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AIBU?

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Original poster

Repeated Credit Card Fraud

29 replies

PossiblyPFB · 12/02/2018 12:19

We have had our joint credit cards suspended for fraud and reissued perhaps 8 times in the past 6 months or so and probably another 3 times in a few years prior to that. This last time not even 2 weeks went by without us having it frozen and reissued again. There is no warning, we are just notified as they are declined when we try to use them, a text sent notifying us of attempted fraud and to expect new cards in 5 days. Then we have to update the new card numbers everywhere. It’s really annoying.

We use these cards as we get airmiles, they have a high limit for big purchases, and then pay them off in full each month. Otherwise we would just stop using them or look to another company.

The credit card co doesn’t seem to want to speak to us about this- what I would like to understand is if they can isolate where the fraud is happening, if there is some unsecure site or something- so that we can avoid it. They say they don’t know and can’t be that specific.

We do not buy anything unusual - think groceries, online groceries, petrol, etc and I occasionally buy things online from the likes of Facebook or eBay or Amazon but always with PayPal. I never enter my card details on a site.

Aibu that this is just beyond ridiculous and the card issuer should be able to help us to avoid this happening!? Does this happen to other people? Any ideas how we could avoid it happening yet again?!

OP posts:
Original poster
PossiblyPFB · 12/02/2018 12:25

I should also say DH does little to no internet shopping as he absolutely hates it. It’s just baffling - surely they can tell us where this is happening!

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brownelephant · 12/02/2018 12:27

tbh I would vote with my feet and go elsewhere.

BarbaraofSevillle · 12/02/2018 12:34

That's very odd. Do either of you use the cards to pay for things over the phone or guarantee restaurant or hotel bookings? Use a lot of independent or franchised shops (or the petrol station?) where staff might have more opportunity to interfere with card machines?

I assume the cards have new numbers, expiry dates and the number on the back each time?

Your card issuer should be doing more really, there's clearly something going on. From their point of view, I would be wondering if you/your DH were in on it, or were being exceptionally careless (not accusing you, but you can see how it looks to them).

I think most people will have suffered card fraud once or twice in their lifetime, but more than that must be unusual. Between DP and I, we've probably had 2 or 3 instances of card fraud in 20+ years of using them. One was an independent shop when DP bought something over the phone. One of the staff (or a customer, friend etc) must have somehow used his details and I can't remember what the other was.

BarbaraofSevillle · 12/02/2018 12:35

But I am suspicious of Amazon's security as you don't even have to enter the 3/4 digit number each time. Either their systems must be super secure, or they must be a well known weak link.

Original poster
PossiblyPFB · 12/02/2018 12:44

@barbaraofseville - yes the cards come with new numbers, expiry dates and security codes each time.

I think they analyse our spending patterns and recognise the dodgy transactions immediately (the ones I’ve seen are like trying to pay £700 for hotel rooms in places we’ve not been to in America, or a store in Lahore, happening on the same day ) as we do have quite straightforward habits and that we pay it off promptly. I can’t see they would suspect anything was originating from us.

It’s as if there is somewhere the details are being captured and then sold on or something.

I can’t recall using it to make any reservations anywhere over the phone or anything like that....

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TheMerryWidow1 · 12/02/2018 12:57

some petrol stations are bad for this. I've had fraud on my account twice and each time I'd been to and used my card in a small petrol station. I stopped going there and have had no trouble since.

Original poster
PossiblyPFB · 12/02/2018 13:00

That’s good to know about petrol stations, there is one I might start to avoid ...

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sexnotgender · 12/02/2018 13:30

Petrol stations are high risk.

Is your home computer safe?

popcorntime · 12/02/2018 13:34

In my experience it's the petrol stations, I always use cash when buying petrol after being stung too many times.

Original poster
PossiblyPFB · 12/02/2018 13:41

THats really interesting about petrol stations- the one I am thinking of that may be a bit dodgy we use a lot as it’s the closest. It’s a major supplier but I think a franchise. Once I happened to look at my receipt and they’d added a lucky dip lottery ticket to my transaction. apologised and immediately offered to refund it when I showed them my receipt but I asked for the ticket instead. That felt scammy to me, and easy to not be detected at £1 a time!

