Accidental crime...

[ChinChinDarlings]

NC, because I have become an inadvertent criminal.

This sounds unlikely but it true and I would like some advice and insight.

I was out today with a friend, lunch, galleries, bit of shopping. Tapping away merrily with my card.

My husband met me at the station to pick me up and I said I needed to go to the supermarket to get something and he asked what I'd been paying with all day because he had my card in his pocket.

We'd been away at the weekend and he'd been using my card because that was the card we had on us, I have a premium banking product and my card is very distinctive. I'd checked that I had my card in my holder before I went out today because I knew We'd both been using it at the weekend. Saw it was in my holder and have been tapping away all day.

The card I had in my holder and have been merrily using all day, is not my card. It belongs to a man I've never heard of. The only solution I can see is that I picked his identical card up that he left on a table and I assumed it was my card.

I have been spending a stranger's money all day. Shall I just phone the bank? Won't I look like a criminal?

TL;DR. I have accidentally spent some blokes money all day. I don't know what to do!

Of course you phone the bank. Do it now. They are probably aware at this point and have reported fraudulent card use.

Of course ring the bank, not ringing will make you look far more like a criminal.

Phone the bank, explain the mistake and pay whatever you’ve spent, problem sorted.

Definitely contact the bank right away and ask for their advice. You'll look more of a criminal trying to hide what you've done!

Call the bank, explain and sort it out. You don’t want to get a criminal record because of this. There could be cctv of you using this man’s card and you could get into serious trouble.

Ring the bank and possibly the police non emergency number after ringing the bank, in case the card has been reported as stolen.

Tell both bank and police all the places you used the card today,.and if you can remember, approximate values spent.

It'll be fine! The card issuer will have seen this issue before, not often I imagine, but you won't be the first!

I'm not doing it now! I'll do it in the morning if that's the general advice.

I'm not sure if he is aware. The only time it could have happened is Saturday night. He probably hasn't noticed yet, I will call in the morning if that's the consensus. The card obviously still worked.

I'm quite happy to pay. I don't want to be criminally implicated for a mistake though!

It sounds super-dodge if I phone the bank. It's an odd circumstance.

Ring the bank fraud team right now.....you've had the card for potentially 4 days and been spending on it, the longer it goes on the dodgier it appears.

Definitely happened.

You would be silly to not call them now - this is potentially a serious crime that you are now aware of.

Don’t worry about it

Call the bank fraud team now.
Log it with the police non-emergency online service once you've called the bank.
Don't wait till the morning.

this sounds a bit odd to me...

Bizarrely enough, I phoned my sister for advice,

And exactly the same thing had happened to her, but in the years before tap and chip and pin and she actually signed a couple of times and was asked 'are you sure this is you' and emphatically said 'yes' before she realised that she had been given a bloke's card.

FWIW; she called up, it was sorted. The fact she signed and I was tapping would seem that her culpability was less.

Can't have been tapping 'all day' as every 5th tap requires PIN authentication (can be fewer taps if you've spent close to the £100 limit for a couple of taps).

Why would it sound "super dodge" to ring the bank? What's the alternative? Surely knowing you've spent on his card and NOT ringing the bank as soon as possible is far more dodgy -it would look like you are hoping to get away with it.
Explain what happened, ask what to do with regards to repayment/police etc and move on. You won't be tossed in jail!

I bought breakfast.

Museum shop cards and wrapping paper.

Long lunch.

Couple of drinks in a bar.

£200ish..

4 taps!

What table do you think he left it on?

What would be super dodge would be realising you’d been using a strangers card and not doing the moral thing and trying to rectify your mistake.

why would any intentional criminal call the bank and try and fix the error. Try to think logically

Sounds odd.

What table? Is it a special table where people randomly leave their cards?

I haven't put my pin in for months

.. or car keys??

For all you know youve just wiped out his remaining funds before payday and this guy can’t buy food or fuel. You need to call the bank ASAP to get this resolved and I’m shocked you haven’t don’t this already.

I guess when H&I were out on Saturday night and had had a few drinks and were chatting to people.

I have a very distinctive card that not many people have, I guess I saw it on the table and picked it up presuming it was mine.

That's the only logical way I can explain it being in my possession.

And yes, I'll call in the morning. It is the obvious solution. It was just a bit WTF when I realised I'd been spending someone else's money all afternoon without anyone (including me) noticing.