HALIFAX CR CARD

[DeeGee]

This is not really an appropriate place for this posting, but I have no other broad-based sampling space available...

Both my FD and myself have suffered a refusal of authorisation on our credit cards on Wed and Thu, although we are both pretty gold-standard risks. The reason given was that 'the fraud deparment thought your pattern of spending seemed strange...'.

Now, in the case of my FD, this has resulted in a loss of many thous of pounds, due to a transaction not taking place as planned. In my case, I was just inconvenienced massively, but otherwise plain nuisance of a major magnitude.

The question is: Has Halifax done something odd recently which has triggered this behaviour (me and my pal in one company is pretty unlikely!) and thus affected a lot of people, or are we alone and just dead unlucky.

If at least two other people have H cards and have suffered the same problem, then the posting stats on this board will suggest that H have done something odd.



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[StellaGirl]

I dont know about Halifax but my boyfriend has had this problem a few times with him Barclays Debit Card. We were in Paris for Valentines weekend and for the 2 days after we were back he kept having this "spending pattern odd" message... This was sorted and then we went away for a weekend the following weekend. It happened again while away and when we returned it happened again.
I have also had the same problem with my M&S credit card - very embarassing in Sainsburys when they have just scanned a trolley full of shopping and there are 5 people behind you in the queue waiting and mumbling.
We both now carry cash all the time to save the hassle and inconvenience of this happening. You are not alone!

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[Twister_Ken]

Fraud detection software

Cloning of our insecure credit cards is a massive problem for the card issuers – at the moment they pick-up the tab for fraudulent use – which is why they're spending loadsamoney introducing chip&pin. In the meantime, they are installing increasingly sophisticated fraud detection software which builds individual algorithms for card holders' spending patterns. Do something which is atypical for your 'pattern', and an alert is generated. They will either refuse the transaction, or try and get you on the phone to verify.

Because I've worked with a lot of this stuff in the recent past, I phone my card issuer if I expect to use the card in an unusual (for me) way, like out of Southern England, or for a major purchase. Any use of a card in what used to be Iron Curtain countries is regarded as very suspicious, so if you are going there, let your card issuer know beforehand. Until recently card issuers have been very reluctant to tell you about fraud risks because they wanted to foster the image of gold-plated security, but it's beginning to hurt them too much now.

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[Evadne]

I know of people at work who have had problems when using their card abroad, when they wouldn't normally do, and not necessarily just with Halifax. Apparently it's not uncommon for someone to nick your card then go on a spending spree in (say) Holland so unless you've told them you're going there the more cautious companies will throw a wobbly. Less cautious companies are happy for you to go abroad without notice, the downside is that it may take them longer to notice your card (or its details) have been nicked. You pays your money and takes your choice.

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[jimbouy]

It sounds like Halifax have installed some new software, as I understand it it's the computers that flag transactions.

I am suprised that the transactions were totally refused.

I often get this kind of thing when I use my card for low value purchases, but the tills request the shop to telephone their credit card clearer who then asks me lots of questions. Mothers maiden name etc.

whilst I am greatfull that they try hard to fight fraud, I would query the total refusal of a transaction if no effort was made to verify it with you.

Jim

<hr width=100% size=1> "It is a pleasure to give advice, humiliating to need it, normal to ignore it"

 

[DeeGee]

... the transaction was referred for manual authorisation, but the retailer had no knowledge of how to do a manual authorisation! He just does 10000 swipes per day, and if it don't work - it's a refusal.

My spending was well in character, with companies I have traded with before!!

I think it is all about protecting their own back pocket - we end up inconvenienced for their flakey systems.

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[Twister_Ken]

Dave, it's not so much that your card gets nicked, it's that its electronic details (contained in the magnetic strip) get copied. These are then sent off down a wire to a counterfeit card factory, where they will be used to create dozens or even hundreds of cards with your account details coded into them. These are then distributed to dodgy geezers around the world, with a start date and time. They all start using 'your' card in different places at the same time, and in the time it takes the software to work out what's happened, $100,000's worth of damage can have been done.

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[jimbouy]

Very odd, the computers must have seen something it thought odd, but that's computers for you. Pretty poor that the retailer didn't know how to use a telephone.

Too reliant on machines.

Generally I am in favour of everything they do to counter fraud, it wound me up some thing rotten when HSBC said their credit card charges have to be high because it is a high risk area, but they need to get the systems right.

<hr width=100% size=1> "It is a pleasure to give advice, humiliating to need it, normal to ignore it"

 

[nct1]

As of March, new guidelines came into force, which also include the prospect of 5 years prison for the failure to report transactions which could have the suspicion of money laundering, and 14 years for aiding money laundering.

