Bank sent a fraud check text to my mobile

meer53

I don't understand why some people find it an inconvenience. It takes a phone call to unblock the card. Whats inconvenient about making or answering a call ? Even if you're asked to answer security questions at a check out in a store, whats the issue ? The answers to the questions aren't going to allow anyone access to an account.

Paranoia is the correct word.

Voltron

GingerBob wrote: »

Pretty vague? I don't think so. The OP went into considerable detail, and from what he says, I'll bet a penny to a pound of the brown stuff that it's a random check.

Paranoia? Me? I'm the antithesis of paranoia, unlike the majority of posters here.

"Today I have purchased an item online" is not considerate detail about what triggered the check. OP doesn't have to go into detail as to what/where from he was purchasing, but it could be anything from Amazon to fake Ray Bans from a domain registered 3 days ago.

cajef

GingerBob wrote: »

Paranoia? Me? I'm the antithesis of paranoia, unlike the majority of posters here.

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

SnowTiger

Nothing to worry about IMO. I've been through similar checks many times.

For me, Santander seems to be especially jittery. Perhaps not surprising, considering some of their customers have thousands sitting in their 123 account earning 3% interest.

On the other hand, Nationwide don't seem to care about my spending. So I use that account for most of my big and unusual spending.

lulu_92

GingerBob wrote: »

Almost 100% only for their own benefit. You are covered against fraud anyway, except if you're reckless.

Yes I know, what I was saying is that it's good that they're there.

I had £300 taken from my account without me knowing. It wasn't until HSBC's fraud team rang me to tell me that I knew anything was wrong.

Nilrem

GingerBob wrote: »

These checks are there primarily to protect THEM - the banks. Your example sounds like a random block. I had one once with MBNA, for the grand total of about £4 spent online with the Book Depository. It caused a significant problem - card blocked, had to phone them and go through their over-the-top security etc.

I told them if it ever happened again (block for no good reason) I'd close the account immediately - and it hasn't.

Having the luxury of numerous credit cards I can afford to impose a "two strikes and you're out" policy on the card providers. MBNA and Post office are currently on one strike.

You are aware of course that often fraudsters make very small transactions for stuff they don't care about as a preliminary test of card numbers before they go and empty the account?

For example fraudsters will attempt to buy a book from Amazon/Book depository (owned by amazon, and like amazon from memory don't implement the normal full range of basic UK fraud prevention measures, let alone the "high value" measures), or even a coffee.

You'd hate Barclaycard, they have sent me about 3 or 4 "please confirm these transactions are yours" texts in the last six months, blocking the card twice because I didn't respond in an hour*, then unblocked the card after I did text back a reply (usually triggered when I buy several <£5 items through Amazon or Ebay/paypal).
They've also caught several fraudulent transactions before they got past authentication (first I knew was a call to ask if the transactions were mine, and to tell me to destroy the card as they'll send a replacement out).

Your telling the card company to not block future transactions will have had absolutely zero affect, the system is controlled from a much higher level than call centre staff and cannot usually exempt individual accounts from the criteria that will trigger a block (indeed one bank had a system that was blocking online subscriptions for a game every month, for hundreds of customers and took months to sort out).
Usually such systems work on a basis of a combination of factors such as as "is the value unusual for the customer", "is the location unusual for the customer", "is the merchant a high risk due to goods type", "is the merchant known to have a high level of low value fraud/not the full security measures".

If you really cancel cards after two fraud checks you may well find you run out of card issuers fairly fast if you buy a lot of stuff online as it usually takes a while for them to get used to your spending habits....
Not to mention it's far more hassle to go through a bunch of transactions when there is a fraudulent one to work out what is ok and what isn't, and then replace the card, and inform retailers than to actually deal with proactive fraud prevention measures, let alone applying for entirely new cards because you have a thing about not liking fraud prevention measures.


*Which is actually very good policy as it limits the potential costs to them (and indirectly every customer).

Nilrem

book12 wrote: »

Today I have purchased an item online, and the transaction was declined despite entering the correct card information, and the correct Mastercard SecureCode password. When it was declined the first time, I tried two more times. In total, that means three times.

Then I had three text messages from my bank:

• Then I got a text from a bank that they are doing a fraud check on my credit card, and the transaction was declined.
• A few seconds later I got a text saying for me to confirm if the declined transaction was performed by me. I replied to confirm the transaction as was mine.
• After replying to that, I got another text saying thank you for confirming, and I can use my card again in a few minutes time, and told me contact the retailer to reprocess the payment.

I googled the text and phone number, and they were genuine.

After that few minutes, I tried again, and the payment went through. Not sure if it was a blip on the systems.

The experience mentioned above is a first.

A few questions:

• Would this affect the relationship with the bank?
• Would this be recorded on my profile with the bank?
• Would a CIFAS marker be on my credit record?
• Would my credit score be affected?
• I have an automatic credit limit increase next week, as per letter sent to me last month by post. Would this be declined?

It's entirely standard and won't show up anywhere as an issue in your record, I get such a text on average every 2 or 3 months, usually when I've been buying small stuff for projects online (I've been known to put in half a dozen orders for stuff worth £1-3 via ebay in an evening, especially if I also do an order that then gets processed abroad), or a bunch of pre-orders have gone through in a short space of time.