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Author Topic: ID Theft  (Read 4248 times)

Colin Bishop

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ID Theft
« on: August 09, 2008, 09:30:44 pm »

Just found out today that some toerag in London has applied for and been sent a replacement credit card in my name. Not the first time this has happened. Fortunately it was mis delivered to a neighbour who sussed that the name didn't match the address (thank God there are some honest people about) and contacted me instead. Result is that card has been cancelled and will need to be reissued. I don't use that card very much and then usually for Internet purchases. My PC has full firewall and anti virus protection and I only use sites with https so I can only assume that it was somebody on the receiving end of one of my recent purchases who upped and ran with my details.

Just how do you find these people and how do you squash them?  Do the card issuers actually take action to find the culprit or do they just cancel the old card and put it down to experience?  Are the police interested - don't answer that?  >:(
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Reade Models

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Re: ID Theft
« Reply #1 on: August 09, 2008, 09:39:38 pm »


Colin

You need to change your credit card company - the sooner the better?  If they are lax enough to issue replacement cards to a strange address, you shouldn't be using them.

Malc

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dougal99

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Re: ID Theft
« Reply #2 on: August 09, 2008, 09:53:07 pm »

The Passport Agency sent my new passport to the wrong address (wrong house number - right street)!! Fortunately the postman knew the name and delivered it to me, although my neighbour would have probably passed it on - eventually. I wrote to the agency pointing out the error. Never got a reply.

Recently someone used my CC (I had bought something from a company that had had their computer hacked) and the CC company were on to me quite quickly. Card cancelled and a new one issued. I thought the company were pretty hot.

Doug
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Reade Models

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Re: ID Theft
« Reply #3 on: August 09, 2008, 10:00:28 pm »



Credit Card companies are usually on the ball.  Somebody tried to buy something in Florida (cardholder not present) using my card number a couple of years ago.  I was here in Cheshire at the time.

The transaction was refused and I got a call from HSBC's Security Dept. to ask if I had tried to buy anything in the USA for $200 that day?

I cancelled my card immediately and had another issued. Got rid of HSBC soon after that too.

Malc



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DickyD

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Re: ID Theft
« Reply #4 on: August 09, 2008, 10:01:16 pm »

Colin my wife had two credit cards and her debit card cleaned out in one week.

We gave the companies delivery addresses for the goods bought which included airline tickets but no one seemed really interested.

They could not tell her what action was taken because of the data protection act.

She did get her money back with no problems though.

All the cards were used on the internet so no pin number was needed.

We believe, because not all these cards were used at any one place, that the numbers were copied from my wifes cards, out of her handbag, which was in her desk drawer, while she was out of her office at the SGH.

Never know who you are working with. >>:-(
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barryfoote

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Re: ID Theft
« Reply #5 on: August 09, 2008, 10:09:27 pm »

Here in Spain, you have good protection. Someone used my card to make two purchases on the Internet from the Spanish Lottery. A totl of 850 euros was taken. All I did was report it to the police, cancel the card and the bank gave me every cent back within 24 hours and I had no insurance to cover it.
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Colin Bishop

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Re: ID Theft
« Reply #6 on: August 09, 2008, 10:13:21 pm »

I've also had cards delivered with the envelope obviously having been broken open and resealed. I agree that the companies are quick to cancel and reissue but does the fraud actually get pursued? I can supply details of the 4 sites I recently used the card on but will anyone actually follow it up?

I think that credit card fraud is much, much bigger than anyone in authority is willing to admit. Will the local Bill go knocking on the door of the address to which my duplicate card was sent? Somehow I  doubt it, although the good citizen who contacted me said that that the people at that address appear to be a shiftless lot with no visible means of support.

Colin
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FullLeatherJacket

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Re: ID Theft
« Reply #7 on: August 09, 2008, 10:58:49 pm »

I'm still waiting for someone from HMRC to contact me about these two CD-ROM discs I found in a transit envelope along with my pension statement.
Makes you wonder what the world's coming to, don't it?
FLJ
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Roger in France

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Re: ID Theft
« Reply #8 on: August 10, 2008, 06:54:49 am »

Had a strange experience recently.

My CC Co. telephoned me and asked had I recently used my card at mobile phone retail place in England. I said no, I was in France at the time. They said that the card had been presented but the transaction was aborted. Apparently this frequently happens as the criminal is seeking to verify if the card is accepted before moving on to use it, seriously.

