To Think That This Is Ridiculous (Fraud Block On My Card) & That Lloyds Fraud Dept Could Have Done More ??

[RockinHippy]

I'm away from home, in a town I visit very often as my DF lives here, my DM too before she died several years ago. Today, twice my card was declined in 2 different shops, both purchases under £15.

I panicked after the second one, as you do, as I know there is plenty of money in the account. So rang the bank for help - 20 minutes to get through, the usual ream of security questions, to be told there is a "fraud block" on my card & I will need to speak to that department - further 20 minutes on hold whilst they pass me through

Turns out they have blocked my account for 2 reasons, 1, I made 2 transactions with Vodaphone on the same day - something I do EVERY month, as I'm topping up mine & DDs mobile phones. 2. I have made several transactions in Liverpool, which I was told is a high risk area for cloned cards - turns out to be Merseyside as I am not in Liverpool, but Southport, "several transactions was actually 3, all under £20

. I asked why my account history wasn't checked before blocking my card, as it would show that I have been visiting & using this card here & in Liverpool itself every 2-3 months for some 20 plus years. It would also show that the double Vodaphone transaction happens every month.

They guy could not give me an answer, other than "its all automated" Nor could he help me by unblocking my card. Not even when I told him they have ruined my stay here as I have no other cards with me & that I was meant to be treating DD to a clothes shopping spree & DF to a meal out tonight.

Despite my telling them a whole load of details of comings & goings into the account, they insist it can still only be unblocked with a pin number, they say they have left on my answer machine - at home, where I am not & DH is away too. Otherwise I have to go into the local branch tomorrow with photo ID - as I don't drive & don't need a F""ing passport to travel to Southport, I have none, so 1,1/4 hours of hanging on my mobile phone later, getting nowhere & I am still shafted

Basically its ruined our stay, we have no money to do any of the things planned & means we have to go home early.

DH isn't at home, doesn't have our joint & main account card with him, but thankfully he had the idea to transfer the bit if cash he could access into DDs bank account, which will at least mean we can get home comfortably

AIBU to think this is one big F"" up on Lloyds part & they should have been able to do more to help

[BoomBoomsCousin]

That is really rubbish. I've had useless fraud stuff with Lloyds too. Abroad, having notified them we were going there, block on buying at Safeway. Call up and get it sorted. Next, same block at the same store. Call up and get it sorted. Two days later, same block, same store, call up and get it sorted. This happened every single time we shopped in that store for two weeks! Several other places too, but only a few and only once at each place. Fortunately they didn't actually block the card or we'd have been screwed.

[wasonthelist]

YANBU that is totally shite.

[Pigeonpost]

That is crap. Tweet them.

[ZenMom]

YANBU that's total crap. I've had that twice with lloyds but get an immediate text saying there was an unusual transaction. I've got to reply to say if it is approved or not. As soon as I've replied to the text that it was me, I can do the transaction again.

A pain for sure but I get the security and computers are fallible.

If I were to say no it want me, the card would be blocked.

Can they set you up on that? I thought it was standard for them now.

[JigglypuffsCaptor]

Having worked for a high street bank this is poor service.

Why can't they lift the block without the pin once you'd passed security? I mean banks these days can do anything to your card, iould open them for unlimited spends or block them just by entering a few codes on the screen.

I'd call back and ask for a team leader. Trust me they can unblock your card at the contact centre.

[shouldwestayorshouldwego]

Santander keep doing this to dh's card. He travels to once a month for work, he always goes by train, twice they've blocked his card leaving him stranded there. We went abroad, ironically to Spain, and they blocked it, despite us telling them that we were going and having a little chuckle with the telephone operator about that in Spain, home of Santander, it should be fine, plus no need to put flag on for European countries. They've blocked it in Calais (an easy day trip for us), but not Highlands (two days away), obviously the ferry booking wasn't a big enough hint.

It's a joint account but they never block my card. Well except once when dh ordered a new card because chip stopped working, and they decided to cancel mine instead but not order a new one. Couldn't use my old card number either so had to change all card payments. I reckon that they don't block me because my spending thanks to Christmas bargain thread is too random to attempt to track!!

[MintyGlint]

I went on a cruise last year. Told Lloyds in advance because transactions on ship would show up as US based and then a transaction on land would be in a different country. They made a note on my account and promised it would be OK.

Third day of the cruise they blocked my card.

[RunningLulu]

Worked for a bank before in credit risk. They'll do this when they've been informed of card cloning or fraudulent staff related behaviour at a big shop (think one of the big supermarkets, a huge restaurant chain) but can't inform anyone (including staff) for legal reasons. Probably has nothing to do with Liverpool, and might even be somewhere you did your shopping before the holiday.

[RockinHippy]

Thanks everyone,

Sounds as if its something they too often do these days

I have face-booked them & no reply so far - I don't really use Twitter, though I do have it, so might give that a go too



Can they set you up on that? I thought it was standard for them now.

