Had my card cloned (at a Shell garage) and also had my paypal account hacked. The credit card wasn't a problem, all sorted very quickly and a new card/account within 48 hours. Paypal, however, were utterly, utterly useless. Worse than that even. Someone got into my paypal account and added their own bank details, then started flogging bogus stuff (stuff I'd already sold, using the same adverts I originally used) and pocketing the money. Somehow I managed to buy a bike I'd already sold for £900 without my knowledge. The bank were on it straight away, they flagged up a problem and paypal emailed me to say there was some unusual activity going on in my account. It took me a week to convince them it wasn't me putting the adverts up, I found it nigh on impossible to talk to a human, and if they did anything at all they kept it completely secret from me. The bank, meanwhile, had already got their fraud department on the case, recovered the money, informed the police of what went on, and kept me informed all the way. Two weeks later paypal repaid £900 to my account before realising the bank had already done their job for them, but in the meantime I un-linked my bank account so they couldn't reclaim the money. I was £900 up. I told them they could have the money back if they explained to me in detail how someone had managed to alter my account without me getting any emails confirming change of bank, card, etc. They never replied, so they never got their money. The truth is they were clueless.
Sadly fraud from cloning cards, accounts and even identities is on the up in a big way. A friend has just had his identity stolen and more than £50k in credit taken out in his name. he has spent many hours getting it sorted and neither the bank nor the police seem very interested in finding the culprits and recovering any money. Its much easier for them to make the majority of their law abiding customers pay for it. No wonder the scum carry on doing it.
Its not often that your card is cloned. Its far more likely that someone who you give details too to buy something on line then sells on those details . The fraudsters then quickly use your card details on line or over the phone to purchase items.That is why you get repayed by the bank so quickly. The retailer that sells goods to the fraudster looses out because the bank gets the money back from them. Had the fraudster got your PIN then you would find it far more difficult to get reimbursed
Theres always a positive side to these things. Ebay buyer arrived as planned. A Zimbabwean feller and his Sarf Efrican buddy,been living here 15 years. They are exporting the van back to Zimbabwe. Deal done/deposit received,we had a long and general conversation about Africa/UK etc etc. Surprising,(to me anyway),things they said, included: Visit Zimbabwe as a Touristld Bob Mugabe won't be out to get me,he and the rest want me to spend my money there. The West should stop inflicting their values on ,"Third World",countries: $40 a month is a Kings Ransom in a place where no-one has to borrow money to buy a house. The market for financial services is very small in Zim,as even poor people can't understand buying stuff you can't afford. Africa is awash with cheap Chinese shite. The NHS cannot keep giving treatment away to anyone that walks through the door. Nice guys,both of them.Very polite,interesting,and a good laugh too.
oh they got my pin alright - 'my' card was used twice somewhere near the Strand, late December, max'd once before midnight and one just after.
