Bank Card Cloning??

[Janice]

I am not sure if that is the right terminology but Katie has just phoned, she had £250 withdrawn from her bank account last Tuesday after the machine had 'swallowed' her card.

She went to draw some funds out - and the machine appeared to swallow her card. She said at the time it made a funny noise and just said that it came back with the message "This machine has now closed - please refer to your branch" - and kept her card.
She also recalls that there was a young girl behind her on the phone.

She straight away phoned and reported it as her friends card had got swallowed about 10 days before, and they put a stop on her card. She was checking her bank account this morning as she noticed that £250 was withdrawn by ATM on the same evening.

She has been to the branch near where she is working and completed a form but they said it would seem that a device had been inserted to the machine before she used it and then they would have withdrawn the money straight after she walked away? They are investigating.

Has anyone had this happen to them - did you get your money back??? She is so upset - and there isnothing worse than being stuck somewhere where you cant cuddle your baby to make it all ok! She hasnt been well either!

 

[WDWfan uk]

I've heard of credit card cloning but don't know much about it. I just wanted to say I feel extremely sorry for Katie and hope that she gets her money back.

 

[signtalker]

LOL well my story goes the other way!!!

I went to use the cash machine 2 weeks ago, a woman used it before me then walked off, as i went to put my card in i noticed it was the wrong way round so quickly snatched it out and turned it round, suddenly the little draw at the bottom opened and £200 in cash popped out!(okay so here i am with up and coming WDW trip, and this would do nicely!!), went into the bank definately hadnt come out of my account as I didnt type in my pin number. The bank just said thanks and that was that, they didnt take my name, offer a reward or nothing, I was quiet suprised, not everybody is as honest as me, and to be blatant, there was nothing stopping me walking off with this money(apart from my concense).

Jules

 

[KayleeUK]

Poor Katie , I hope she can get the money back. We have had warnings at work to check the hole where you put your card in, as sometimes 'they' put a plastic slip in it so you think your card has been taken away when in fact the theives can pull it out. I alway's run my finger over the entry first.

I hope it wall works out OK for her Janice.

 

[Fantasia Sam]

OMG!!! I bet this was a shock for Katie poor her I'm sure that they investigate these sort of things and hopefully she'll get her money back. I have heard of this "card Cloning" business but hadn't (til now) heard of anyone that it had happened to.

Hope she feels better soon and gets that hug

 

[UKDEB]

Janice,

Tell Katie not to worry. I assume the time of the transaction was immediately after she left the ATM, i.e. <i>before</i> she reported the incident? The most the cardholder can be liable for in the event of fraudulent use of their card is £50. Most banks will make a full refund unless the cardholder was negligent (for example by keeping a written note of the PIN with the card). If the card was used after she reported it, then she is not even liable for the £50.

I imagine the form she completed at the bank included her consent for the bank to liase with the Police. She should also report the incident to the Police herself if she has not already done so.

Was the ATM at a bank branch? Many have video cameras installed and the Police are able to recover the tapes from the bank to help them with their enquiries.

I suggest she writes a brief letter to the bank setting out what has happened so far and asking what she should expect to happen next - the bank will have to respond in writing and it is far more difficult for them to evade the issue. Also, should she need to invoke the bank's complaints procedure, this will be give her a more solid base from which to start.

E-mail me if the response is not favourable.

 

[Janice]

Thanks Everyone!!
I <b>knew</b> this was the right place to come for help and advice!!

Debbie - I've passed on your advice to Katie, and she is calling into the Police Station on the way home if they are still open, if not she will phone them tomorrow. I will type up a letter for her this evening so that it can be posted tomorrow.

She is feeling a bit better about it knowing that she might get at least some of her money back - the girl wasnt very helpful on the phone, so your post and information has reassured her (and me )

I'll keep you all posted, but again - thank you for all your help and support.


Katie asked me to pass on her thanks for your kindness and concern and help - she appreciates it

 

[Astrid]

Oh dear Janice, poor Katie

I had read about this scam a short while back but have to admit when I've been to the cashpoint since I haven't been as cautious as I should have been. Thank you for the reminder even though it has come at Katie's loss.

