My bank accounts have been invaded.
On checking my bank accounts this morning I was shocked to find two of my accounts had been scammed. I immediately rang the bank and they said somebody had tried to use my bank details last night about 6.30. I said I never used my computer last night but the bank Fraud department said they were out and about. I was told to go and have my mobile phone 'cleaned' by Vodafone. They did it for me and included a block on unfamiliar phone calls. Lucky I got in early otherwise I could have been taken to the cleaners. Please everyone always check your bank details often, the place is crawling with scammers.
It is frightening, we had money stolen some years back from our bank overseas, didn't know anything about it till we came to use Big W.
Hope all is well for you Hola.
About 2 years ago I checked my debit card related account and found $750 had been paid to a large electricity company (that I had never been using). I contacted the bank, and frankly they did nothing. I also contacted the electricity company directly and told them they had stolen money from my account. It was probably an account number mistake incorrectly entered. The bank was useless, the electric company eventually restored the money after about 2-3 weeks, but only after numerous phone calls and emails.
So expect little help from the bank. I threatened TV publicity and I think that helped more than anything to get the electric company actions. At that time I was very short of money and that $750 was critical to being able to eat and pay rent. Never give up
Our credit card was hacked last year. The bank (CBA) picked it up immediately, reimbursed the money, and canceled the card. It was a transaction for over $5000 that somehow triggered the bank's alert system.
They contacted us to let us know what was going on and suggested we check to make sure there were no other transactions that weren't ours. There were a couple of smaller ones that had slipped through but we were reimbursed for those pretty quickly too, and a new card issued, also pretty quickly. I was actually rather impressed with how smartly they were onto it. They caught it well before we did and hopped into action, all we had to put up with was a short wait for a new credit card. We still had a debit one, so it all went pretty seamlessly.
Great to hear Leonie ... similar happened to me when I had a Christmas shopping spree at an unusual time using a St George visa card a few years ago ... card locked midway. Had to go to the bank branch to get it unlocked.
Banks seem to act very quickly on "unusual activity".
HOLA sorry to hear that -- I had my C/C hacked a few years ago -- I found out when I went to check -- as I always do --and informed the bank -- they got right onto it and I got my$1900 + back in a week -- I now always make sure my cards travel in a secure aluminum case
Sure is a nasty feeling -- when mine was hacked they went to restaurants/bought music/and some furniture and I THINK went to a music concert -- so I think they must have been young people
My son had his wallet stolen, and lucky he rang the bank within the hour. But within the time he rang the bank, and they blocked the card, the thieves had a field day buying liquor cigarettes and food.
In 2001 I went into Big W to purchase a few things, was told that the Visa Card was not able to be used see your bank! We had just flown in from the UK via Langkawi ! Turns out someone had double swiped the card and had sold it on. They had spent ten grand on jewelry in Bangkok. Three hours later having proved we had the cards in our hand the Bank refunded the money into our accounts! Next day some Asian student was arrested in Perth for another theft in the same vein. Never knew if it was connected. That is why since then we have the cards protected in our wallets as people go around with a little machine [whatever it is called] and are able to swipe the details of cards from their own back packs! With the owners non the wiser. Much to my surprise only 18 months I was talking to a person that is a teller in a bank and she didn't even know this happened on the streets in Oz.
I have heard this happen so often and the banks have as far as I know, never put out a warning and I would have thought they would have sold the protectors for everyone's credit cards and bank cards, considering this happened to us all those years ago it is amazing that they haven't! As we found out never let any shop assistant take your bank cards, never. You have to keep control of them yourself. If anyone has I stop the transaction and do not go back to that store!
The majority of the banks keep a close eye out for fraudulent transactions. Our credit card provider called me on my mobile a while ago, after someone attempted to make a purchase down in Melbourne in a retail outlet with an electronic card on their mobile phone. As soon as the transaction entered their system, it was flagged as possible fraud, and a hold was put on processing while they contacted me. Needless to say, the transaction was declined, the card was immediately withdrawn from activity and a brand new card was sent within 24 hours. The thing about this was that the person who attempted this must have been able to skim my card details, so they must have been within a couple of feet from me when I used my card in my home town, as I hadn't been away from home for an extended time. One thing that every card user, which is almost everyone, is to NOT allow your card to be taken out of your sight when you are using it, to stop potential fraudulent activity.
I regularly notice a message on my internet banking after I've logged in. The messages are there for one reason - to notify you of possible scams, etc. I know St George do this, but not sure about other banks.
The protectors are worth around 10c each, and are available on eBay, etc. It's up to you whether you want to use them or not. It's not the bank's responsibility to help you secure your cards.
I use a piece of 250gsm silver cardboard cut out to put into my wallet and haven't had any problems. I do this for my passport, too.
Yes SuziJ other banks do it too AND they send you messages through your account too warning where there is a specific scam to watch for. You can also report to them too.
Yes Daniel, but this was 20 years ago, we are much wiser now and not so trusting! LOL
I had a nasty incident a few years ago when $6000 was spent on numerous items on my credit card overnight and on a weekend, apparently this is when it happens the most, according to the bank. It was reimbursed by the Bank eventually but it took months and was worrying for me lots of phone calls and letters.
I immediately set up account alerts on all my card linked accounts, e.g. items in and out over $100, account showing under $50 etc., which go to my phone and email and touch wood, it has worked really well since.
I don't have a credit card. I secure my debit cards with a piece of 250gsm silver cardboard on the inside of my wallet with the silver part facing outwards. I find that the RFID wallets (small metal ones) are more of a hassle than what they're worth. I've also tried the individual card inserts, but they get rather tatty and useless when I use the cards regularly.
In the mean time, I check my account balances each morning.
A couple of years ago, my friend's husband, who seldom used his credit card decided to pay his bill at a Telstra shop.
The person who served him said it had to be photocopied and took it out of his sight.
A day or so later the bank rang and asked if he had a passport as a ticket to Spain had been bought and money spent there.
It was a few thousand dollars but he eventually got it back.
If individual banks don't help, which they are legally obliged to do, contact the Australian Bankers' Association for assistance.
Geez they're out there to rip someone off.
I wrap my credit cards, medicare card, anything with a chip or magnetic strip on it, in alfoil to stop passer-by's scanning my info in my purse.
Banks are just as bad, got my statement and checked it and the pension amount credited was from 18 months ago, over $20 less on both my husband and me, they picked up their error fairly quickly, debited it and then put in the correct amount. As with another statement, I am keeping this one to use if they screw up, and then tell me computers don't make mistakes.
The other was Telstra - a statement that has phone calls to the same number, same day, all within seconds of one another. Took them to task and they blamed me. God damn I am better in speed than Usain Bolt to punch in a complete phone number in short time. Now I will have nothing to do with Telstra.
Beemee - it's all getting too confusing. Now I have to change my passwords both with the bank and NRMA. I have been using these passwords for over 15 years, and now I have to have them written down in a secret book in a secret place known only to my boys, if anything happens to me.
Hi Hola.
We have always been advised that passwords need to be changed on a regular basis for security reasons, find something easy for you to remember, perhaps a grandmothers birthday?
Good luck with my password its huge with letters upper and lower case, numbers, dashes etc.
Now consider the bank - all idiots with 4 digits???? Dickheads!
If someone is silly enough in this day and age and with all the publicity...to allow someone remote access to their computer, then they have no real cause for complaint when they are robbed.
Frightening for you Hola. Good that the bank and Vodafone have come to your aid.
Timely warning for the rest of us to check accounts very regularly.