So most financial institutions are having to get automated systems to look for suspicious transactions, however, with any automated system, they may not have "common sense", hence I suspect your refusal, however it gets worse, you may have been reported as a money launderer !

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[maxi]

Me too, much the same thing with Halifax Gold. But I do not object, at least someone somewhere is trying to look after something - got to be good.

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[Evadne]

I agree, Ken. Anyone who has ever bought anything online would know that you don't even need the physical card to spend money. Ally that with a vendor who's less than scrupulous about where the goods are going and you can see why it's best not to complain too hard about check-ups on how your card is being used. Only honest users pay for fraud in the long run. I may be a cynic but I think the "chip" cards are simply going to exclude the less intelligent or technologically able fraudsters, rather than cure the problem for all time. But at least its a start.

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[Twister_Ken]

Chip cards.

Chip won't be fool proof, but it will be much better than mag stripe. Chips are 'intelligent' and have algorithms in them which cn be interrogated in the course of transaction to see whether they are genuine. This makes them 'uncloneable' at least for now. Also the need for PIN rather than a signature is more secure. The French have had relatively unsophisiticated chip&PIN for a long time and their fraud problem is much smaller than mag stripe countries.

The Chip& PIN consortium has a public website <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.chipandpin.co.uk/> here</A>

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[bedouin]

At present the fraud risk for online transactions (and in fact any where the card is not physically presented) lies firmly with the retailer, not the card issuer, so you'll find that the on line retailers are a lot more concerned about fraud and shopkeepers (that is going to change soon). Where the card holder is present the responsibility for fraud lies with the issuer.

The introduction of the sophisticated "smart card" chip and pin mechanism will go a long way to reducing fraud. Firstly because it is virtually impossible to duplicate the card, and if card is stolen then it is no use without the pin.

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[ecudc]

Its annoying when it happens when u are trying to spend the money, however if like a friend whos card was stopped you'd be very relieved. His details had been stolen and someone had racked up numerous £3000 plus transactions in Russia. One at a "coffee" shop......credit card company got suss cos even starbucks is not that expensive.

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[david_e]

Yup, happened to me yesterday when spending £23.50 (a used 15" monitor as me uther went burp) no reason given to the retailer. Also - have registered for their on line service, card & savings (web saver is a best buy at the moment) - and was asked a security question which was not one of the one's when registering. Strange, this has happened twice so I am giving up on them.

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[polarity]

Here here!

There is a lot of talk about "on line security" but it's the vendor that gets it in the neck if its a stolen card - or even if the valid user goes back and says they did not order the merchandise or it did not arrive.

I speak from experience to the tune of 7K. Fortunately in this instance it was a missunderstanding (a good customer used his wife's credit card, forgot to tell her..) but the speed with which Visa pulled the money from our account and their absolute refusal to believe that we had shipped goods - despite air way bills and customs documents makes us think very carefully about transactions.

This is what we get for paying half our profit to Visa. Their % is on everthing - the tax, the shipping, the packaging etc. most co's only make a margin on the product!

I'll get off my soap box now before I fall off.

PAul


<hr width=100% size=1>Paul
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.polarity2.com>http://www.polarity2.com</A>
OSTAR 2005

 

[Mike21]

Never had card refused, but have had manual authorisation ( believe they do this at random especially at xmas time ) and have also had card company phone me to query transations. Don't find it a problem.
When buying online any retailer i've used has also asked for security code on card and will only send items to cr card holders address.
Probably why identity cloning is now more popular nowadays.


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[duncan]

I have a Halifax card but haven't experienced this. However in the last 2 years I have had 4 experiences with other cards (different) in different circumstances, where transactions have not been authorised straight away 'electronically'. 3 on the internet and one other. In the case of the internet transactions they were not one offs but fortunately I was making them from home PC and the phone rang immediatley with a real person on the other end; quick checks, push button again and it will authorise etc. If you only had one line or were somewhere else you might not have been so amused but overall I think it's good to see and I would be concerned if retailers had no system for 'manual' intevention!

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[qsiv]

Re: Fraud detection software

Several years ago, when I stupidly had a joint card with SWMBO, I got a phone call at work from the card issuer.

They stated that they were suspicious that a card had been stolen as the card seemed to be being taken systematically from shop to shop through Knightsbridge and South Molton Street.

After a moments panic I reassured them that was unlikely - simply that SWMBO was in the UK on a shopping spree ...

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[DeeGee]

see Halifax Cr Card 2....

<hr width=100% size=1>Black Sugar - the sweetest of all