Multi-Factor-Authentication

Everyoneisavisitor

Would you like all financial institutions that promote their mobile apps for day to day purchases to double check before sending YOUR money to requestors for services/purchases/charges.

This only takes seconds to verify - but the reason why they say it's not used is to speed up transactions?

This way there would be less fraud, or incorrect debits from your accounts.

Scenario just encountered;

TfL debiting my account for congestion charge £18.00 in May 2026.
I haven't driven in London since Feb 2026

Currently disputing with bank and refund claim with TfL

Exodi

No MFA I have time to chase fraudulent transactions

The purpose of this poll is obviously the product of an axe you have to grind, the options are coloured by bias too.

Instead of a disingenuous poll, why not post this on the praise/vents/warnings board?

Personally I have no issues with the current system but I can completely understand your frustration. There is a trade off between security and convenience, which most are happy to accept. On the flipside people complain when they're trying to buy something online and the transaction gets declined as a fraud prevention method and they get the 'Was this you?' text and have to start again. You can surely appreciate not everyone would prefer to do MFA on every purchase.

eskbanker

Scenario just encountered;

TfL debiting my account for congestion charge £18.00 in May 2026.
I haven't driven in London since Feb 2026

Retailers can claim funds for at least six months after the event, so the fact that it's three months since you last drove in London isn't necessarily conclusive, but obviously if it really is a fraudulent transaction then you're entitled to a refund…

The_Groat_Counter

I imagine the OP has likely been a victim of number plate cloning.

TadleyBaggie

Or a mis-read.

Eco_Miser

No MFA I have time to chase fraudulent transactions

I wouldn't like to be in a queue behind someone waiting for an MFA to come through on a dodgy connection, or even just those few extra seconds to verify.

masonic

No MFA I have time to chase fraudulent transactions

This thread should have been a question, not a poll. The question should have been "would it save me any time if TfL were unable to take the payment automatically?" The answer would have been "no".

You say that TfL debited your account. How?

• If by Direct Debit or Continuous Payment Authority on your debit card, how would MFA even work? Late payment charges and/or damage to one's credit file might be incurred if the individual was unavailable for MFA authorisation on the relevant day (for example, they might be in hospital or abroad on payment day). What about those without a smartphone or mobile coverage at home?
• If by contactless card payment, MFA has been deliberately disabled for TfL to avoid long queues (But your payment couldn't have been contactless as it wasn't you right?) Verification would reduce the rate of passengers tapping on and off by at least a factor of 4. Where is the money going to come from to fund the expansion and redevelopment of the London Underground and numerous public transport networks across the country? Is the cost of doing this likely to be more than the cost of processing a handful of refunds where a payment is taken in error? Where are they going to find the space to make the entrance and exit areas four times as large?

Aside from the payment method issues, you are missing the very salient point that if a payment isn't authorised, that doesn't absolve you from the obligation to pay. So you will still need to challenge the charge or you'd potentially end up with a CCJ and a much larger debt.