Bank Fraud!!

[Smowball]

Went to use my business bank card yesterday to pay for an order. Was rejected. Rang bank. Turns out they had blocked my card because ‘someone ‘ , in 24 hours, had tried to pay for a hotel, flights with United Airlines, plus endless transactions with various websites!! Seeing as my bank card never leaves my sight I asked how on Earth this was possible! Was told that professsional scammers have a sophisticated method of scannining bank card/PIN numbers to get a match. Anyone ever heard of this??

[waterboatman]

Yes. I had that last month. The bank sorted it and I got my money back.

[1ozzy]

Yep, been happening for ages.

One method is to "retro fit" an electronic device on ATMs
Hacking websites is another method.
Online transactions can be compromised.
There are many ways to gather info on peoples credit/debit cards.

[Smowball]

Scary!! They’ve now cancelled my flipping card so I can’t pay fo any orders till new card arrives! grrrrr!!

[waterboatman]

There are some scumbags about smow. They don't care about the inconvenience they cause people.

[1ozzy]

Happened to us years ago, some company in Malta, can't remember their name, charged US $1:50 on our credit card.

A test run, if that $1:50 went through they would have gone for much more.
A quick call to the bank, cards frozen, money refunded, like I care about one fiddy ;-))

[Buenchico]

I've heard plenty of similar stories but, for obvious reasons, the banks tend not to reveal exactly how the trick is worked.

Several years ago I got a phone call from someone who said that they were from Santander and that they wanted to speak to me about unusual activity on one of my cards. I was naturally VERY suspicious but they eventually managed to convince me (genuinely) that they really were from Santander. It turned out that someone had made three cash withdrawals, over the same number of days, from ATMs in Stratford, London, totalling £800. I couldn't work out how they'd done it as
(a) my card was only a 'cash card', rather than a debit card (meaning that I could only use it in ATMs and not to pay for goods in shops or online), so I couldn't have used it anywhere there was a crooked retailer ; and
(b) the card was for my 'emergency account' and had never even left my wallet (yet alone been used in an ATM) in the previous two years!

So the fraudsters clearly have some interesting tricks up their sleeves but it's hard to find out exactly how they achieve their aims.

(BTW, Santander refunded my money remarkably quickly, so they're obviously used to seeing customers money withdrawn without authority).

[Smowball]

My banks Santander too! Have to say that they were absolutely brilliant on the phone and couldn’t be more helpful but it’s still flipping scary!!

[waterboatman]

It just shows how sophisticated these scumbags are smow.

[Smowball]

Buenchico - frightening isn’t it. My card never leaves my sight, yet this happens.

[ummmm]

The banks have made it so much easier for thief's with contactless payments. When we got burgled not so long ago the first thing we did was phone the bank. They stole my laptop and I'm logged in to Amazon and Tesco. They could have had a field day!

[Smowball]

Hey ummmm,message me - I tried to you as usual but it wouldn’t connect. Wanted to tell you something. X

[ummmm]

I've sent you a message.

[Smowball]

Have replied ummmm x

[murraymints]

same happened to me smow..my card was used to buy £500 worth of fancy knickers !! Barclays refunded within 24 hours and replaced card within 48... as if I'd spend £5 on knickers !! :0)

[Smowball]

Well scary either way, now have to wait for a blooming new bank card!!

[Smowball]

MM well you might have a knicker fetish!!

[murraymints]

I have knickers older than most of my friends !!! lol

[Smowball]

MM you and me both lol!

[ummmm]

Just don't wear them :-D

I'm joking. That's where Primark comes in handy. When I was in hospital instead of looking for my PJ's OH went out to buy new ones and knickers. The knickers were size 22!! I'm a size 10 :-)

[murraymints]

lol..does my bum look big in these ??