Credit Card Fraud - Cycling Web Site users?

shapez

Hi Folks,

I know a number of people recently have been a victim of credit card fraud. The thing we have in common is the use of cycling websites for goods, etc.

I was just wondering has anyone recently been a victim of credit card fraud? Particularly Permanent TSB card holders?

Thanks.

DirkVoodoo

Yikes, I always use paypal, don't think anyone would get very much on my credit card anyway.

ThisRegard

I don't supposed you can post the websites suspected and the fraudulent amounts/companies involved ? I have a PTSB Visa and up until the last time I checked I didn't notice anything suspect.

Beasty

Most websites will use secure credit card facilities. Online fraud tends to be focussed on getting malware onto you computer, and somehow getting you to provide fraudsters with log-in details for your online banking.

TBH, you tend to take more of a risk when handing your credit card over in a shop than when purchasing online, although Chip and PIN has improved this.

Ultimately, provding you have not been careless with login, PIN or password details, the banks cover this sort of thing

shapez

Sorry, what I meant to say was the Permanent TSB Credit Card Fraud department think that because I and friends of mine frequent cycling websites, they think one may have been compromised and Credit card details taken.

It could genuinely be a completely separate scenario. I was just wondering if this happened to others?

DirkVoodoo

shapez wrote: »

Sorry, what I meant to say was the Permanent TSB Credit Card Fraud department think that because I and friends of mine frequent cycling websites, they think one may have been compromised and Credit card details taken.

I can see the guy in the fraud department now: "Bloody cyclists!"

I can't see how they would see "cycling website" and think "not secure". Surely it depends on the individual website and not what it is selling. But sure they are all the same, hogging our internet traffic, not paying customs tax....

seamus

Generally depends on the website.

You would be surprised at how much financial data is actually stolen from various websites. A significant proportion of online retailers don't have adequate security surrounding their data and what's worse, they don't have any mechanisms for detecting intrusion.

The reason that your bank has no idea where your details were stolen from is because the relevant website is also blissfully unaware. In general, avoid using payment methods where the website handles the payments themselves (except for uber-stores like Amazon). Always opt for 3rd party card handling or Paypal where available.

victorcarrera

Another thing to watch out for after confirming a purchase and moving on to the payment transaction, is to ensure that you are either making a payment to the (same) sellers website (http://etc) or that you are redirected to a secure reputable online bank.
If you get redirected to a bogus website during a transaction and submit your credit card details, thats it.
After every pop up or redirection during a transaction watch for the green Verisign lock icon as with paypal or if you have security software such as McAfee it should give a green tick for safe sites.

Search Windows Internet Explorer Help for "Trusting websites"

doozerie

It is pretty much impossible to identify from which sites your credit card data has been taken, so your bank is likely guessing at best when they suggest that certain sites are somehow dodgy. As mentioned by Seamus above, many sites themselves may well be unaware that their recorded data has been stolen. Having said that, there have been some well publicised cases where certain retailers have been successfully targeted and data stolen (e.g. TK Maxx in the US), but I would imagine that any retailers hit by such fraud would be keen to keep that information out of the public eye so we'll never hear about most of it.

As a customer, although you can easily see if your details are being submitted to a website over a secure link, it is virtually impossible to identify those sites that don't adequately secure your data once entered online (e.g. I knew of one website, long since gone thankfully, that took credit card details over a properly secured link but then e-mailed the details as plaintext to a mail account hosted on a server at a different site). You basically just assume/hope that "reputable" sites secure your data adequately. Defining "reputable" though is far from easy, but if you have any doubt about a site and they offer Paypal as an option then go the Paypal route. Personally, I often pay a site directly rather than via Paypal as Paypal's charges and exchange rates are usually less favorable than those of my credit card company (and any delays introduced by Paypal result in a delay in my order being shipped), but that does mean taking a little extra risk.

DLK

I've travel for work hence have used credit card with no normal pattern in strange places for last decade or so... first time there was a security alert on my card was when I tried to buy something from wiggle a couple of weeks ago... sounds like some bank software just got updated by a petrolhead..

Wicklowrider

There were allegations & threats of sueing, threads locked and general gnashing of teeth for a while over on bikeradar and other sites for a long time concerning cc fraud. Heres an example of the threads: http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12610538

smacl

And you do have to be a bit careful about reusing the same passwords for secure and unsecure sites