How to stay safe when shopping online, and avoid scams and identity theft

lr1277

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82039164#Comment_82039164

Hmm i don’t remember the exact details as I think this was in 2024. I am sure I would have asked Amazon. If memory serves I couldn’t get the refund because perhaps the seller was no longer on the site or the elapsed time period. Sorry I don’t remember.

Bigwheels1111

I’ve only ever had fraud once, I have multiple bank accounts. I purchase online every day and have made 10,000 purchases at a minimum.

Most are dead accounts I use to switch with, 2 small DD so I qualify for switching.

The debit cards are still in the envelope they arrived in.

My last switch was Starling to Nationwide. The online switch would not accept my Starling debit cards number.

So rang Nationwide and for the second time ever that day I removed the card from its envelope and gave it to Nationwide for the switch.

The switch then started.

30 minutes later there was a purchase on Amazon using the card, Called Starling and within 3 days I was refunded.

Just shows it’s not only unknown sites that cause issues.

The safest way I can see for you is to get a PayPal account, they pay with a temp card, not yours and then bill you, not all shops take PayPal though. PayPal offer their own card now also.Get a newer phone and use google wallet it does the same as PayPal a temp card not yours. My Mum is a novice at this stuff, uses PayPal and Google with no issues at all.

She understands to never trust any calls she receives a good position to start with.

Here is a phone for £99, fingerprint and Face ID so safer. £99, might get £10 with voucher.

https://www.mi.com/uk/product/poco-c85/specs/

GillyFlower

I have been hacked and it is a nightmare that is now going onto two months or more to sort out. I thought I was safe online all passwords unique, etc, etc. Not on Facebook and only used basic. Anyway what have I learnt?

1. Stop John Lewis Card that I have had for years and used for all shopping online. Not for Credit but getting shopping from Waitrose and JL online. Liked the vouchers twice a year for money against my Waitrose Shop. Why I have stopped - after Bank warned me I had been hacked - I phoned JL. I was then asked what did I know about Marbles? I said what the glass marbles??? He said 'No' a Credit Card. What did I know about Zopa? I said 'nothing'. He said well they have used your JL card for purchases on Amazon and opened up accounts Marbles and Zopa.

2. Then the nightmare began - so - Report Fraud, CIFAS, etc.

3. I do not do Facebook, etc and only shop for minimum things and I don't use my mobile for banks.

4. I am learning about 2 stage authentication and very skeptical about giving photo id. If they get that they surely they become me even easier. What is safe? Note: I have a password book and thought I was clever having so many passwords - but - what did that do to help me?

5. I have Call Guardian on my BT home phone and fortunately the calls to pretend they are the bank etc do not get through.

So - I am on a nightmare learning curve.

P.S. I also learnt that I had a Halifax B/S account that had zero balance and I had not closed completely - so - they opened this and transferred money around into there from my bank and then paid themselves. Plus on JL on the statements the transactions are all from up north of the country and I am down in the south.

P.P.S. Bank cards being re-issued left right and center. I had a new card in my hand and needed to pay for dogs prescription. I said my mind has gone blank I hope I remember the pin. I tried it and - no- so I said I will not try again as I don't want this card stopped. (So did it another way to pay.) Three days later I go into supermarket have a trolley of shopping - tap card - BLOCKED. So they get me as fast as that - but hackers on a joy ride. .

eskbanker

Bank warned me I had been hacked

What specifically did they actually mean by that? If fraudsters were able to pay for transactions using your credit card details then that can signify brute force guesswork, loss/theft of physical card, or disclosure of the relevant numbers by the cardholder, but none of these is actually hacking as such, which would normally mean breaking into an online account - if someone had accessed your online credit card account, this wouldn't in itself allow them to transact on it…

GillyFlower

Sorry what I should have said - I had an email that I didn't recognize and I did not click onto it. Something made me think to check my bank account. I then logged into my Bank Account and it said it was stopped and to phone. I did this and they said there was suspicious activity at 4 am I think it was. I confirmed it was not me and then they said I needed to contact any other financial institutions. I phoned JL and then he asked me the questions.

I do not give my JL card to anyone and neither does it leave my side. (I have never lost it) Neither does anyone else use my laptop. I do not bank on my mobile. But they hacked my mobile at the same time so I was not able to see any text from banks suspecting suspicious activity. They did make transactions and as I said they were up north of the country and I am down south. Report Fraud felt JL should investigate further and I passed on this message.

lr1277

Am I reading this right?

You have a barely used Halifax B/S account. is this a current account or credit card account?

You say money was transferred from you day to day current account to this Halifax B/S account? Is that correct?

If fraudsters have got into your day to day current account your problems are way bigger than you wrote about.

flaneurs_lobster

Just noticed that you've also mentioned that your mobile was "hacked". Can you be more specific, do you mean that certain apps are no longer under your control?

What about your email account(s)? Have you resecured these?

And the account for your mobile service?

Having unique passwords is good.

Having unique passwords made up of 20 random characters is far better.

How are you generating these passwords?

Nasqueron

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82090801#Comment_82090801

SIM swap by the sounds of it if they are intercepting texts, not hacked in the normal sense