Now this all sounded very diligent on the part of the CC Co. until I reflected that they were calling me 2 weeks after the alleged incident, plenty of time there to use the card!

Card replaced.

I think very little is done about all these attempted thefts. The CC Co's. keep the magnitude of the problem under wraps and just charge you and I an extra % to cover their losses. In other words, you and I have a loss, they compensate us and everyone pays for it.

Cynical, moi?

Roger in France.

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barriew

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Re: ID Theft
« Reply #9 on: August 10, 2008, 05:11:34 pm »

The Passport Agency sent my new passport to the wrong address (wrong house number - right street)!! Fortunately the postman knew the name and delivered it to me, although my neighbour would have probably passed it on - eventually. I wrote to the agency pointing out the error. Never got a reply.

Doug

Both my wife's and my new passports were delivered by courier. Seemed as though that was all he delivering.

Barrie
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d-jnana

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Re: ID Theft
« Reply #10 on: August 17, 2008, 08:00:18 pm »

Strange thing happened to me yesterday as well, and I nearly fell for it.
A company calling itself U.P.I. rang me, and a chap witha South East Asian accent asked me if I had ever been charged unagreed overraft fees. Well of course the answer is yes. He then went on to waffle about his company persuing and getting these charges back. So far so good. He then went on to say that if I gave him my bank details there and then he would set the wheels in motion to reclaim these monies on my behalf. I then made my excuses saying that they were not to hand at that moment, and asked him for a phone number so I could contact them. He did give me a number, local at that, and yes it did ring, but was answered by a mchine saying all operatives were busy before cutting me off. Here's the rub though the number is not listed to a company of that name or anything like it in our local book.

may be legit, but be warned

GARY
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Colin Bishop

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Re: ID Theft
« Reply #11 on: August 17, 2008, 08:10:10 pm »

No way is that legit!  :police:
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barryfoote

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Re: ID Theft
« Reply #12 on: August 17, 2008, 08:37:39 pm »

NO IT IS NOT LEGIT.......It is a ruse used often. It may be that you have rung a premium phone number, charging you the earth, or at worst a bogus company. Check the number with your phone company to see what you have been charged for the call. If it is a normal charge then it is a bogus company and may be worth notifying the police.......Oops sorry....forget that last bit. Once upon a time it would ahve been worth notifying them but not today!!! >>:-( >>:-( >>:-(
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d-jnana

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Re: ID Theft
« Reply #13 on: August 17, 2008, 08:46:51 pm »

Yeah thats what I thought BENT AS A NINE BOB NOTE. The number though carries a Swansea code, and I have only been charged a local rate for the call. Thought about the police as well. Waste of time though.
Just like when my car was broken into twice, then a week later the police knocked on my door to see if I was in, incase it was me they were chasing. I rest my case your honour.
GARY
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Dazzler

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Re: ID Theft
« Reply #14 on: August 18, 2008, 01:22:53 am »

The Passport Agency sent my new passport to the wrong address (wrong house number - right street)!! Fortunately the postman knew the name and delivered it to me, although my neighbour would have probably passed it on - eventually. I wrote to the agency pointing out the error. Never got a reply.

Doug

Both my wife's and my new passports were delivered by courier. Seemed as though that was all he delivering.

Barrie

They do use couriers and it's expensive,they could hand deliver it sometimes (walking distance) but they use a courier instead! >:(
You wouldn't believe the amount of wasted money these government departments spend (no you probably would ;D),to see it day in and day out just beggars belief and we are paying for it! >>:-(
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Colin Bishop

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Re: ID Theft
« Reply #15 on: August 18, 2008, 09:24:21 am »

I think the use of couriers reflects the fact that the Post Office is not always considered to be a safe means of delivery. I have twice had my post opened and clumsily resealed by people looking for credit card information.
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RantandRave

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Re: ID Theft
« Reply #16 on: August 18, 2008, 09:37:34 am »


I worked for a while in a credit card company in England a couple of years ago. What they can and what they don't bother to do was quite alarming! One thing I remember is their access to almost any electronic record that someone has on file about you, credit, police, court, medical, immigration, housing! Yes, all access is recorded but it’s there for them to see…. I was showed mine and there was stuff there I knew nothing about or could even ever know anything about!