I thought I had, they have definitely been given my mobile number to set it up even quite recently when we had another problem with the account - though of course they now insist they only have our landline & it wasn't done

I still don't get, given its their cock up & how much info I could give to prove its my account, why they couldn't just unblock - they poor guy I spoke with admitted he couldn't understand why either, but his manager refused insisting I could only do it with the PIN, or in the bank with photo ID

I have to complain via our branch & boy will I be raising the roof,

[CrownofStars]

Ah yes Lloyds. They put a block on my card last Xmas Eve. When I phoned them it was apparently because I'd spent money in three different shops, in my home town, and was about to spend money in a fourth. This apparently counted as 'unusual spending'. When I pointed out that it was Xmas Eve and about 99% of the people out would be doing the same thing thry had no answer other than 'it's automatic'.

[RockinHippy]

I Worked for a bank before in credit risk. They'll do this when they've been informed of card cloning or fraudulent staff related behaviour at a big shop (think one of the big supermarkets, a huge restaurant chain) but can't inform anyone (including staff) for legal reasons. Probably has nothing to do with Liverpool, and might even be somewhere you did your shopping before the holiday.

Thank you, at least that makes some sense of a ridiculous situation - still doesn't help me now, but if that is the case, at least I can feel a bit less hard done by

[RockinHippy]

Actually, thinking on it further - if they can unblock it with a PIN/Photo ID, then it isn't because of chain/supermarket staff card cloning or surely they wouldn't unblock it at all

[RockinHippy]

Ah yes Lloyds. They put a block on my card last Xmas Eve. When I phoned them it was apparently because I'd spent money in three different shops, in my home town, and was about to spend money in a fourth. This apparently counted as 'unusual spending'. When I pointed out that it was Xmas Eve and about 99% of the people out would be doing the same thing thry had no answer other than 'it's automatic'.

I feel for you Clown, that makes as much sense as this does - Automated is such a bloody cop out

[Nikki1171]

It all gets a bit stupid tbh. We were buying a car recently and I got a loan paid into our bank account for several thousand pounds. I then phoned the bank and said I want to make you aware we will be making a large payment tomorrow for a car and I don't want it stopped. They said they would put a flag on the account but they couldn't guarantee anything. Sure enough the next day the payment got declined when we were in the car showroom!! It was pretty obvious from the loan going into the account for the exact same amount as the payment made that it was us making the transaction. Add to that the phone call in advance and you just wonder if these people have any sense!

[Karoleann]

With anything like this you just thank them for their time and ask to be put though to their manager. When they say that the manager can just call back, ask for their name and say you're happy to hold. If their manager can't help repeat the process.

[PansyGiraffe]

We nearly lost our holiday earlier this year because they put a block on my (rarely used) credit card and didn't tell me. I was getting increasingly irate letters from holiday co's debtors dept, phoned Lloyds and they'd blocked it a month previously but not told me. "A suspicious large transaction" - 800 euros to a very well known holiday company. To be fair the complaints dept lady was great and sorted it out (Inc compensation).

[ny20005]

Fraud won't put a manager on the phone & being arsey won't help. If you've been told to go to branch - sounds like you've failed telephone security

[JudyCoolibar]

I'm quite sure they can unblock it. When I lost my card recently, MasterCard checked whether it had been used and, when they found it hadn't, offered me the option of either cancelling the card immediately or blocking it temporarily to give me another go at looking for it. I opted for blocking and, when I found it down the back of a car seat I phoned and told them and they immediately unblocked it. If MasterCard can do it I'm pretty sure Lloyds can.

It's no excuse to say "It's automated". Some human being wrote the programme for the system. If they can't build in a means of recognising regular transactions they shouldn't bother.

[lalalalyra]

Surely they haven't left a security pin on an answering machine?

[ExitPursuedBySpartacus]

DH booked a ferry to the continent. All good.

I booked a hotel in Switzerland. The bank blocked my card. Eventually got it unblocked but the paynment didn't go through so we had to pay when we got there. Cost more as it was post Brexit.

Twats.

[nokidshere]

Both Lloyds and NatWest have blocked my cards on occasion. Each time they have asked me to confirm certain payments made and each time the cards were unblocked instantly after confirmation.

I've never been asked to go into the branch or to provide anything else other than security details.

[JudyCoolibar]

I once had a card blocked because, on a summer Saturday, I'd paid for breakfast at my local garage and, a few hours later, spent a princely £30 in a supermarket in a town in Cornwall. They said they'd tried to phone me on my phone home to check but got no reply. It apparently occurred to no-one that that might be because I'd gone on holiday to, um, Cornwall. When I pointed out that the average card thief isn't massively likely to restrict his ill-gotten gains to buying a bit of petrol and a few groceries, they couldn't explain their - or their computers - deductive processes at all.

[Oldraver]

I had my card declined buying a washing machine over the phone from AO...The guy said it happened often and he would still put the order through and to phone back with payment.

To be fair its the account I usually use for bills and smaller spending so Santander probably thought it fraudulent. They also said they had sent me a text alert which I didnt get, until I was on the phone to them.

I recently hired a car and was sweating it wouldn't go through...

[BeALert]

When my card is blocked due to possible fraudulent activity I have the option to log in to my account, review the transactions them remove the block.

If your bank can't do that then you might want to switch accounts to somewhere that can.

[crazycatguy]

Lloyds block my card everytime I go overseas without fail. This then necessitates a costly phone call, often a half hour in length.

This despite me informing them through their app. I don't know anyone else that has to do this :/