Have I been scammed? And if so how?

mkmel · Post by **mkmel** » Sat Jul 29, 2023 5:07 pm

I received a message from the fraud section of my bank. They said that someone in Dubai had tried 3 times to purchase something at £15 each time and 2 times they were successful.

They messaged me and asked if that was me and I replied no. So of course I have now put a stop on my debit card and have a new card being sent to me.

The thing is I was in Dubai 3 weeks ago today as it was my stopover on the way home to England from the Philippines.

While in Dubai for just 3 and a half hours I did not use my debit card. I did not even take my card out of my cards holder which was inside my man bag all of the time. How could anyone have got my account details in Dubai.

Or is it possible someone somehow got my bank account details when I paid for my Emirates flight?

Any ideas how this may have happened?

fidelcastro · Post by **fidelcastro** » Sat Jul 29, 2023 5:11 pm

Firstly, are you sure the message you received was definitely from the fraud section of your bank?

TheFamilyCat · Post by **TheFamilyCat** » Sat Jul 29, 2023 5:12 pm

This might be a daft question, but presumably you checked your account for said transactions?

ClaretDiver · Post by **ClaretDiver** » Sat Jul 29, 2023 5:13 pm

Is your card holder RFID protection? I have heard stories of people having handheld scanning thingymabobs that can grab card details….

Also, we have a Starling Bank card that we use when on holiday. We recently came back from Costa Rica and about a week later the missus got a message saying that a transaction for £100 had been declined as not enough money on the card. It was for a parking fine down in London…it seems the transaction was even manually input….we have never parked in London nor received a parking fine down there that we have had to pay. The fraud team got nowhere and so cancelled card and re-issued a new one….

mkmel · Post by **mkmel** » Sat Jul 29, 2023 5:14 pm

Yes as I rang them back with their number from their app.

And I also went into my bank's branch this morning and they confirmed everything including a stop is now on my old card and a new card is being issued

DCWat · Post by **DCWat** » Sat Jul 29, 2023 5:16 pm

Do you have your card in a RFID blocker card holder / wallet?

Someone could potentially have got your card details using a NFC reader.

fidelcastro · Post by **fidelcastro** » Sat Jul 29, 2023 5:17 pm

mkmel wrote: ↑
Sat Jul 29, 2023 5:14 pm
Yes as I rang them back with their number from their app.

And I also went into my bank's branch this morning and they confirmed everything including a stop is now on my old card and a new card is being issued

And the two "successful" transactions had definitely been debited from your account?

mkmel · Post by **mkmel** » Sat Jul 29, 2023 5:17 pm

The 2 transactions are in pending. And when I went into my bank's branch this morning they said the pending transactions would disappear by Monday.

mkmel · Post by **mkmel** » Sat Jul 29, 2023 5:19 pm

DCWat wrote: ↑
Sat Jul 29, 2023 5:16 pm
Do you have your card in a RFID blocker card holder / wallet?

Someone could potentially have got your card details using a NFC reader.

No I don't

fidelcastro · Post by **fidelcastro** » Sat Jul 29, 2023 5:21 pm

mkmel wrote: ↑
Sat Jul 29, 2023 5:17 pm
The 2 transactions are in pending. And when I went into my bank's branch this morning they said the pending transactions would disappear by Monday.

That's good news then. You've done the right thing by the sounds of it.

Not sure how someone has got your card details, but fraudsters are very sophisticated these days, which is bad news for all of us.

kipp · Post by **kipp** » Sat Jul 29, 2023 5:23 pm

Cards can be cloned but i pretty sure the person needs to be extremly close to you something you would notice !
There is this device but if you watch the video they have the actual card near the machine to clone it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVM-xUF ... rikenHacks

fanzone · Post by **fanzone** » Sat Jul 29, 2023 5:32 pm

Man bag

Claretprinter · Post by **Claretprinter** » Sat Jul 29, 2023 6:36 pm

Portable contactless card readers - they get you when its crowded say on a train and hold it near your pocket hoping you have a contactless card.

Taffy on the wing · Post by **Taffy on the wing** » Sat Jul 29, 2023 9:44 pm

Bottom feeding deep-sea parasites come to mind!

timshorts · Post by **timshorts** » Sat Jul 29, 2023 10:16 pm

Claretprinter wrote: ↑
Sat Jul 29, 2023 6:36 pm
Portable contactless card readers - they get you when its crowded say on a train and hold it near your pocket hoping you have a contactless card.

Like that isn't a foreseeable result of having contact less cards.

Bosscat · Post by **Bosscat** » Sat Jul 29, 2023 10:18 pm

timshorts wrote: ↑
Sat Jul 29, 2023 10:16 pm
Like that isn't a foreseeable result of having contact less cards.