They also had a system nicked named the 'neural network' that builds up a picture of your card usage and operators would ring up card users once an alert flashed up on their screens with usage out of character of your pattern. I got chatting with one of the operators; she said that she once managed to keep a card fraudster  occupied in a shop for 20 minutes until the police finally turned up! ....

Sorry to say, their attitude to fraud was "what are acceptable losses." "How much bad publicity can we stand?" And "Your card and losses are insured anyway so what your problem!" Don't get me wrong, they are BIG on security but due to the huge amounts of transactions going on worldwide every second, the pragmatic solution to security seemed to be “What’s cost effective?”.
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dreadnought72

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Re: ID Theft
« Reply #17 on: August 18, 2008, 09:42:01 am »

...Got rid of HSBC soon after that too.

Malc

And as of last month, I got rid of HSBC, too, Malc. Well, their First Direct "organisation". Long story:

I'd banked with FD for over a decade, making use of their telephone and internet services (they rely on HSBC branches if you need to see a real person). All was well.

A few years ago I met a wonderful woman, whom I later married, and in setting up a new home together, I ran up a number of charges on my account. Last year, with the furore over bank charges in the news, I claimed mine back for the preceding five years. It took half a dozen letters, several months, but finally I was credited with ...£2200. Result!  O0

At this point I suspect FD highlighted my account as "something to keep a watch on".

Last Christmas, my wife's father, who lived in Belfast - we're in Scotland - fell ill, and to cover travel expenses and, as it sadly turned out, funeral costs/legal fees/house clearance/etc., I asked my bank for a temporary overdraft. They said "£2000, six months, no problem." And added "after six months, it'll revert to £750 and watch it."

Come July, I got my additional overdraft paid off, anticipating the reduction in the amount, when - five days before my salary was due in - a DD payment for fifty quid went out, pushing me over my agreed £750.

I, naively, thought that the bank would be aware that my salary was about to turn up, would be delighted I was almost back on track, and dismissed it.

The following day a letter arrived. "Following our warning" - of six months ago - "we're closing your account." At this point I was wondering where my salary was going to go - would it be returned to my employer, or stuck in the banking-ether somewhere?

I rang the bank the day after, and - for forty minutes - calmly discussed the situation. It was decided that I could go to the HSBC in Glasgow and withdraw all my pay, and that the overdraft (plus a loan for which I was paying £270 per month) would be combined, and that FD would expect £100 a month to pay this off. (A figure one percent above the base rate, and much better than the repayment rate I was on.)

"Hang on", I said, "you're reducing the amount of my loan repayments by £170 per month, giving me all my salary back, and simply want to stop me banking with you? Yes! Bring it on!!!"

That lunchtime, I went to HSBC in Glasgow, received a big bundle of twenty-pound notes, gladly handed over my chequebook and other FD bits and pieces for chopping up, and walked out.

Fifty yards away is the Co-op bank. I've always appreciated their ethical nature. I went in, said that my credit history "might look awful", but I needed an account. They said "it's fine", sorted me out, offered me an overdraft better than the one I was on, a credit card with a £3000 limit (which will cover us until my wife's estate liquidises) and I'm one very happy fella.

A long story like this needs a moral:

While interent & telephone banking has its advantages (especially so if you're permanently solvent!) there is no way they can develop a relationship with a customer beyond the basic statistics and account notes that they make about you. I've learned my lesson - a bit of humanity and understanding from dealing with real people does make all the difference.

FD closed my account without directly telling me, pointing back to a warning they'd made months before. They closed it at the very point where they had my money, so they held me at ransom. If I were elderly, or confused, or mentally less capable - the inhumanity of doing what they did could have had tragic consequences. They are <words not allowed>. I would urge anyone whose finances resemble a cross-section of the Rockies, as mine have over the last few months, to get a bank where you can be viewed as a human being, and not just some infinitesimal cog in a multi-billion pound profit machine.

Andy
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d-jnana

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Re: ID Theft
« Reply #18 on: August 18, 2008, 12:24:32 pm »

Hi Dreadnought,
what do you call a group of bankers?
A WUNCH.
A"WUNCH of BANKERS"
Seriously though I'm thinking of dropping the HSBC. Impersonal or what, It's like the little britain sketch "Computer says no!" I've been with them since they were Midland, and cannot count the amount of money they must have made from me in charges and interest. Then when you need a bit of slack, no chance.
If anyone can recommend a GOOD HUMAN (HUMANE?) fair minded bank I'm ready to listen.

