Card scams?

[Fragggggie]

Just over the past 14 hours approx I had to deal with a card scam. On my online banking I noticed purchases made that I didn't do. Now it was only for small amounts. 10 pounds. 5.72 pounds. Apparently there was one made on the 28 for 10 pounds and it was cancelled and reversed. It was all to google. Now I remember my whereabouts on the 28. I went to work on the 27th and I was still working on the 28th. I was in work crying not making purchases to Google. It wasn't to Google play. It said it was for Googleads and I don't use Googleads. I don't have any subscriptions or emails confirmations on purchases. So it was definitely scammed.

Got things sorted. Card cancelled. New one coming in the mail likely next week. The scammers did me a favour because I can do with a hold on my account to stop spending and I do do with saving some money 😁. Cheers scammers! I will get the small sums back too.

But what I don't get is that I am so so so careful with my details. Sometimes I get messages with links and I never open links and I never enter my details on links sent to me or pages. I do a lot of online shopping but I do shop from known shops. I must double check in the future for secure stuff.

I am usually so careful. I didn't enter my details anywhere or on any dodgy link.

So I just don't know how this happened.

The bank person I was speaking to asked me if I visited any new site over the Christmas and I can't remember if I visited any new website over the Christmas.

That must have been really upsetting OP!
Especially when you know yourself that you've been so careful about your details and you don't open links etc.
It sounds like you've got it sorted, that's good that you got right on it.
It's a cautionary tale for anyone reading this post.
There are so many ways and so many out there that have the means to scam others it's really unnerving.
Thanks for the reminder to be extra cautious when online!

I am so careful. I remember getting a call before and I answered it and it said it was from my phone company. I think maybe they were trying to sell me something. He wanted me to go through some security details to verify that it's me. I asked how do I know that this isn't a scam? I came so close to giving away my details. I refused to give away my details and I eventually hung up. I don't know if that was genuinely the phone company or a scam.

I am just so careful.

There were only small purchases that was made so I am relieved that I found them and I was able to cancel my card before any large purchases were made. It just wrecked my head for a while because I had to retrace my steps and figure it out - did I make those and I really didn't. Then I had to go into several different locations to really study this. I had to go into my Google account and look for subscriptions. There was none. I had to look in my email for email confirmations and again none. It was just an absolute headwreck. The. I thought did I accidently buy things because I am playing a game a lot and really that's a NO too. It was just a headwreck.

I made a post last night and other poster replied that scammers use common things like Amazon to trick you because you are less likely to see it or if you do see it, you may pass it off as something regular.

I had a puzzling one years ago. Someone had clearly obtained my credit card details and were using the card maybe once every couple of months to buy stuff that totalled around £20 at some underwear shop in Birmingham!

I was very careful with my credit card and so knew this wasn't me, but I don't always comb through my statement very carefully - I just make a payment every month, so it took me about a year to spot these tiny little amounts going out. Of course, once I did I cancelled my card and got a new one, but I sometimes wonder who it was that had got my details and what they were buying!

I would be very upset too!

You seem to have done everything right, though so much work and worry to go through everything checking things out, it is worth it.

You know, I think so many, when called directly by who they think is a valid company or institution, are taken off-guard and don't think quickly enough not to give the caller details that they can of course, use against you.

You did right and thankfully thought quickly enough to stop and question, good for you!

Companies are always warning consumers not to give out details that a company "would never ask" and yet, thousands are scammed every day.

The fact that they took out very little amounts makes me think it's either a strategy so that 'little amounts' ( which mount up!) would be overlooked, especially in the Christmas season,

Or the scammers could start small and, if not discovered, go in for a very large amount if they feel the person being scammed just isn't paying attention enough to have caught the smaller amounts taken.

Again, good for you for being vigilant and for keeping your wits about you!

I had a scam and have no idea how it happened. It was on a card account that I set up for a balance transfer and never used the card otherwise (just kept the account open in case I ever needed it). The card had never left my house, never been used online, and the scam was about 3 years after the initial balance transfer (which was all paid off) so not linked to that. Definitely not anyone in my family either. They cancelled the transaction and I got the money credited back to my account but it still worries me how it happened. The only thing I could think of is either my account got hacked somehow, or it was an internal fraud within the bank.