Hate the damned things ...

Claretprinter · Post by **Claretprinter** » Sat Jul 29, 2023 10:36 pm

Hole punch in the corner stops it from being contactless as it breaks the wire inside the card.
Chip & Pin still works

Bosscat · Post by **Bosscat** » Sat Jul 29, 2023 10:44 pm

Claretprinter wrote: ↑
Sat Jul 29, 2023 10:36 pm
Hole punch in the corner stops it from being contactless as it breaks the wire inside the card.
Chip & Pin still works

Only of you break the antenna wire ... you may finish up with a card that looks like swiss cheese

Leisure · Post by **Leisure** » Sat Jul 29, 2023 11:05 pm

mkmel wrote: ↑
Sat Jul 29, 2023 5:07 pm
I received a message from the fraud section of my bank. They said that someone in Dubai had tried 3 times to purchase something at £15 each time and 2 times they were successful.

They messaged me and asked if that was me and I replied no. So of course I have now put a stop on my debit card and have a new card being sent to me.

The thing is I was in Dubai 3 weeks ago today as it was my stopover on the way home to England from the Philippines.

While in Dubai for just 3 and a half hours I did not use my debit card. I did not even take my card out of my cards holder which was inside my man bag all of the time. How could anyone have got my account details in Dubai.

Or is it possible someone somehow got my bank account details when I paid for my Emirates flight?

Any ideas how this may have happened?

Seems strange that a scammer would go to all that effort and then only try to purchase something for £15?

GordonvaleClaret · Post by **GordonvaleClaret** » Sat Jul 29, 2023 11:12 pm

fanzone wrote: ↑
Sat Jul 29, 2023 5:32 pm
Man bag

It's a laptop bag without the laptop.

RammyClaret61 · Post by **RammyClaret61** » Sat Jul 29, 2023 11:18 pm

Leisure wrote: ↑
Sat Jul 29, 2023 11:05 pm
Seems strange that a scammer would go to all that effort and then only try to purchase something for £15?

It happened to me on my recent trip back to the U.K. my card was cloned in Ramsbottom. Then a mystery purchase from a shop in Bury appeared on my account for £24.
They start with an odd small amount to test their copy card works. An amount you might not notice. Then they go for an expensive one off item.

Tricky Trevor · Post by **Tricky Trevor** » Sun Jul 30, 2023 12:51 am

Sister-in-law got skimmed in Connolly Station, Dublin as we were queueing for food and she had card in her hand ready to pay. Thankfully she got a call from her bank, BofI, to say there had been unusual transactions and were they her. €750 spent. She told them it wasn’t and she was currently on a train and gave them time of departure. They were very good and she had it back in her account the next day.
Be careful out there folks.

Clive 1960 · Post by **Clive 1960** » Sun Jul 30, 2023 2:05 am

mkmel wrote: ↑
Sat Jul 29, 2023 5:07 pm
I received a message from the fraud section of my bank. They said that someone in Dubai had tried 3 times to purchase something at £15 each time and 2 times they were successful.

They messaged me and asked if that was me and I replied no. So of course I have now put a stop on my debit card and have a new card being sent to me.

The thing is I was in Dubai 3 weeks ago today as it was my stopover on the way home to England from the Philippines.

While in Dubai for just 3 and a half hours I did not use my debit card. I did not even take my card out of my cards holder which was inside my man bag all of the time. How could anyone have got my account details in Dubai.

Or is it possible someone somehow got my bank account details when I paid for my Emirates flight?

Any ideas how this may have happened?

Hi , i hope you got it sorted out , it is easily done these days it happened to me and i got on to my bank straight away to stop it and just waited for a new card but it worried me how they could do it , now i am extra careful when using it out here .

MrEyres · Post by **MrEyres** » Sun Jul 30, 2023 2:09 am

If ur bank has confirmed as u say and have rung them sounds legit. Although I’d ring the number on my card not the internet to be sure .
£15 in Dubai is odd … what are they gonna buy ? A pencil, pencil sharpener, and rubber? I’d check any linked accts for bigger transactions. The world is full of questionable folk , I’m sorry u came in close contact with one.

mkmel · Post by **mkmel** » Sun Jul 30, 2023 8:55 am

They tried to buy something from a company called Platinumlist who sell tickets.