GARY
P.S. like ethical banking idea as well.
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barryfoote

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Re: ID Theft
« Reply #19 on: August 18, 2008, 01:24:29 pm »

Gary,

Go to Nationwide. I changed to them last year after 40 years with Midland/HSBC. Got rid of them as the "Worlds Local Bank" don't want personal customers anymore. They have introduced a twenty pounds a month charge for all customers living outside the UK, who have less than 5000 pounds in their Current Account.

With Nationwide, I have no charges at all, even for drawing cash out abroad, and they give you best International Exchange Rate..

Barry
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tony23

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Re: ID Theft
« Reply #20 on: August 18, 2008, 03:03:30 pm »

3 weeks ago had 208 euros taken out of my account from a hole in the wall machine in Germany, I got an automated call from my bank Lloyds TSB asking about my last 6 transactions and if any were wrong call the fraud department , as I have never been to Germany I called them and must say they acted very quickly canceling my Debit card and issuing a new card within days. They told me my cloned card was tried 3 times in Germany luckily they only got away with it once then my bank stopped the others.

I am very careful where I use my card I especially never use it in back street petrol stations or shops, then to my surprise I purchased my local paper to read that thousands of people in the borough have had there cards cloned and used in Ghana,Germany, Australia, Nigeria and Italy.

It turned out we all had used our cards in the local Morrisons Supermarket Petrol Station which I thought would be safe but obviously  not  >:(

Happy to say Lloyds refunded my money within days  O0
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cos918

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Re: ID Theft
« Reply #21 on: August 18, 2008, 04:08:04 pm »

scum bag use a device called a skimmer . This go's in front of the hole on the ATM machine. Then they use a pin hole cammer to rec you putting in your pin. The camera definitely and some times the skimmer uses blue tooth to communicate with the scum bag. This has only a 20m to 30m ish range some time they can get up to 50m put require line of site. So this is why supermarkets and petrol stations are popular. As the scum bag can sit in the car near by and you don't even realise it.
tips on how to beat them . theses tip are not gaurntee.
1. inspect the ATM especially the hole were the card goes + directly and slightly to the sides above the key pad. If indought walk away.
2. learn you pin number button position so you can put your number in with out seeing the buttons as use you spare hand as a shield.
3. Find ATM's with CCTV looking at it. Scum bags hate this as it might revile the indent.
4. If an ATM has a leaflet stand next to it this is a favorite with scum bags to hide pin hole cameras.

All so on skimmers. You can get a hand held device which can read card. SO NEVER NEVER let your card out of site when you pay. If in a restaurant ant the card machine is at the till go to the till with your card , NEVER let the waither do this as you never can tell. In one restaurant a waiter skimed over 1000 card for a scum bag gang.

A friend of mine works for a bank and her branch was hit luckily they got the skimer before the scum bags. To say it was realistic is an understatement ,they got the plastic
colour bang one all the wright logos etc

john

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://blog.creditorweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/skimmer.jpg&imgrefurl=http://blog.creditorweb.com/index.php/2007/12/&h=391&w=406&sz=30&hl=en&start=18&um=1&tbnid=5GhdVqt0CrAZ-M:&tbnh=119&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcard%2Batm%2Bfraud%2Bskimmer%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26channel%3Ds%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://farm1.static.flickr.com/31/48062948_1e39b1068e.jpg%3Fv%3D0&imgrefurl=http://flickr.com/photos/bowbrick/48062948&h=375&w=500&sz=112&hl=en&start=5&um=1&tbnid=evN9eV-SebYgvM:&tbnh=98&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcard%2Batm%2Bfraud%2Bskimmer%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26channel%3Ds%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.utexas.edu/police/alerts/atm_scam/atm1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.utexas.edu/police/alerts/atm_scam/&h=300&w=451&sz=15&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=nZOxJlpUp4XQZM:&tbnh=84&tbnw=127&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcard%2Batm%2Bfraud%2Bskimmer%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26channel%3Ds%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN
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Dazzler

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Re: ID Theft
« Reply #22 on: August 18, 2008, 04:22:20 pm »

I wouldn't P**S on Lloyds tsb if they were on fire,it was fine when it was just TSB but Lloyds took over and now they are just a bunch of robbing bankers! >>:-(  Stick to Nationwide! O0
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