Advice Needed Please - Security Issue

Darth_Frosty

Hi all,

A friend of mine had just received 3 credit cards, all renewed from existing accounts. They are Barclays, Virgin and Halifax Visa cards. Bizarrely all three cards have issued fresh pin instructions and all three cards have specified the same pin number! This pin number was selected by my friend on just one of these cards.
To me this represents a background security problem. My question is - should he simply go to all 3 card companies and explain or should this be taken up with an official monitoring organisation?

Thanks in advance

Darth Frosty

Bokkens

Welcome to MSE
Yes.
You can phone customer services they will instantly reissue you with new cards and check the validity of the pins previously sent out.
You can of course change the pins at the atms to something more memorable so it shouldn't be necessary to have new cards but if that will make you happy they will change them.
better that than loose all your cash.

James

Unless your friend wishes to use these credit cards to make cash withdrawals at ATMs, your friend could BIN the PINs and continue to sign by way of Chip & Signature Cards.

DifferentFromTheNorm

Darth_Frosty wrote: »

Hi all,

A friend of mine had just received 3 credit cards, all renewed from existing accounts. They are Barclays, Virgin and Halifax Visa cards. Bizarrely all three cards have issued fresh pin instructions and all three cards have specified the same pin number! This pin number was selected by my friend on just one of these cards.
To me this represents a background security problem. My question is - should he simply go to all 3 card companies and explain or should this be taken up with an official monitoring organisation?

Thanks in advance

Darth Frosty

Either your friend changed the PINs on all three cards and simply just forget that they did. Or, its just a bizarre coincidence that the other 2 cards were issued new PINs that just happened to be the same.

It's not going to be a security issue that needs to be complained about. As someone else mentioned - if they want different PINs for different cards then they can just go and change each one. Otherwise, be happy that they've only got one PIN to remember.

silvercar

The chance of two pins having the same number is 1 in 10,000; the chance of 3 pins having the same number is 1 in 100,000,000. I would not be happy that this is a coincidence.

I would check that there is not some kind of deception going on here. Someone is waiting for you to phone the numbers on the letter that came with the pin and note down all your security details. Are you 100% sure that the letters are genuine?

chappers

Agree with silvercar, Have all the cards actually expired are are they due to expire soon, is your friend sure they didn't change all the PINs previously. Unless you request it they don't usually re-issue your PIN .I would check with them and as Silvercar says don't use the number that came with the cards, use the number on the statements.

Darth_Frosty

Thank you everyone.
Silvercar I agree. I'll ask my friend for more details but what I do know is that he chose the pin in question a couple of years ago, did not use it for any other cards and then changed it to another pin several months ago. All very odd.