Someone Has Tried To Book A £100 Cab In Bolton With My Bank Card Details - And I’m In London!!

[Smowball]

Am Sat checking emails on my ipad a couple of hours ago when a message from my bank flashes up on the screen. " Did you just attempt this transaction at 14.05pm?  Then click YES or NO. I looked at it & I obv hadn't, so clicked no. It then says your card is blocked, pls call this number, which I did. Turns out someone in Bolton had attempted to book an online cab journey for £100 with my card details. It was declined so they tried again. Then bank contacted me. How is this possible I ask? My card is in front of me? It's not left my person? How have they got my card details? You'd me amazed, said the woman on the end of the fone - they can hack into other wifis/banking systems/ shops etc - your card doesn't have to leave you at all. They can even clone your card in your bag/pocket if they are standing close enough to you! But why today? I haven't been or done anything unusual with card, or paid someone different.... V V odd. 
Anyway, card has been blocked, and is now cut up, and new one is on the way. Lucky the bank popped a message up on the screen hey!

[barry1010]

Well done the bank.

I would never leave my card behind the bar in a pub or restaurant as some folk do

It could be months later when some dodgy employee tries to use the card, and I'd have no idea how they got my details.

I keep my cards in a RFID blocking case so it can't be skimmed by someone nearby

 

 

[Canary42]

Unfortunately many Card Operators have dishonest employees.   Also allocation of Card Readers is poorly controlled.

I have experienced this situation on three occasions, and I am grateful to the Banks for their alertness.  (I was also scammed once by a caller purporting to be my bank with just such a call.  Fortunately I twigged very quickly after and called my bank and got the card frozen.)

[Smowball]

Yeh as I said my card hasn't been left anywhere, or handed to anyone, so god knows how it's happened but yep thank goodness the bank flagged it up! 

[Dagman]

Was the message and bank genuine, hope you didn't give any details or passwords! 

[Hazlinny]

Hope it wasn't a scam, Smow ... strange that bank would email you and not ring you direct.

Scams claiming your bank card has been blocked are common. These scams often involve a call, text, or email claiming to be from your bank, stating that your card has been temporarily blocked due to suspicious activity. The scammer will then attempt to gain your personal or financial information, like your PIN or security code, under the guise of resolving the issue. 

[gingejbee]

^I must admit that (@18.28) was my first thought...

[Tilly2]

Smow you should have rung your bank using their phone number, not the one in the email.

I'd ring the bank to make sure it's all ok.

[ynnafymmi]

@18.28 & @18.31.Yes it does seem strange,usually a deal like this goes through unchallanged.Ive never been contacted by my bank whenever ive spent £100 where-ever.

[barry1010]

I had a genuine message from my Nationwide bank  last week asking if I had just made a payment to x for y amount as they had put a block on it.  I had to reply Y for yes and it was immediately unblocked.

.

[gingejbee]

Yes, Tilly...was about to say the same. Ring your bank's fraud department to check if the whole scenario was genuine.

[gingejbee]

The trouble is, Barry, that there are so many of these scam calls, it's difficult to know what's genuine and what isn't.

[douglas9401]

I'm sure it'll be fine. Usually is, eventually.

[Smowball]

No it's ok, I rang my banks direct number and didn't give any passwords PIN numbers or anything. It was definitely my bank I've spoken to 100%. 

[Dagman]

That's great to know

[Dagman]

You did check the number they asked you to call was the real bank though?

[Smowball]

Yes it was. 👍 and I managed to get a screenshot of the message when it flashed up and emailed it to the bank to check it's genuine. 

[ynnafymmi]

Do you always get contacted by your bank when you have spent £100 on your bank card smow?Ive never.

[douglas9401]

You must be new here.

[Barmaid]

I got messaged by my bank last week when I was trying to buy something from the US and the bank declined it (it was for less than £100).  They sent a text asking if it was me and to reply Yes or No.  After I had confirmed it was me, I had to wait 15 mins before trying again.  I suppose it was not something that I usually do.

[netherfield]

A good few years ago someone tried to use my daughter's card to buy 4 tyres, bank rang up and it got stopped, then the supplier if the tyres rang up, goodness knows how they got the number, started threatening alsorts if they didn't get their money, that's when I took over.

This supplier had sent 4 tyres at a cost of almost £900, they were only fitted to on make of supercar, supplier was in London, tyres were sent to Wales, we live in Yorkshire, I finally managed to convince him he was foolish not to have someone have the tyres fitted by the supplier. This was some 20 years ago so they would be 4 times the price now.