Many Virtual Operators don't support shot code messages. What does it mean, does it really matter?

ColinB

apwood said:

I don't know about other banks, but Barclaycard require a response about suspect transactions via SMS. I use Smarty so that makes it very time consuming to deal with these messages because I end up having to phone them.

Yup, that's my problem. I have an issue running with Barclaycard, they've texted me to say they've fixed it, and inviting me to reply Yes or No to confirm. They've sent from a short code, but I'm with Smarty and the text won't send. They haven't fixed the issue, but there seems to be no easy way to tell them that.

J_B

ColinB said:

Yup, that's my problem. I have an issue running with Barclaycard, they've texted me to say they've fixed it, and inviting me to reply Yes or No to confirm. They've sent from a short code, but I'm with Smarty and the text won't send. They haven't fixed the issue, but there seems to be no easy way to tell them that.

Can't you use the 'help' option in the BC app?

ColinB

J_B said:

ColinB said:

Yup, that's my problem. I have an issue running with Barclaycard, they've texted me to say they've fixed it, and inviting me to reply Yes or No to confirm. They've sent from a short code, but I'm with Smarty and the text won't send. They haven't fixed the issue, but there seems to be no easy way to tell them that.

Can't you use the 'help' option in the BC app?

Slightly off topic, but the issue I'm trying to get resolved is that the version of the BC Android app that I'm looking at - which is allegedly fully up to date and at the latest version - does not have a messaging facility. It's simply not where they keep telling me it is, neither on the home screen where the image on the Play Store page shows it, nor anywhere on the Help menu. So no, I can't use the app to communicate with them. 

J_B

ColinB said:

J_B said:

ColinB said:

Yup, that's my problem. I have an issue running with Barclaycard, they've texted me to say they've fixed it, and inviting me to reply Yes or No to confirm. They've sent from a short code, but I'm with Smarty and the text won't send. They haven't fixed the issue, but there seems to be no easy way to tell them that.

Can't you use the 'help' option in the BC app?

Slightly off topic, but the issue I'm trying to get resolved is that the version of the BC Android app that I'm looking at - which is allegedly fully up to date and at the latest version - does not have a messaging facility. It's simply not where they keep telling me it is, neither on the home screen where the image on the Play Store page shows it, nor anywhere on the Help menu. So no, I can't use the app to communicate with them. 

Blue band along the bottom ...

Accounts - Statements - Pay Options - Help- - More

Tap on Help then, at the bottom there's 'Message us'

Or, is it like my thread in Techie Stuff about Google timeline, where the option that everyone else can see just isn't there?

ColinB

J_B said:

ColinB said:

J_B said:

ColinB said:

Yup, that's my problem. I have an issue running with Barclaycard, they've texted me to say they've fixed it, and inviting me to reply Yes or No to confirm. They've sent from a short code, but I'm with Smarty and the text won't send. They haven't fixed the issue, but there seems to be no easy way to tell them that.

Can't you use the 'help' option in the BC app?

Slightly off topic, but the issue I'm trying to get resolved is that the version of the BC Android app that I'm looking at - which is allegedly fully up to date and at the latest version - does not have a messaging facility. It's simply not where they keep telling me it is, neither on the home screen where the image on the Play Store page shows it, nor anywhere on the Help menu. So no, I can't use the app to communicate with them. 

Blue band along the bottom ...

Accounts - Statements - Pay Options - Help- - More

Tap on Help then, at the bottom there's 'Message us'

Or, is it like my thread in Techie Stuff about Google timeline, where the option that everyone else can see just isn't there?

As I said, “ It's simply not where they keep telling me it is, neither on the home screen where the image on the Play Store page shows it, nor anywhere on the Help menu.” Their chat agents keep telling me, like you have, to look somewhere it ought to be but isn’t.  It’s just not there on my app, which is the issue I’m trying to get resolved.

J_B

ColinB said:

As I said, “ It's simply not where they keep telling me it is, neither on the home screen where the image on the Play Store page shows it, nor anywhere on the Help menu.” Their chat agents keep telling me, like you have, to look somewhere it ought to be but isn’t.  It’s just not there on my app, which is the issue I’m trying to get resolved.

Uninstall - reinstall? Perhaps.  🤷‍♂️

ColinB

J_B said:

ColinB said:

As I said, “ It's simply not where they keep telling me it is, neither on the home screen where the image on the Play Store page shows it, nor anywhere on the Help menu.” Their chat agents keep telling me, like you have, to look somewhere it ought to be but isn’t.  It’s just not there on my app, which is the issue I’m trying to get resolved.

Uninstall - reinstall? Perhaps.  🤷‍♂️

Done that, (and de-register/re-register).

Progress with B'Card though: apparently some B'Card-only customers  (ie people not holding any other other Barclays group products) get offered different things in the app (such as the messaging facility) because of a profile mismatch issue. It's now partly fixed, I now get the "Message us" item on the Help menu, but some other things still not working.

Sorry folks, that's all off-topic. Still can't send short-code texts, and unlikely to be able to unless I change phone provider. They don't tell you that when you sign up.

mrBlue

So if you're with an MVNO, like SPUSU or others, you can't report a Bank Scam originating number to Action Fraud, the UK's main fraud prevention organisation!  The mobile operator world is rubbish. They should be forced to include all UK numbers regardless.

Frozen_up_north

With GiffGaff and 1p Mobile you can forward spam text messages to 7726. As this is an official method of reporting spam, it’s probably something all networks have to accommodate.

Incidentally, handling bank authentication by text is potentially insecure, I thought most had moved to requiring the use of an app and/or a “PINsentry” card reader (Barclays banking token generator).

tinker411

Frozen_up_north said:

With GiffGaff and 1p Mobile you can forward spam text messages to 7726. As this is an official method of reporting spam, it’s probably something all networks have to accommodate.

Incidentally, handling bank authentication by text is potentially insecure, I thought most had moved to requiring the use of an app and/or a “PINsentry” card reader (Barclays banking token generator).

Indeed, there'll be a shortlist of short code numbers that are allowed regardless of provider (like 7726 as you say, along with 6/7/85075, in several cases 61016, and so on) but you'd need to check with the provider first.

As for bank authentication - yes, potentially. How they're getting around that varies wildly between banks though. The likes of Starling and Chase use the app (unsurprisingly), Barclays and NatWest have card readers although the former uses the app for online payment authentication too I know, Nationwide appear to be moving away from card readers, while Santander uses the app for online payment authentication while setting up a new payee in app involves screen after screen (8 of them at the moment) and an OTP via text.