Hope you get something sorted and she gets her cash back.

Astrid xx

 

[SpottyDog]

Poor Katie
I'm sure, with Debs' advice, she'll get a result on this one, Jan.

 

[mickg7dyd]

Hi,
Last time I was in Florida (Nov 2002) I used my credit card a few times,when I got my statement there was £550 worth of charges I had not made.Not sure how you can stop this sort of thing really..I rang the credit card company and they cancelled my card and sent me a form to complete and they refunded the amount in full.

Mick

 

[SidB]

Originally posted by Janice

she is calling into the Police Station on the way home if they are still open

I take it that crime stops at 5pm in your area then !

 

[Janice]

Originally posted by SidB
I take it that crime stops at 5pm in your area then !

....after 6 apparently. On the Metropolitan Police Website it lists her local Police Station as closing at 6pm.

 

[kazzie]

I've just read this.Sorry this happened to Katie,hope she's over the shock now.

What has happened,will the bank refund her money?

This has happened to me about 17 years ago.There was a withdrawel made from my bank account in an area I'd never been to.At that time the bank wouldn't accept it was fraud and no way would they admit it wasn't me,they said they'd never heard of it happening before.Just after that though started the reports in the press that it did happen and had happened to other people.I think banks were trying to keep a lid on it then,didn't want the public to know the cash machines wern't invincible.

 

[Claire L]

Janice,
This scam is quite frequent in my area at the moment. The device used is actualy called a 'Lebanese loop'. Basically someone will get a thin narrow piece of metal often a tape measure cut in half down its length. They then attach it to what looks like the plastic piece around the card slot. A machine often in a secluded area is chosen and the device is placed over the proper crd slot and the metal is slotted into the card slot. You 'The victim' put your card in and the machine accepts it but doesn't function properly as it believes there is a fault on the card and tries to keep the card or tells you of an error. You then walk away minus yor card as the machine is unable to 'spit' it out or keep it unknown to you. A person nearby you then goes and retrieves the device with your card. They also have your pin number as they have seen you enter it by looking over your shoulder. To remeber the pin number they often type it into their mobile phone which they appear to be talking on or texting on while waiting to 'use' the cash point. By the time you put a stop on your card they have withdrawn the daily limit .
Hope the above all made sense .
Tell Katie the banks are well aware of it and will more often than not refund the 'stolen' money to her account and write it off as lose to them. Also tell Katie she is not the only one to be caught out and is certainly at the moment not going to be the last.
As for Police Stations closing it is only the public enquiry desk staffed in alot of Forces by civilians that closes. If is it closed there is usually a phone outside which is a direct line to the control room or call handling center. Failing that dial the local Force, most now have just one lo-call rate number, and report it straight away as a 'passing patrol' my catch somone in the act or at least seize the device if its still there. If you see a person at the cash point behind you that looks dodgy after something like this has happened remain there if you can and dial 999 if you can. Or as has happened near me a member of public has retrieved the loop and handed it into the Police as they thought it 'looked odd on the machine'!!
Sorry to go on but thought the advice might be useful to someone and save them all the trouble Katie must have gone through.
Claire

 

[Janice]

Claire! Thank you so much for all that information. I cant believe that it never dawned on me till I read your post! Katie said some girl was quite close behind her, but she never took any notice because she was 'on the phone'..............OF COURSE she was.....she must have been inputting Katie's pin number. Duh! I wouldn't mind, I saw a programme on TV a few months back about a guy who admitted to being a Credit Card Fraudster and he said to be wary of people behind you in a queue in a shop. He said whilst you are standing with your goods in one hand, your CC in another (especially in Ladies Clothes Shops apparently) that the person behind, who is trying to make a phone call, would probably be inputting your CC number and details, sending them to someone else, who would be on the phone ordering Mail Order stuff using your card details............and it never dawned on me that this was the same scenario!

Thanks too for the info about the Police Stations. I will get Katie to look into this tomorrow. Unfortunately she had a major Audition for today that was really important to her so this has had to wait for today.

Thanks again Claire - it was like a lightbulb going off in my head! LOL