View Full Version : I've been scammed!
Some waster has been getting at my bank account [evil] - I ordered some things via the internet 2 weeks ago, never got an e-mail to confirm acceptance of order so I was suspicious right away. The goods dodn't come, despite me phoning the co. up, even though they had taken the cost of the order. I thought about cancelling my debit card (which I had used to buy) but didn't get around to it.
last week £30 was withdrawn for payment of Virgin mobile, even though we don't have a Virgin account or phone, and today a 'welcome pack' arrived from Virgin complete with my 'new' phone no. (for a phone I hadn't got). Clearly someone has used my debit card details and my address to obtain a phone, I suspect it is the co. who never supplied the goods. I cancelled by debit card immediately and await a new one.
Virgin were brilliant :D - I explained the situation and they rang me back 5 minutes later to say the phone account had been deleted (someone may have been using the phone and I wouldn't have known till I got the 1st months bill), and they would refund my £30.
Lesson learned though, be careful who I buy from and use a credit card rather than debit card - the former usually carry some guarantee in the event of fraud.
Your debit card and credit card is protected against fraud whether you use it online or not,Using a credit card on the internet is just as safe as giving it through a phone or using it in a shop.The good thing about using it online is in the event of fraud they can trace it back to the computer that was used.The biggest threat on the internet now is not the virus you get but its all the spyware programs that go into your computer that picks up all the information of ure computer.And if ure not using a anti spyware software to detect these programs you will get a shock its amazing how much u will have without relising
Bobinovich
22-Oct-05, 19:43
Your debit card and credit card is protected against fraud whether you use it online or not,Using a credit card on the internet is just as safe as giving it through a phone or using it in a shop.The good thing about using it online is in the event of fraud they can trace it back to the computer that was used.The biggest threat on the internet now is not the virus you get but its all the spyware programs that go into your computer that picks up all the information of ure computer.And if ure not using a anti spyware software to detect these programs you will get a shock its amazing how much u will have without relising
I quite agree and always recommend running Spybot (http://www.safer-networking.org/en/) and AdAware (http://www.download.com/3000-2144-10045910.html) regularly. Microsoft, for all their faults, also supply a free anti-spyware package which I have found very good to date - it can be downloaded from http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx
I know many people who have been stung with high BT bills caused by Rogue Diallers dialling premium rate number. It should be pointed out that the anti-spyware programmes usually get rid of these, but one of the little known/laudeed benefits of Broadband (apart from the phone being free to use, faster speeds, etc.) is that rogue diallers cannot work down Broadband - so long as you remember to unplug your old dial-up modem cable.
Interesting - I am on Broadband, but this was a case where I freely gave out my details in order to make a purchase. I didn't know debit cards were covered by some kind of anti-fraud arrangement :confused
Hi daviddd to put your mind at rest about debit and credit card fraud and your protection you should go into the bank and as matter of interest and ask them about how safe it is to buy over the internet using your debit or credit cards and what happens if someone obtains your bank details who pays for the money which was stolen from your account and you will find its the bank that pays.
What really annoys me is that the internet service providers are not doing enough to protect there customers from spywares.
If you go onto websites like download.com you can download trial version of spyware software free to try and you will be amazed how much spyware you will have on your computer.No matter how good a firewall you have the spyware still gets in you get them of email attachments with jokes on them if you download games like on yahoo or other websites there spyware in them as well.Sometimes you get spyware programs that when you go on the internet they let other websites no your online and you start getting heaps of pop ups comming up or your start getting heaps of useless emails sent you
People that start of these spyware or virus should fined heavily for ruining peoples internet experience and internet service providers are not doing enough to protect there paying customers
What really annoys me is that the internet service providers are not doing enough to protect there customers from spywares.
Don't be annoyed Eddie it isn't your service providers job to protect you from spyware, or anything else for that matter, it is everyones responsibility to protect themselves.
It is your service providers job to connect you to the internet just as it is the post mans job to deliver your letters. If the postman started reading all my mail and deciding what I can get or can't read I'd be making a complaint and if the telephone operator started listening to my phone calls and telling me what I can and can't hear I'd wouldn't be too happy either.
It isn't hard to block spyware if you make the effort. On the internet we are all free to decide for ourselves what we want to recieve and what we want to filter out, not a load of sheep recieving what a service provider tells us we can have.
But the price of freedom is responsibility.
Adware is complete pain. I recently ran Ad-aware which gets rid of these programs on a friends PC. He had over 700 different spy programs reporting things back and allowing popups on his screen. After removing them his whole system was running faster.
The best advice is to go to : http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/
Download Ad-aware and run it about once a week to rid yourself of these spyware problems.
Back to the initial problem, I generally feel as safe using my card online as anywhere else, especially more so than over the phone - you just have to make sure that you trust the company that you're dealing with. Most purchases can now be had from well-known companies that trade online.
Yes, I'll be very careful who I deal with in future!
kwbrown111
22-Oct-05, 22:48
I would advise when using anti-spyware progs to update and run every day as new spyware is continually being added
Powered by vBulletin® Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.