Scammed.

[Moonrakers]

Earlier today we found 5,300 baht has been debited from my wife's debit card for the purchase of a digital camera that we never bought.

The bank has told us that the transaction occurred whilst my wife was in the office, and she had her card with her. We can't see how anybody could have got the account details and my wife has only used the card for the ATM and never as a debit card.

Has this happened to anybody else on TV and what are our chances of getting the money back? (I think I know the answer to that already.)

[Burr]

Good luck dude,

Ask the back to check the accounts on each side of your name, I had my account crossed with the next account one time.

It took about 45 minutes to get it worked out.

Hope that's it.

[Moonrakers]

Good luck dude,

Ask the back to check the accounts on each side of your name, I had my account crossed with the next account one time.

It took about 45 minutes to get it worked out.

Hope that's it.

It has crossed my mind that it could just be a genuine mistake, I can't help asking myself that if I have been scammed then I would have been taken for more than 5,300 baht.

And the fact that they did not have my wife's debit card in their posession. (Can a card be fabricated if they have the right details?)

[lifeisrandom]

maybe your wife is in on the scam

edit: not to be nasty but something to keep in my mind

u can dismiss it quickly if you trust her

sometiemes without a members photo its hard to give advice

Edited September 15, 2008 by lifeisrandom

[BEENTHEREDONETHAT]

Suggest you get that card canceled and get a new one issued, or it could happen again.

[dekka007]

how does the bank know it was a digital camera...they would only know the merchant and the amount not the item.

[Moonrakers]

how does the bank know it was a digital camera...they would only know the merchant and the amount not the item.

I don't know how, but they told us the amount, item bought, location and time of day.

And to the poster above +1, we cancelled the card as soon as we found out.

[robbiecia]

Did you use the card recently??

It could of been cloned by a vendor

[jingjoe]

Someone "else" in the "office" has borrowed it. (the merchant that sold the camera is VERY closely located to the "office" no doubt?)

[dumball]

Earlier today we found 5,300 baht has been debited from my wife's debit card for the purchase of a digital camera that we never bought.

The bank has told us that the transaction occurred whilst my wife was in the office, and she had her card with her. We can't see how anybody could have got the account details and my wife has only used the card for the ATM and never as a debit card.

Has this happened to anybody else on TV and what are our chances of getting the money back? (I think I know the answer to that already.)

There are multiple scams with debit cards , once a scammer has those details he can scam you for everything you have , the worst scenario is he can also steal your total identity , once that is secured you have a real problem . Cancel the card immediatly , get a new card and give the details to NO ONE not even wife , i trust my wife with everything EXCEPT my banking details , who knows for sure who is lurking in the background in Thailand , you doubt me ? Are you ABSOLUTELY sure .

[Moonrakers]

Did you use the card recently??

It could of been cloned by a vendor

The card has never been used except in an ATM.

Someone "else" in the "office" has borrowed it. (the merchant that sold the camera is VERY closely located to the "office" no doubt?)

The vendor is nowhere near the office, and nobody in the office would have had a chance to use it. I know because my wife works in the same office that I do.

There are multiple scams with debit cards , once a scammer has those details he can scam you for everything you have , the worst scenario is he can also steal your total identity , once that is secured you have a real problem . Cancel the card immediatly , get a new card and give the details to NO ONE not even wife , i trust my wife with everything EXCEPT my banking details , who knows for sure who is lurking in the background in Thailand , you doubt me ? Are you ABSOLUTELY sure .

I was expecting this, and I can see that it is a fair question considering that you know neither if us.

The card is my wife's, the vast majority of money in the account is money that has come from my wife's salary. And so in essence if she is the culprit then she would be stealing her own money. What's more is that she was with me when the 'transaction' took place.

The card was canceled the moment we found out.

[InVinoVeritas]

Could it also be a bank employee? How did they buy the camera, was it over the internet or were they present in the shop? If it was over the net, it could be anyone. Maybe you can check if this shop has a website and also visit them and ask if they remember anything. Maybe they can give you a description of the person. The point is who to trust and who not to trust.

[robbiecia]

What about the possibility that it could of been cloned at a dodgy ATM??

[Scott]

Keep us posted. If this is a scam, it could potentially affect a lot of folks.

