Capital One Fraud Alert

Vortigern

I've received this letter from Capital One:

As part of Capital One’s monitoring we’ve identified a number of accounts, including yours, that may be at risk of fraud. Although the risk is minimal, to protect your account, we’ve issued you with a new card which should arrive within the next week. If you have any extra cardholders, we’ve sent them a new card too. Please destroy all of your old cards as soon as the new ones arrive.

You must update your details with any organisations where you have regular payments set up. These may include, but are not limited to: Insurance Companies, Internet Service Providers, Television Services, Website Subscriptions, Gaming Subscriptions

You must also update your details with any organisations where you have your card details stored. These may include, but are not limited to: Paypal, Amazon, iTunes, Retail Websites

If you don’t update your details, transactions will be declined. Unfortunately, we cant do this for you.

• You can carry on using your current card until your new card arrives.
• You must use your new card as soon as you receive it and destroy your old card as this will no longer be active.
• Your Personal Identification Number (PIN) hasn’t been changed.

Capital One uses a fraud prevention system and any transactions that we think may be fraud will be declined. If this happens, we will contact you about the transaction

Our associates are unable to provide any further information than is already contained in this letter.
We have added some answers to frequently asked questions overteaf which you might find useful.
There is also helpful information on how to protect your personal and account information available
on our website https://www.capitalone.co.uk

We hope this has not caused you any inconvenience.
Yours sincerely, Michael Keeton, Director of Operations

Frequently Asked Questions

• Question — What does ‘at risk’ mean?
• Answer — We class an account ‘at risk’ if there is a possibility that your card details may have fallen into the hands of a fraudster.
• Question — How has a fraudster potentially obtained my details?
• Answer — If your details have fallen into the wrong hands, it’s likely to have happened at a merchant where you have previously used your card.
• Question — What details may a fraudster have?
• Answer — Those required to make a transaction, such as the 16 digit number on the front of your card, the expiry date and the security code on the back of the card.
• Question — Can you tell me where a fraudster obtained these details?
• Answer — We can’t tell you where a fraudster may have got your details from, but we are following up on any leads we have.
• Question — Do I need to take any other actions?
• Answer — No, please use your new card when it arrives and destroy the old one.
• Question — My new card has the same 16 digit number, is this ok?
• Answer — Yes, to minimise disruption we’ve issued you with the same card number, however it now has a new expiry date and security code.

Has anybody else on here had a similar letter?

If there's been a data leak at a merchant, why can they not name the merchant concerned?

If there's been a data leak at a merchant, it wouldn't just affect Capital One. Surely other cards would also be compromised?

What else is Capital One not telling me?

pearl123

I received the same letter around 4-5 months ago. New card came in the post with the same long number on card just a change in start and expiry date.

BlondBoy

I've had a couple of those too over the past 3-4 years. Never seen a fraudulent transaction on my Capital One card(s), happy to say.

I wouldn't worry too much.

meer53

They can't tell you because there will be an ongoing Police Investigation.

Other cards will be affected. Why would you need to know about which ones ?

Capital One are telling you everything you need to know. If you have used the particular merchant in the past, you could be at risk. Not that you are at risk, that you could be.

Nothing to worry about really.

reclusive46

meer53 wrote: »

They can't tell you because there will be an ongoing Police Investigation.

Often the card issuer won't even know themselves. Once an acquirer has been informed of a data breach at a merchant, they will send out a bulletin to Visa, MasterCard, American Express and the other networks they have an agreement with like Discover. The respective networks will then send out a list of compromised card numbers to each respective issuer (Or itself for some of its cards when it comes to AmEx or Discover).

The card issuer will often have no clue how the breach happened or where it happened. The only time an issuer will generally figure out a card may have become compromised by itself is if a lot of its cards used at one particular merchant are then being fraudulently used or are being sold online (Some networks and issuers will buy the stolen card data from fraudsters).

Vortigern

meer53 wrote: »

They can't tell you because there will be an ongoing Police Investigation.

Perhaps. Or perhaps they don't want to libel the merchant concerned without concrete evidence.

Other cards will be affected. Why would you need to know about which ones ?

I didn't actually ask "which ones?", but perhaps I have other cards which I've used at the same dodgy outlet.

Capital One are telling you everything you need to know.

They're not telling me how I can boycott this rogue merchant.

Nothing to worry about really.

I'm not worried really. Just curious.

reclusive46 wrote: »

Often the card issuer won't even know themselves...

Now that sounds a more plausible explanation. Thanks.

meer53

If you have used other cards at this "rogue" merchant, those card issuers will contact you if they feel you are at risk.

It's possibly a member of staff rather than the merchant themselves. Lots of businesses have data leaks or have staff who aren't quite as honest as they should be, they all seem to recover very well despite people apparently "boycotting" them.

Card issuers receive lists of possible compromised card details on a regular basis, cards are stopped as a precaution, the majority will not be affected, seems a bit OTT to boycott a retailer because you MIGHT have been the victim of fraud.

reclusive46

Also to be fair, sometimes acquirers themselves have data leaks, so it may not have even been the particular merchants fault.

Vortigern

Don't worry, I'm not boycotting anybody. Thanks for your contributions.

daphnemoon

Hundreds of card numbers can be compromised within a few hours when fraudsters hit on live numbers and they manage to link them to the right expiry dates.

Often it's not released where the leak is from as they don't want to tip off the fraudsters the police may come knocking!

Try not to worry, if fraud was picked up on your card through this route it's easy to tell. Card companies have numerous programmes working 24/7 that you will never know of and lots of things get identified well before you will ever know and normally your card is blocked straight away.

It's relatively easy to spot this kind of fraud and if it does happen that they hit your particular card they will block your old card straight away and call you up rather than write.

As long as you speak with them when they call, or call straight back if you're not sure the call is genuine then they can check everything with you straight away.

Don't worry in other words.