General Chat

Someone has just purchased a 42” LCD television set and charged it to my debit card via the internet. We had a card through the door yesterday to say we had a parcel to collect from City Link. My husband went up this morning to city link to collect it and it was a 42” LCD television set. He said it wasn’t ours and the name was not ours although the address was. Hw came away without the television. When I got home from work there was an Invoice addressed to the same name as this parcel. I then went on to the internet to check my bank account. Yes you have it in one. There was a charge for £782.99 from the company that had sipped the television. I phoned the company and they promised to refund my account as they had thought this was a fraudulent transaction when it was taken. They said the goods had not have been despatched. I told them that City link had the item at their depot and they said they would make sure it wasn’t passed on to anyone. I phoned my bank’s 24 hour help line and cancelled my card and also spoke to the fraud department. The cheeky so and so have also charged two stagecoach tickets and a charge for tickets to cineworld. Not only have they charged me for the goods but for their transport and a visit to the cinema while they waited! Gill

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Frightening how easily they do it. Mind you if I use the self scan at Tesco I dont have to put a pin number in just swipe the card so anyone could buy alsorts that way. Hope it all gets sorted for you d x

I have my card in my possesion. I haven't usd it anywhere that could be suspect but they have all my details. It is very worrying. Gill

the cheeky b******s you know some people make me sick. I hope they catch the scum. catherine xx

Thanks Dawn and Catherine. Last night someone rang my door bell. As I was on my own at the time I looked though the peep hole and did not recognise the person (they were not English) so I didn’t answer the door. They came back later and rang again. I still didn’t answer. Needless to say the name on the card and the invoice was not English. I think they could well have been trying to get the city link card. But then again I may be paranoid :-)

Do you think it was the thieves that ordered the telly coming to collect it? If it was that has got to be the ultimate in hardfaced cheek I ever heard of. Hope you get it sorted-Imagine if you had been planning the dosh for your family holiday or something and it went. good luck catherine xx sorry for ranting a bit but things like this I see red.

Think i would report the caller to the police and the name on the parcel, like NOW. Police would have the ability to trace the name, i'd guess its going to be someone local. Do you use a card at a local takeaway or anything ( sorry , just making an association with the ethnicity comment you made)

Thanks everyone. I now have a crime number and I must say the police woman I spoke to was most helpful. She thinks maybe the visit by the person last night was more than likely related. She also said that obtaining goods by deception was rife. So take care. Gill

The more I am thinking about this the more paranoid I am becoming. They have my address. They have my card details. They must be fairly local to be able to pick up the item. What else do they know about me? If they haven’t been able to pick up the television do think I have it in my house and will they attempt to obtain it by burglary. I am now becoming very fearful that I may have a break in. My card has been cancelled so I cannot use it and will not get a replacement for up to five days and I still have my Christmas Shopping to do. Gill

To be honest, given what you have said to me,both here and in PM's, i'd be inclined to ring the local police station back and talk to them again. if they do return, you need a number that you can ring right away, and the person onthe other end know what you are talking about. Dont be too afraid , leave any outside lights on tonight, Mind you, two coach ticket,each £6 sounds as though they may have gone home again. how far would £6 buy? not very I guess

things MAY be different now, BUT several years ago, where I worked,a high street bank had a branch at the firms premises.. they had a 40 gallon oil drum as a waste bin, into which went things like the extra pages of swipe card pages.......you know when they used to use a machine for card payments . all one needed to do was to Acquire these sheets, and bingo, everything anyone would need, to be able to buy over the telephone, was on these pages.....Bob

Surely they would use your card to buy the telly, have it delivered and then nick it - that would be madness! Was it a foreign name? Its incredible if they have done that, isnt it!! Did they think you wouldnt notice the money had gone? I had my card skimmed or whatever in July - it must have been over the telephone - Ive a strong suspicion what company it was. I didnt know til the bank rang and asked if I had just tried to buy a camera and had I bought a phone 20 mins earlier. The first transaction went through, they had stopped the second as suspicious. I got my money back but it was a damn nuisance and it was not a nice feeling knowing someone had used your details.

I am seriously thinking of having an internet and phone account and keeping a very small sum of cash in it and topping it up only when I know I have bills to pay over the phone, like oil deliveries, car insurance, TV licence. Would also use this in restaurants or anywhere the card might go out of sight. Bank would be immediately querying and blanking payments! Jay

It is the combination of card number AND address that is worrying. Have you made any recent phone transactions, Gillian? I always wonder if firms can guarantee the honesty of ALL those on their premises - temps, reliefs, workmen called in for maintenance etc. Only needs one rotton apple. Jay

Gillian, that is really scary, I would hate that to happen to me. My son had someone spend £300 on his card recently and doesn't know how it happened, he got his money back but it is certainly worrying. Hope you have no more problems and all is sorted out. Liz Just wrote a card to an Aylesbury address an hour before I came on here, have friends there and relatives around Bucks area.

Hi Bob Yes I shred everything with my address including envelopes recieved. So it can't be that that has allowed them to get my details. Jay. No I haven't made any phone purchases. I do tend to buy on the Internet but only on secure sites. I think I will also open a new account just for that. My card is Visa Verified but the site in question dosn't use it. Heather. Yes it was a foriegn name (seems to be nigerian) and I only checked my account because I felt uneasy. I know I would usually not have bothered and wouldn't have noticed the money had gone until next month.

Liz. I think will get my money back but it is inconvenient. I just can’t believe their cheek. I will be interested to see if City Link have released the goods to them knowing they do not live at the address. They should have to provide some proof of identity to pick the goods up. Gill

City Link should have on record where the TV was sent from. If these people come back tell them you will bring the delivery card from City Link when it comes to them and where do they live?

I lay thinking about this last night. they tried, it failed. I bet you a pound the wont come back, just pull the scam on another poor less astute soul. Jess