Credit Card Fraud

Matafleur

I'm hoping someone has some advice, someone has taken out a Capital One card in my name and, it seems, used my address too.

The first I knew of it was when a direct debit was taken from a switching account that I had recently set up. I immediately contacted the bank and had the dd cancelled, they refunded the money to my account. I then contacted Capital One to report that a card had been taken out in my name and they said they'd investigate. Today I've received a letter saying that they don't accept that fraud was committed and I'll be liable for the charges.

I am hugely panicking over this, I don't know how much the charges are but the dd was >£3k so I assume substantial. I have a spotless credit history etc and can't understand how someone was able to get hold of a credit card through my address. I was out of the country the week the card was dispatched but seems unlikely they took it from my post?!

How did this happen and what are my next steps? I called Capital One back and they've raised a complaint for me but doubt that will go very far. What other options do I have and how much are they obligated to look into this? One discrepancy is that the email they have on file for me from the cc application is subtly different to my actual email address.

I am terrified that I'll have to pay this money to them. If they are willing to look at the transactions then hopefully it will be in a different area and I can prove I wasn't there but I don't know if they do that. 

What can I do next and how likely is it that I'll be able to resolve this successfully? I have also now paid for the CIFAS protection on my credit file.

DullGreyGuy

Who has access to your property? 

Does your mail go into an external box where retrieval isnt difficult or through the letterbox to the floor and so much harder without opening the door?

They are stating its your card and therefore you should be entitled to see the transactions on it and if they were cardholder not present or present (ie in a shop or online orders). Its not a foolproof thing as sometimes people lend their card to a spouse or such whilst they are away.

MorningcoffeeIV

Matafleur said:

I was out of the country the week the card was dispatched but seems unlikely they took it from my post?!

They'll have taken it from your post, either before or after it dropping through your letter box..

Matafleur

DullGreyGuy said:

Who has access to your property? 

Does your mail go into an external box where retrieval isnt difficult or through the letterbox to the floor and so much harder without opening the door?

They are stating its your card and therefore you should be entitled to see the transactions on it and if they were cardholder not present or present (ie in a shop or online orders). Its not a foolproof thing as sometimes people lend their card to a spouse or such whilst they are away.

Only I have access to my property. I live alone with my (Primary School aged) son staying a few days a week. It's a detached property with a letterbox in the door. I have no idea how they got the card. 

The complaints person I spoke to today told me there seem to be multiple cash machine withdrawals and also supermarket spend. She couldn't tell me which area this occurred in. 

I would happily provide my normal credit card history etc if I thought it would help.as I have a card I use for all spending and pay off every month.

I am now also worried this could happen again and not sure how to prevent it other than obsessively checking my credit report.  I have a really predictable, stable credit history and this has never happened before!

DullGreyGuy

If they have made ATM withdraws then have they asked the ATM operator for the video of the transaction?

They should tell you the area if they maintain its your card but you can always provide evidence where you were at that time for them to judge if its one and the same.

I assume you do actually open all your mail etc and dont have a large pile of things you think may be junk? One solution for potential fraudsters is a temporary mail redirection but RM always send a letter to your home/"former" address even if the person asks for it to be immediate

Matafleur

MorningcoffeeIV said:

Matafleur said:

I was out of the country the week the card was dispatched but seems unlikely they took it from my post?!

They'll have taken it from your post, either before or after it dropping through your letter box..

Well that's a new horror unlocked! Brilliant

Matafleur

DullGreyGuy said:

If they have made ATM withdraws then have they asked the ATM operator for the video of the transaction?

They should tell you the area if they maintain its your card but you can always provide evidence where you were at that time for them to judge if its one and the same.

I assume you do actually open all your mail etc and dont have a large pile of things you think may be junk? One solution for potential fraudsters is a temporary mail redirection but RM always send a letter to your home/"former" address even if the person asks for it to be immediate

Can I ask them to look at atm videos at this point? I'm really not sure what I'm doing with this now, beyond asking them to look at it further. 

Any post with my name on it gets at least opened and a cursory scan. I get very little post anyway. I don't remember there being much, if anything, when we got back from holiday. It does seem odd that it was posted while we were away. I told friends and family we were going but it wasn't on social media etc.

born_again

DullGreyGuy said:

If they have made ATM withdraws then have they asked the ATM operator for the video of the transaction?

They should tell you the area if they maintain its your card but you can always provide evidence where you were at that time for them to judge if its one and the same.

I assume you do actually open all your mail etc and dont have a large pile of things you think may be junk? One solution for potential fraudsters is a temporary mail redirection but RM always send a letter to your home/"former" address even if the person asks for it to be immediate

Unless they are inside a bank or a retailer. There is no CCTV in ATM. It's a urban myth.

Op, given they are saying it's you. Then they can not withhold the times & locations. Each ATM has a unique reference that gives it's exact location.
It would then need the police contacting (you would need to do it) & seeing if they might be able to pick up any CCTV form the area at that time. Same in supermarket.
Given you say you live alone with son. Could it be a ex that has done this knowing you would be away at that point & maybe has access to property, or someone else that has access to property.

Matafleur

I'm wary I suppose of giving them ammunition to say it was me and my card, by asking for all the details i mean. I tried to report to Action Fraud when it happened but got back a notification saying that the cc company would have to report in this instance. 

I do have an ex who would know all of my details (dob etc) and exactly when I was away. He doesn't have any access to my house though and has never lived here. He also knows I'd be straight to the police if he did something like this so feels unlikely.

Matafleur

Forgot to say, my parents do have a spare key but I'm confident they wouldn't have done it

grumbler

CCTV, even if it exists, doesn't prove anything. The OP could ask somebody to withdraw money (I'm just playing the devil's advocate). The same applies to the area.
Unfortunately, the DD works against the OP too - the fraudster had to know the current account details.