[IanFromHKG]

Well, nobody’s picked up on this so far, so I’m sorry but I have to say that I think you were a bit careless, LP. If this happened over three months, and you didn’t pick up on it, then the card company may well refuse to reimburse you for the first two months’ worth of payments at least, and with some justification. This is particularly so if you normally don’t use the card much and the account activity was so unusual that the amounts disappearing from your bank account each month were significant and your statement suddenly started to average four pages a month…

I think all the advice you received here is sound, but the best advice is to check your statement each month

Incidentally, lest I sound holier than thou, I will confess to having made some howlers in my time, including going through a period where I kept losing my AmEx card (always in the top slot of my wallet, and it would sometimes fall out when taking it out of my pocket). Every time I did this I got a replacement within 24 hours, wherever I was in the world, and never had to pay for unauthorised purchases

My best story, however, which just goes to show how little people check these things… Back in 2003 I was with my family in Morocco when AmEx called me to check on my card, and did I have it with me? Yes, I replied, and they asked me to dig it out and check. Blow me…. For several days I had been using someone else’s card! Obviously another gentleman had used his card at about the same time as me in some establishment and we had each received each other’s card back. Neither of us noticed, and nor did any of the places we had each used the cards subsequently. Since the name on the card I then had was obviously Chinese, and I am very obviously not, clearly no-one looks at these details – or the signatures – very much. It was only discovered because he realised, and called AmEx, who called me. Oh, and yes, yet again I got a new card within 24 hours, in Marrakech!

[IanFromHKG]

Well, nobody’s picked up on this so far, so I’m sorry but I have to say that I think you were a bit careless, LP. If this happened over three months, and you didn’t pick up on it, then the card company may well refuse to reimburse you for the first two months’ worth of payments at least, and with some justification. This is particularly so if you normally don’t use the card much and the account activity was so unusual that the amounts disappearing from your bank account each month were significant and your statement suddenly started to average four pages a month…

I think all the advice you received here is sound, but the best advice is to check your statement each month

Incidentally, lest I sound holier than thou, I will confess to having made some howlers in my time, including going through a period where I kept losing my AmEx card (always in the top slot of my wallet, and it would sometimes fall out when taking it out of my pocket). Every time I did this I got a replacement within 24 hours, wherever I was in the world, and never had to pay for unauthorised purchases

My best story, however, which just goes to show how little people check these things… Back in 2003 I was with my family in Morocco when AmEx called me to check on my card, and did I have it with me? Yes, I replied, and they asked me to dig it out and check. Blow me…. For several days I had been using someone else’s card! Obviously another gentleman had used his card at about the same time as me in some establishment and we had each received each other’s card back. Neither of us noticed, and nor did any of the places we had each used the cards subsequently. Since the name on the card I then had was obviously Chinese, and I am very obviously not, clearly no-one looks at these details – or the signatures – very much. It was only discovered because he realised, and called AmEx, who called me. Oh, and yes, yet again I got a new card within 24 hours, in Marrakech!

[LuganoPirate]

Hi Ian, normally I’d say you’re right, except that in my case I’d just got back after being away almost 4 months. The bank would not send anything to South Africa “for security reasons”. There’s no way I could check online, and as I mentioned, any use I make comes off my account directly. It’s only when I got home I could check. The bank is also aware of my lengthy stays in South Africa.

To allow such cash withdrawals, 6 or 7 a day, every day, from different machines in small amounts, to take place without it flagging some sort of security check is I think quite negligent.

[IanFromHKG]

Entirely fair then, LP. Sorry…

[TiredOldHack]

I remember when all my camera kit was stolen in Madrid airport, as I was on my way to a job. About six or seven grands’ worth, seven or eight years ago.

And it was all brand new, having been bought after the first lot was stolen when we were burgled while on a skiing holiday.

Amusingly, it was the same insurance company for the company time theft as it was for the domestic.

Anyway, I marched into my local camera store, asked: “You remember all that kit you got for me six months ago?”

“Oh yes!”

“Same again, please.”

When I came to collect it, I handed over my credit card, and the sales guy mused aloud: “I wonder if this will go through without an ID check…?” and put it through.

Right on cue, my phone rang. ‘Number blocked’. We both looked at the phone with the same thought. I answered it.

“Hello, Mastercard!”

