the tax system, but not the legal system, can reach out into foreign countries? Suggest to the blizzard CEO that he comes on here and explains himself.

As other posters have found there is more than one Blizzard company (subject to more than one legal jurisdiction) accepting these fraudulent transactions.
EG http://www.wow-france.fr
For those of you chewing your elbows with frustration, because you now have a dodgy credit rating through no fault of your own; and have discovered there is nothing you can do and nothing anyone else is prepared to do. Just think about trying to take on the French version of Blizzard because your CC details were stolen, sold for 50 cents and used by someone in China, to earn the price of a round of drinks.

I think you need to read the thread and understand, as you too might now find that your credit cards "bounce" at inconvenient times, suggesting you are imprudent and stranding you as you stare with disbelief at at ticket vending machine late at night.

Regards,
Harry.

RTFT