Credit Card Owner's address purchased off 192.com - using stolen credit card

[Nightynight]

A colleague has just had credit card details stolen. The first fraudulent transaction on the account was the thief purchasing the card owner's personal details off 192.com.

It seems a little strange to me that 192.com would allow a credit card to be used to purchase the owner's address. Yes, I can see that there might be legitimate situations where this would be possible, but surely, most such transactions are credit card fraud.
(I am currently living in Germany where you sometimes need written permission from your landlord before you can even get a key copied, in case you are a thief. But there is little crime here in Munich)

So, I am writing to 192.com at [email protected] to ask them to review their policy, and disallow a credit card being used to purchase its owner's name and address.

Am interested in other people's thoughts/opinions, and if you agree, then please drop them a line as well.

I find this appauling.

I work in a call centre where if a customer asks for your name we were to give it although I do refuse my surname. One of my superiors was not at all happy with this and I continually was marked down on my work scorings.

After a while though and me constantly refusing she did let up a bit. You can find out whatever from this site and feel no-one should be able to access your details. If people were meant to have your details you would give them out yourself wouldn't you?

update...

the thief apparently did have my colleague's address as well as credit card numbers. So, they used my colleagues card to buy the addresses of several hundred other credit card holders, whose addresses they presumably did not have.

All this was carefully timed to kick off after 20 November, which is the date when most people get their monthly statements.

So, there are several hundred UK residents out there who are presumably going to get a nasty shock when they get their December statement. My colleague only found out early because he checks his statements regularly on the internet.

There is some evidence that the card details were stolen several months ago, and the theives waited until now, this may be because spending patterns are different around Christmas, so strange patterns could be more likely to pass.

I am contacting 192.com to request that my details be removed from their database.

if i am ex-directory, will my details still be on 192.com ?

I am and mine are

oh bum. best get an email off to them then, thanks nightynight. Whats's the best email addy to use ?

oh bum. best get an email off to them then, thanks nightynight. What's the best email addy to use ?

crumbs we are on there too

I never knew it existed

will write to them to get us taken off

Thnaks for telling us about it

link here to their privacy policy.
About 2/3 of the way down the page, there is a link and instructions on how to get off their list. You have to print a form out and fax it to the number given.

OK, hang on a minute. The fax number is a premium price line, costing 1.50 pound per minute!

I am going to investigate other ways. Hypocrites, they say that you can remove yourself for free!

I think they take details from the electoral roll which is why you appear even if ex directory..

you can now tick a box when you fill in the electoral roll form that your details are not available to purchase and unavailable to the general public (although they will be given out to police, credit agencies etc)

yes it's taken from the electoral roll - for a couple of years now (certainly since I've been back in the UK) there's a box to tick (as Zippi says) if you don't want your details available to all and sundry - if you don't tick the box you also get more junk mail too.

It seems that you can post the form back to them. However, my colleague managed to remove himself from their list this morning by telephone.

I am going to print the form out and post it to them, as I am abroad.

I ticked the box though, and Im still on. Cant remember ticking it last year, but I always tick every opt out box on principle.

It is because it takes information from years back to 2002 so would take a few years to automatically make you unlisted

well Im going to speed up the automatic unlisting process.

192.com scares me - I've just randomly put in my name, 2 friends names and 2 mumsnetters real names and got correct addresses and phone numbers in the last 3 cases, along with who they live with in some cases. I appear to still live with my ex husband too according to it. I know it's only the electoral roll but still.

oooh my friend works for 192.com!

i think the problem isn't with 192.com per se, as the information on there can be accessed elsewhere (your local library for instance)... from the electoral roll

the bigger problem is the credit card fraud! how were your friends details stolen??/

Apparently the version you see is the 2002 electoral roll. If you pay, you get all the details from the latest one.

starlover - probably from a hotel in Germany

dodgy! lol

i mean the most important bit of advice to remember is never EVER let your card out of your sight!

the problem with 192.com is that they can get 400 people's details to fit 400 stolen credit cards at the flick of a button from the comfort of their living room grrrrrr

starlover, the credit card never left his sight! the hotel took the details for the payment, plus his address, plus whoever handled the card got to see the number printed on the back. there are a few more details, but I cant really give them.

oh iswym.... sucks doesn't it?

my brother had his card cloned after handing it over in a restaurant and they spent over £800 on it!

i guess that's the good thing about chip and pin... you don't even have to hand your card over!
and the shops shouldn't have access to your card number either