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Original poster
PossiblyPFB · 12/02/2018 13:43

And yes Home is computer safe and all up to date- I very infrequently use my desktop to purchase anything, use my phone mostly.

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DGRossetti · 12/02/2018 14:04

A little tip I've learned is to obliterate (soldering iron may be necessary) the CV2 number on the back. That's the extra 3 digit number you have to enter when buying online.

It's only ever needed online, so anyone swiping your card in person doesn't need to know it.

I hope I don't need to add that before you zap it, you remember it somewhere/how ....

Auldspinster · 12/02/2018 14:12

I work in this area and pay at pump at petrol stations is notorious for having skimming devices attached. Supermarket cash machines are bad as well.

Rapport is a good software package to prevent fraud.

PianoThirty · 12/02/2018 14:23

If it’s happening every time on new cards, and on websites & shops that millions of other people use safely every day, then I’d suspect the computer or phone. You say the computer is clean, so that just leaves the phone.

Android phones and tablets can be infected with spyware - could that be the weak link? (Apple iPhones and iPads are much safer in this respect.)

Original poster
PossiblyPFB · 12/02/2018 14:32

@pianothirty it’s an iPhone Smile

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Thistlebelle · 12/02/2018 14:37

I came on to say start buying your petrol elsewhere too. Or only paying in cash for it.

I imagine you’ll find that your fraud problems will magically disappear.

WorriedAndTired · 12/02/2018 14:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

IncyWincyGrownUp · 12/02/2018 14:40

I’d suggest it’s the petrol station too. It happens with alarming regularity here, and there are notices in the paper to warn people if there have been large numbers scammed.

PianoThirty · 12/02/2018 14:42

Fair enough, unlikely to be the phone then! The only time I’ve heard of it happening was to my old landlord, who got scammed in a petrol station. As a rule don’t give your card to the person behind the counter - insist on inserting it into the chip & pin machine yourself, and don’t let them grab the machine while your card is in it.

Original poster
PossiblyPFB · 12/02/2018 15:02

well I will certainly avoid that petrol station and use the big BP nearby or use cash and hopefully that resolves it! Such a faff every time!!

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Roomba · 12/02/2018 15:25

I had my card skimmed at a local petrol station - was stunned as it is run by a lovely old couple who've been there forever! I know it was there 100% though as the credit card was a brand new one, just opened, and I;d only used it in that place, nowhere else. Couple of weeks later, small (£3 or so) transactions showed up, followed by several larger online purchases in other countries.

Have you ever use another card in your petrol station? If so, any issues afterwards? It's strange that it has happened after you got new cards so I;d say definitely somewhere you're using it regularly, sadly.

Roomba · 12/02/2018 15:28

Oh, mine wasn't a skimmer at the pump, as I went in to pay. I remembered afterwards the transaction had a problem and she took the card out then put it back in again - only takes a split second to surreptitiously run it through a skimming device without you noticing.

Original poster
PossiblyPFB · 12/02/2018 15:42

@roomba we do try to use these cards for larger purchases such as petrol- for the airmiles. I can’t think that I’ve used my debit card, that’s the only other card I have. It’s one of the ones where you’re issued an Amex and a Visa to the same credit account. So we just have those 2 and our debit card.

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RockNRollNerd · 12/02/2018 15:52

Petrol Stations are notoriously bad for this. Sometimes it’s the staff themselves. Sometimes they’ve been socially engineered to put the skimmer on by the ‘baddies’ it does happen and a couple of years ago a big bank themselves got engineered letting service IT guys in who installed malware on their servers. Same thing was part of the Target hack too iirc.

Amazon should be pretty good for security. Firstly they have enough money to do it right. Secondly they have a lot to lose if they were to have major problems and thirdly AWS is used by so many major corporations for cloud they have to have shit hot security on their systems.

Original poster
PossiblyPFB · 12/02/2018 16:15

@rocknrollnerd - yes I agree about Amazon and any PayPal transaction for that matter!

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