OT - warning, credit card scam

Having read it all the way through, it does seem to me that this is a warning to be taken seriously. If one person gets a headsup that might otherwise have fallen for it, then this warning has been worth its bandwidth. Perhaps there should be a gullibility test attached to credit card applications ;o))

regards,

Kim Siddorn,

Hi Kim, The card suppliers do contact you about dubious transactions but don't ask for any codes. I bought an expensive item last year (from a reputable firm) & my card supplier rang and asked if I had purchased the item twice. (I hadn't) I contacted the firm & they apologised & said it must have been accidently entered twice. They said that they would have spotted this later but I am glad that I didn't get to find out if this was correct!

-- Dave Croft Warrington England

I have to agree with Kim on this one. We have regular checks on our cards by the card companies, usually when we are overseas and the pattern of buying changes.

We have also had Natwest's Visa Fraud Department on the phone at 9pm asking about specific transactions and asking us to confirm the transaction details.

In all cases the actual card number was not discussed at all. When we asked if they could verify who 'they' were, they immediately gave a verifiable phone number to call back on and their own names and positions. The transactions they quoted were sufficient for us to be able to confirm their bona fides.

Peter

-- Peter & Rita Forbes snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk Engine pages for preservation info:

Presumably they could also give the answers to your security questions back to you, mothers maiden name, etc. Sort of using their own system in reverse. How do you know the phone number they give you is bona fide? I have never had such a phone call. Does that mean I'm boring?

John

John Manders" wrote > I have never had such a phone call. Does that mean I'm boring?

No more boring than me, John, I've never had a call like that either, though the amount of email I receive connected to credit card validation, ebay/paypal a/c validation, prizes I've won, African oil money I should receive and so forth, makes me realise what a lot of thieving sods there are out there. I'm just glad I come across so few in "real" life.

Regards, Arthur G

It doesn't take much. I loathe cities and shopping so tend to drop the car in for service then embark on a carefully planned campaign of spending two or three times a year. I always get the fraud enquiry that day. Intrusive but comforting in an annoying sort of way :-) ttfn Roland

though the amount of email I receive connected to

African oil money I should receive and so forth,

just glad I come across so few in "real" life.

Probably not, a note has appeared on my last couple of VISA statements to the fact they will only ask for a couple of letters from the other security information. I suspect the operators only get told letter 2 is A, letter 4 is X, protects both the operators and the companies involved being accused of divulging your secret information and thus being able to abuse it.

You don't but one would assume they give you the one on the card so you can check.

Neither have I but then my spending pattern is fairly consistent. Sudden changes to your spending pattern trigger the CC companies alarm bells.

There are other things that we have with Natwest, including card insurance that they can quote details for, plus the transaction details were too recent to come up on any paperwork.

Gentlemen,

Listening to you lot means the best decision my wife and I ever made was not to have a credit card and the longer we can hold onto our cash the better.

Martin P

p.s. before anybody comments, we are not tight A***s either. :-)) or Scottish

Yes, but try going overseas for a few weeks without one and see how far you go, plus you can't do a lot with cash online, it won't go in the floppy disk slot....:-))

With a reasonable amount of care and heeding sensible warnings, it is not any worse than it should be.

Remember that if you get knocked over the head and your cash is stolen, you've lost that for good (travel insurance provisions excepting) while cards have limits on theft and generally I think you are pretty well covered (again, assuming that you have insurance cover for card loss etc)

Peter

-- Peter & Rita Forbes snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk Engine pages for preservation info:

Peter,

My answer to that is my wife is not interested in foreign travel, so no costs incurred there all travel on my part is with a company card. It may seem we are a boring pair but we are happy and as I have said before if we cant afford it we dont need it and it seems to me that the insurance companies have it covered with all the little sums of cover you lot pay for the privalige of a piece of fiddleable plastic. Each to his own :-))

Martin P

I used to work with a friend who wouldn't have a credit card. He was interested in photography and bought things from companies over the phone. I used to offer the facility of my card occasionally to speed up his purchase (essential when buying the last item in a sale). Eventually, he got a card of his own and now uses it regularly. He always pays the amount off every month so no costs are incurred. Credit cards are also very useful in unexpected situations. Being able to pay for things quickly and easily can take a lot of strain out of a stressful time. The alternative is to carry enough cash to pay for anything or to keep a high balance in a current account where it doesn't earn interest. Conclusion, I wouldn't be without mine even though it's only used occasionally.

Regards John

ps Did the stove work?

John Manders said (snip)

Conclusion, I wouldn't be without mine even though it's only used occasionally.

I've got a dedicated card for Internet purchases, the principal risk. By special arrangement it has a £100 (one hundred pounds) limit and I've found this deals with most things although occasionally I might need to use a higher limited card, but not more than once a year (say).

Another is solely for fuel and as I do some 20,000 miles a year the magnetic strip is bald! Although it is paid by direct debit so never earns the company a penny, the usage means that my credit limit continues to rise and currently wildly exceeds my annual income.

Going abroad reveals a useful feature. I credit one card with (say) £2,000 and get interest-free local cash over the counter at banks, bureau des change etc wherever I go. The last few times we've been overseas, I've not bothered to get any foreign currency at all before I go & stock up the morning after.

Finally, I always tell my card companies what I'm doing and that this and that card will be "in the safe at home for three weeks". If they go walkies, every transaction is refused & it's a simple phone call to get them back on line.

Finally, I absolutely agree with conclusion 2. We all have different ideals and ways of looking at things, the greatest prize of a pluralist society.

Regards,

Kim Siddorn,

Some good ideas there Kim. On the subject of charges, the card companies charge the seller as well as your interest. Last time I heard, it was 4% so don't feel sorry for them, they are still making money out of you. As regards your foreign use. Our debit card is run by visa so we don't have to bother transfering any money to make a credit. We also have an overdraft facility (rarely used) so that card gets used rather as a credit card anyway without any need to arrange payment. I do maintain more than one card just for the occasion when one system fails. Then it's good to have a backup.

Regards

John

|I've got a dedicated card for Internet purchases, the principal risk. By |special arrangement it has a £100 (one hundred pounds) limit and I've found |this deals with most things although occasionally I might need to use a |higher limited card, but not more than once a year (say).

Do you not know about the Cahoot Visa card with the (free) webcard feature?

I leave finding out about this excellent idea as an excercise for the reader. Start at Cahoot's web site.