There was a pause. “Er, hello, how did you know it was us?”

“Lucky guess. Yes, it really is a genuine transaction.”

[PatrickRowe]

Some years ago when I went to pay my hotel bill in Thailand, the payment was refused. I rang my bank in Jersey who said that they had noticed some unusual activity on my card and added that my card details were on a lorry that was stolen in Sweden. They hadn’t blocked the card as they were waiting to hear from me. The charges included two first class tickets AMS-MEL, and MEL-Cincinatti I think. I had to prove that I could not have used the card in Amsterdam and then they said that there was no question of refunds as it was a debit card. After numerous emails and phone calls to the banks head office in Canada, they conceded as an exception, to refund me.I sympathise with you but if you persist and prove that you could not have made the payments, they should reimburse you

[capetonianm]

Two weeks ago my card issuer rang me to query a transaction for £80 at a bookshop at a town in Surrey where I spend a fair amount of time and money. Purchase very much ‘in pattern’.

During the last week I have been paying for hotels, meals, and fuel in Iceland. Large sums, out of pattern as it’s not a country I travel to regularly. No call.

Hit and miss?

[LuganoPirate]

Just to update you. The cc company passed the dossier to the bank with whom I had a meeting yesterday. Seems Visa is saying that if it’s not reported within 100 days they’re not liable. However, there’s a recorded call from me informing them my card was declined in Cape Town and asking if there was anything wrong. They said all was in order and did not know why it was declined. At the same my card was being used in Windhoek and for some unknown reason they had not spotted this!

I’m waiting but more hopeful and hope to have it resolved next week. I’ll let you know.

[SergeantMajor]

Sounds like you’re on to a winner, there, LP.

But we all have a responsibility to check our accounts regularly; fraud may not be your responsibility, but it’s the rest of us who pay the cost of compensation via increased fees and other costs.

[FormerlyDoS]

Good luck, LP.

[SwissExPat]

Note to LP!

Credit Suisse have at last created a app for iPad etc so that one can check CS issued credit cards and get detailed up to date transaction info.

Mine only went live in the last few days but it looks comprehensive

One to consider if you are a CS customer

Rgds [and hope to be in Lugano soon!]

[SwissExPat]

Note to LP!

Credit Suisse have at last created a app for iPad etc so that one can check CS issued credit cards and get detailed up to date transaction info.

Mine only went live in the last few days but it looks comprehensive

One to consider if you are a CS customer

Rgds [and hope to be in Lugano soon!]

[BA4ever]

Up until a few years ago, some Greek banks were demanding to let them know if you were going to use your CC outside the city/country of your residence so that they will know it was you if they saw your CC being used in a different place.
After they stopped doing that “because people now travel too often” and HSBC managing to block my card and not telling me for EIGHT months, I decided that I’m not using my CC for anything else than booking my hotel and tickets. When I need to withdraw money, I do it from ATMs inside banks that I know they have CCTV.
I know that travelling with money is stupid but I’ve seen way too many people having dealt with fraud after using their CCs abroad that I’m doing my best to not have to deal with it in the future.

[capetonianm]

I’ve often pondered about travelling with money and I’ve come to the conclusion that on balance it’s probably less risky than using a CC. For a start your potential loss is limited to the amount you’re carrying, and unless you do something stupid, nobody has any reason to assume you have any more than a normal amount of cash on you.

I now tend to pay for nearly everything, in most places, except hotel bills and air tickets in cash.

[pdtraveller]

One of the benefits of having UK issued cards is that with few exception s the card issuer is responsible for all losses incurred by fraud. Consumers are protected so long as they act reasonably and this includes use of PIN. A bank cannot deny a claim simply because a pin was used. They must prove you used it not you to prove you did not. Despite many arguing that you do.

Consumer protection is comprehensive covering almost anything bought anywhere. It is particularly useful when buying things on the internet.

This web site give an over view.

http://www.theukcardsassociation.org.uk/wm_documents/creditcard_yourights_a_consumer_guide(1).pdf

This site on the second paragraph states clearly that the card holder is not liable for losses via fraud. It is also clear that your only route as a card holder is to the card issuer. It is for them to deal with the police.

I would never travel without a credit card and almost everything I buy from coffee to cars gets put through a UK card. In the UK at least paying by any other means is simply not sensible( even if cheaper)

[Author]

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