I was told by my bank that they start off small to test that it works and then they go for bigger amounts

wilks_bfc · Post by **wilks_bfc** » Sun Jul 30, 2023 9:02 am

As has been mentioned, card cloning has progressed from the days where unscrupulous retailers had to swipe your card to get your details

Now they only need to be close enough to pick up the frequency coming from your card on a scanner which is easily done in a crowded area

Need a wallet with a RFID blocker
Traditional wallets now have them, but now in a cashless age I use something like this
https://amzn.eu/d/8idmw7f

LoveCurryPies · Post by **LoveCurryPies** » Sun Jul 30, 2023 9:40 am

When someone buys something with your card, presumably there is a delivery address, which the police could investigate?

When they transfer money from your account, the banks must know who owns the dodgy account.

Tribesmen · Post by **Tribesmen** » Sun Jul 30, 2023 10:48 am

Scammed ......
I just walked into a church and said i do and i have had money taken out of my account for the last 27 years .

GetIntoEm · Post by **GetIntoEm** » Sun Jul 30, 2023 10:52 am

Technology wise it is possible to scan cards using the RFID technology mentioned above, in reality it's not happening. Same when you hear of people stealing cars using radio frequency. It's not happening on a grand scale

More than likely you've had your card skimmed or fished online something more rudamentary like that. At least your bank caught it

TheOriginalLongsider · Post by **TheOriginalLongsider** » Sun Jul 30, 2023 10:55 am

They buy low priced stuff to stay under the radar. Remember contactless has a limit over which you need a PIN number to be entered. I’ve had stuff like McDonalds charged to mine. If they can avoid human contact then there’s less chance of being caught

Bosscat · Post by **Bosscat** » Sun Jul 30, 2023 1:16 pm

Keep one of these in your wallet... also have one in my Passport Holder

: 20230730_131424.jpg (507.21 KiB) Viewed 1622 times

Credit card sized so no probs in a wallet etc

Jamesy · Post by **Jamesy** » Sun Jul 30, 2023 1:19 pm

If you have an iPhone just use Apple Pay for purchases. Safe as houses and works all over the world.

Firthy · Post by **Firthy** » Sun Jul 30, 2023 1:20 pm

Getr one of these leather card holders with RFID protection. Much slimmer than a wallet and protect your cards.

https://www.yoshigoods.com/products/sli ... ?s=rec&w=p

dougcollins · Post by **dougcollins** » Sun Jul 30, 2023 1:21 pm

There's a car park scam in York where they've stuck their own barcode over the official one.

Quite ingenious really.

Jamesy · Post by **Jamesy** » Sun Jul 30, 2023 1:50 pm

Firthy wrote: ↑
Sun Jul 30, 2023 1:20 pm
Getr one of these leather card holders with RFID protection. Much slimmer than a wallet and protect your cards.

https://www.yoshigoods.com/products/sli ... ?s=rec&w=p

Good deal that for the price.

Jamesy · Post by **Jamesy** » Sun Jul 30, 2023 1:59 pm

TheOriginalLongsider wrote: ↑
Sun Jul 30, 2023 10:55 am
They buy low priced stuff to stay under the radar. Remember contactless has a limit over which you need a PIN number to be entered. I’ve had stuff like McDonalds charged to mine. If they can avoid human contact then there’s less chance of being caught

Apple Pay doesn’t have limits like contactless. I only carry cards now if I’m using M6 toll.

dougcollins · Post by **dougcollins** » Sun Jul 30, 2023 3:16 pm

dougcollins wrote: ↑
Sun Jul 30, 2023 1:21 pm
There's a car park scam in York where they've stuck their own barcode over the official one.

Quite ingenious really.

QR code, sorry.

strayclaret · Post by **strayclaret** » Sun Jul 30, 2023 3:56 pm

I’ve had 2 problems with what I now is a know is an Zettle machine a white hand held device. As what’s become custom and practice do you want a receipt? says the retailer. I do now especially if I see them using a White number

Bosscat · Post by **Bosscat** » Sun Jul 30, 2023 4:54 pm

dougcollins wrote: ↑
Sun Jul 30, 2023 3:16 pm
QR code, sorry.

Knew what you meant Doug

Penwortham_Claret · Post by **Penwortham_Claret** » Sat Aug 05, 2023 10:30 am

Firthy wrote: ↑
Sun Jul 30, 2023 1:20 pm
Getr one of these leather card holders with RFID protection. Much slimmer than a wallet and protect your cards.

https://www.yoshigoods.com/products/sli ... ?s=rec&w=p

I’ve just order this, thanks for the recommendation

claretburns · Post by **claretburns** » Sat Aug 05, 2023 10:40 am

Had an issue at work before.

A older lady from Somerset had her details stolen and the thieves used her details in buying a small item from the company I work for (testing to see it worked) they spent £30 with us but we had to get involved in the police investigation because of this and in all the **** fraudsters stole over £150,000 from her account.