[Moonrakers]

Could it also be a bank employee? How did they buy the camera, was it over the internet or were they present in the shop? If it was over the net, it could be anyone. Maybe you can check if this shop has a website and also visit them and ask if they remember anything. Maybe they can give you a description of the person. The point is who to trust and who not to trust.

We know that it took place at tescos on Rama 3, after filing a police report we are going to that Tesco's Branch. The person must have gone in person and so hopefully, at least that person will be caught on camera.

What about the possibility that it could of been cloned at a dodgy ATM??

This has also crossed my mind as it seems to be fairly common here and in the UK. Quite worrying really.

I am still hopeful that it is simply an error because the amount does not make sense to me. The reason being that if I was to run the risk of committing such a crime then I would want to take as much as I can, and definitely not settle for 5,300 baht.

[Maigo6]

maybe your wife is in on the scam

edit: not to be nasty but something to keep in my mind

u can dismiss it quickly if you trust her

sometiemes without a members photo its hard to give advice

Very good........

Edited September 15, 2008 by Maigo6

[dave111223]

Doesn't the bank cover you against fraud?

I know for my card if it were to be fraudulently used i could cancel the card and have all the fraudulent transactions charged back and refunded.

[Moonrakers]

maybe your wife is in on the scam

edit: not to be nasty but something to keep in my mind

u can dismiss it quickly if you trust her

sometiemes without a members photo its hard to give advice

Very good........

I missed this one at first. I shall not bite as "lifeisrandom" knows nothing about either my wife or I and so it could be a fair suggestion.

But as I have said before it is my wife's card and the majority of the money was earned by her, at the moment she is the bread winner in the family and so she would be stealing only from herself.

Doesn't the bank cover you against fraud?

I know for my card if it were to be fraudulently used i could cancel the card and have all the fraudulent transactions charged back and refunded.

I would hope so, although surely we will need to prove that it is fraud I.E: We didn't buy the camera ourselves. Hopefully we will get video footage as proof tomorrow.

[Maigo6]

maybe your wife is in on the scam

edit: not to be nasty but something to keep in my mind

u can dismiss it quickly if you trust her

sometiemes without a members photo its hard to give advice

Very good........

I missed this one at first. I shall not bite as "lifeisrandom" knows nothing about either my wife or I and so it could be a fair suggestion.

But as I have said before it is my wife's card and the majority of the money was earned by her, at the moment she is the bread winner in the family and so she would be stealing only from herself.

Doesn't the bank cover you against fraud?

I know for my card if it were to be fraudulently used i could cancel the card and have all the fraudulent transactions charged back and refunded.

I would hope so, although surely we will need to prove that it is fraud I.E: We didn't buy the camera ourselves. Hopefully we will get video footage as proof tomorrow.

Sorry mate..........

GlobalDJ, you just get on with your own life........................

If any part of your life was ever influenced posters on an anonymous internet forum.........................C'mon, be real.

Look, I'm a controversial poster, I don't bash Thai people...etc etc..... I'm actually quite a nice guy!

[robbiecia]

You did well not to bite!!!

You should be ok IF you can prove that somebody else used the card

Where you might have a problem........if you can't provide that solid proof

I would love to know just how on earth you can buy something in tesco without having to produce a plastic card

Good luck

[Moonrakers]

maybe your wife is in on the scam

edit: not to be nasty but something to keep in my mind

u can dismiss it quickly if you trust her

sometiemes without a members photo its hard to give advice

Very good........

I missed this one at first. I shall not bite as "lifeisrandom" knows nothing about either my wife or I and so it could be a fair suggestion.

But as I have said before it is my wife's card and the majority of the money was earned by her, at the moment she is the bread winner in the family and so she would be stealing only from herself.

Doesn't the bank cover you against fraud?

I know for my card if it were to be fraudulently used i could cancel the card and have all the fraudulent transactions charged back and refunded.

I would hope so, although surely we will need to prove that it is fraud I.E: We didn't buy the camera ourselves. Hopefully we will get video footage as proof tomorrow.

Sorry mate..........

GlobalDJ, you just get on with your own life........................

If any part of your life was ever influenced posters on an anonymous internet forum.........................C'mon, be real.

Look, I'm a controversial poster, I don't bash Thai people...etc etc..... I'm actually quite a nice guy!

