h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

• Have you ever been a victim of identity fraud? Or do you know anyone who has been affected in this way?
Yes, I have just recently been a victim of identity fraud. Someone cloned my credit card and bought a plane journey somewhere using air france. My (soon to be) ex credit card company gave me a new card, and then transferred the balance to my new card – yes, the fraudulent transaction. And they would not accept that it was a fraudulent transaction, even though they could prove it through their own records so after being on the phone to them for DAYS I had to pay for it. Not a happy bunny.
• Have you ever caught anyone riffling though your rubbish or stealing your post?
No. However if anyone were to do that I think I would take the frying pan to their head before asking any questions. Mind you, they would have to dig through soiled kitty litter to get at the information, which has also been shredded, so the best of blinking luck to them!!
• Do you regularly scan your computer for spyware, keylogging programs and the like?
I married a techno-geek, so my computer looks for everything and its dog!! Not sure how much I trust them though! In my mind, if it has been programmed by a human, it will be fallible.
• How careful are you with your financial information when online? Are you ever weary of entering bank details when making a purchase? If so, what factors give rise to your concerns?
I am always concerned when they ask me for bank details but I have not logged on to a secure server anywhere. I have only had 1 problem in nearly 10 years of using the internet, so most of the sites are okay.
• Do you post personal data on social networking sites such as Facebook or MySpace.
I post generic personal data, but not so much that people know my cats birthdays or the colour of my grandfathers eyes!
• If you were to sell your personal computer, what measures would you take to ensure that no personal data was passed on with the machine?
Hubby is in charge of technology, and if he wipes a hard drive, it stays wiped!!
• On the other side of the coin, what would you say are the plus points of having your personal details stored digitally by companies and governmental organisations? Easier access to health records? Better control over your finances?
I like the convenience of logging onto a computer and being able to manage my finances online, but in my experience there are no benefits to the government having lots of information on me. Every time I fill out a form to renew a passport for example I have to give them the same information as I always do. If they had a joined up system, they would know exactly who I am, what I look like, and where I live. Passports would cost pennies and they would be done in a flash. Until joined up government happens (oh goodness me, my sides are splitting with laughter!) there are no advantages.

What irritates me are the little oiks who are caught doing this say it is a victimless crime. Ummm, no it isn't actually. I have £500 less to spend on Christmas this year because someone cloned my credit card, and I have no idea who or how or where they did it. If I ever catch the people who do this kind of thing then disembowelling with a rusty teaspoon is definitely an option!

"Have you ever been a victim of identity fraud? Or do you know anyone who has been affected in this way?"

Yes and no.

Something to do with 02 prepay cards appeared on my credit card a couple of times. I noticed, and told my CC company that they were nothing to do with me as I had no dealings with 02 and didn't know anyone who had. They simply revoked the charge. Several months later it happened again, and they decided to send me a new card. No problems since. Obviously the old card number had been harvested somewhere. But since I check my statements instead of just paying them blindly, there was no problem at all.

"Have you ever caught anyone riffling though your rubbish or stealing your post?"

No.

"Do you regularly scan your computer for spyware, keylogging programs and the like?"

Yes, but not for this reason.

"How careful are you with your financial information when online?"

Reasonably. I keep it to reputable sites properly displaying https addresses and never, ever click links in emails.

"Are you ever weary of entering bank details when making a purchase?"

I certainly am weary of it.

I suspect you meant to say WARY. In which case, no more so than I am of handing a waiter my credit card in a restaurant.

"If so, what factors give rise to your concerns?"

I don't have great concerns, because I don't use my cards on that many sites.

"Do you post personal data on social networking sites such as Facebook or MySpace."

No. That really would be stupid.

"If you were to sell your personal computer, what measures would you take to ensure that no personal data was passed on with the machine?"

I'd never sell a computer. There'd be no point. I use computers until they're so obsolete nobody could possibly consider paying actual money for them.

"On the other side of the coin, what would you say are the plus points of having your personal details stored digitally by companies and governmental organisations? Easier access to health records? Better control over your finances?"

There are myriad benefits too many to count. The cost of those benefits is a little vigilance when looking at your bank and credit card statements, and having a grip on your spending so you know what you've spent and where. Not too much to ask.

I did like the Mitchell and Webb sketch, where Mitchell was a bank manager, trying to break it gently to a customer that he'd had his "identity" stolen, and customer (Webb) being all happy and unconcerned and because if that was all it was, then there was no problem. He was worried some of his actual MONEY had been stolen. He didn't care about his identity, as long as the bank still had all the *money*... and the bank manager squirmed a bit, etc. Worth hearing if you can find it.

SoRB

"Someone cloned my credit card and bought a plane journey somewhere using air france. My (soon to be) ex credit card company gave me a new card, and then transferred the balance to my new card – yes, the fraudulent transaction. And they would not accept that it was a fraudulent transaction"

And you still paid? Frankly I'd have simply left that balance on the card and *immediately* got a new one from another company.

One assumes that the fraudulently paid for ticket was used, in which case the person travelling would be traceable. It is easy to purchase an air ticket with a stolen credit card. It's MUCH harder to actually get on the plane under that identity.

If you inform your CC company that a particular transaction is fraudulent, they should IMMEDIATELY remove the transaction from your account, pending an investigation. If that investigation shows you did, in fact, verifiably authorise the transaction, fair enough, you pay. If not - and if it's fraudulent, then obviously you can't have *verifiably* authorised the transaction - then they will pass on the cost to the airline, or whoever, and there may be moves made to catch the person who used the service.

But if ever you notice an irregular transaction on your account again, and the credit card company don't revoke the charge THAT DAY, inform them you will not be paying it, pay off all the outstanding balance other than the fraudulent charge, cut up the card and never use it again. There is far too much competition between these people to let one company get away with doing that to customers.

SoRB

http://www.articlesandtexticles.co.uk/imgs/0705/Mitchell&WebbIdentityTheft.mp3

Natwest visa regularly phones me to validate card payments. The funny thing is that they ask you questions you to verify your acount details. The problem is how can you verify if they are genuine. If they give you a number to call back that can still be fraudulent unless you compare the number with what it says on their helpline information. I just call them back on the credit card helpline so I know I am connected with the correct number. The way I figured that they were the genuine article was by answering my details wrong. In fact I gave them my correct address and they claimed this was wrong. I then found out that the bank statements had allways come with the wrong house number. So if thy ask you test them back by giving them false information. If they accept it you can have a field day.

Buying anairline ticket is actually the daftest thing you can do with a false c-card as your passport is checked in when you use it, so it makes you very vulnerable to detection.

Enjoy reading your goverment letter if you get one (we had ours today) Perhaps we shoud stop giving them our taxes as they might not be able to handle them safely

regards
Gerne

I had my card used once, for about £450. The CC company phoned me up to question the transaction before I'd even noticed, sent a new card immediately and paid for everything, no questions asked. I'm still with that company.

I suspect that, given the name of the fake company on the statement, that my card number had been stolen when I stopped for petrol on a work trip. Can't prove it though.