Protection

Jocsoc

I was recently the victim of a scam. As a result I asked my credit card provider to cancel my current card and issue another as the scammers were using multi companies to access my account. I was told that this would not solve the problem as the scammers would still be able to access my account. I thought that a new card number would prevent this. Consequently I was forced to freeze any withdrawals from the account and only allow deposits. I am now looking to transfer to another CC provider. Is this my only solution?

eskbanker

Exactly how are the scammers accessing your account, i.e. how do the transactions appear on your statements?  If you perhaps unwittingly signed up to some recurring payments, for example, you can instruct your card company to cancel these authorities.  Or if they're genuinely unauthorised transactions your card company should refund them.  Or do the scammers have access to your online banking maybe?

dr_adidas01

We need more information, what scam did you fall for? What do you mean multi companies to access your account? What do you mean by accessing your account? Who is you CC provider? 

Your to vague with you information to get any help that would be useful to you!! 

Jocsoc

Thank you for your replies.
I only discovered the scam when I accidentally came across reviews of other victims. The pattern seemed to be thus:-The initial purchase is made but a sum several times bigger than the cost is taken from the account. They obviously retain the card details to make further withdrawals at a later date. If you try to put a block on that company, they just pass the details to another of their companies who are not blocked  ad infinitum. I thought by requesting a new card with a new number that this would solve the problem but my CC company said this would not prevent them from gaining access. Hence the need to freeze the account and seek a new provider.

eskbanker

You're not the first to wrongly believe that a new card number 'fixes' this, but if you make a purchase and the transacted value differs from what you authorised then you dispute the transaction with your card provider, who should refund it.  Similarly, any further transactions put through without authorisation (by the same or different companies) need to be challenged in the same way - the onus is on the card company to prove that you did authorise the transactions rather than for you to prove that you didn't.  If it transpires that you did authorise multiple payments by agreeing, perhaps inadvertently, to a recurring payment instruction then you can still get your card company to stop paying these in future.

Following due process in this way is far more productive than trying to come up with creative but flawed workarounds yourself....

Jocsoc

Thank you Eskbanker, very helpful information. This has reinforced my intention to close this account and find another provider. I think this is the only fail -safe solution albeit a pain in the proverbial to negotiate.