Apology accepted mate.

I didn't bite in the first place because as you say it is an anonymous forum and nobody knows either my wife or I one iota asides from some of the drivel that I post on here .

I didn't take offence in the the first place.

[dave111223]

Doesn't the bank cover you against fraud?

I know for my card if it were to be fraudulently used i could cancel the card and have all the fraudulent transactions charged back and refunded.

I would hope so, although surely we will need to prove that it is fraud I.E: We didn't buy the camera ourselves. Hopefully we will get video footage as proof tomorrow.

On the contrary, in my experience, the vendor/merchant is the one that has to provide proof that you did buy it, not you having to provide proof that you didn't.

Basically here's what happens:

- You say someone stole your card

- Bank communicates with the vendors bank and cancels the payment

- Vendors bank then contacts the vendor and requires proof of purchase (valid signature on the receipt etc..)

- Your bank and the vendors bank then fight over who's to blame (based on the proof provided by the vendor)

- If the proof is not sufficient; either the vendor or the vendor's bank has to eat the cost (depending on whatever agreement the bank/vendor have)

- If the proof is reasonable enough that the vendor was within their rights to accept the purchase then your bank has to eat the cost.

In no situation do you end up eating the cost (unless obvious you have some crap bank which doesn't offer you any fraud protection).

Obviously if it's discovered that the owner if the card did actually purchase the item themselves and are trying to scam the bank that they will probably bring criminal charges; but that doesn't apply to this situation.

Edited September 15, 2008 by dave111223

[GuestHouse]

Earlier today we found 5,300 baht has been debited from my wife's debit card for the purchase of a digital camera that we never bought.

The bank has told us that the transaction occurred whilst my wife was in the office, and she had her card with her. We can't see how anybody could have got the account details and my wife has only used the card for the ATM and never as a debit card.

Has this happened to anybody else on TV and what are our chances of getting the money back? (I think I know the answer to that already.)

It sounds like your wife's card has been cloned or a blank charge slip has been swiped on your wife's card.

The advice to cancel the card is good - Get onto that right away.

--

Has anyone else had this happen?

Yes, I have.

I had my Credit Card cloned in Singapore, several hundred pounds was spent on the clone before I found out.

BUT - and here is the lesson. My card was issued by a UK bank and subject to a UK Credit Card Contract - All Non Illegal Use is refundable - I only needed to complete a declaration that the usage I was reporting was not by authorized by me and the Credit Card Company refunded all the charges I was reporting.

To my mind Thai Credit cards are a financial liability - That many Thai banks require customers to place funds on deposit equal to the 'Credit Limit' on their card is to me a joke.

[Wrong Turn]

Earlier today we found 5,300 baht has been debited from my wife's debit card for the purchase of a digital camera that we never bought.

The bank has told us that the transaction occurred whilst my wife was in the office, and she had her card with her. We can't see how anybody could have got the account details and my wife has only used the card for the ATM and never as a debit card.

Has this happened to anybody else on TV and what are our chances of getting the money back? (I think I know the answer to that already.)

How does the bank know this? Does the bank have video footage? Thumbprint?

Is the bank wrong/lying?

Is your wife wrong/lying?

Mix up?

Please keep us posted.

[JetsetBkk]

... My card was issued by a UK bank and subject to a UK Credit Card Contract - All Non Illegal Use is refundable ...

@ globalj - Do you really need a debit card? Why not get an "ATM only" card? Much less worry.

[mrt273nva]

pennies. take care of it now before it is serious. bitch be cool

[tartempion]

ATM card?

Debit card?

Credit card?

I keep them separated: Thai Debit cad for ATM withdrawals, foreign credit card for online/shop purchases.

I do check my credit card purchases online as I go.

I also have a highly securised foreign bank account: all log ons need a special changing code provided by a calculating machine providing a code and transactions require calculation of a code based on the transaction amount and a private key. That's the way to go unfortunately.

The credit card has a pin code as well, but am never asked to input the code in Thailand.

In France except high way tolls you always need to provide pin code (hotels, shops, restaurants) they have online connection with computer systems.

Thailand has a long way to go

[bkkjames]

maybe your wife is in on the scam

edit: not to be nasty but something to keep in my mind

u can dismiss it quickly if you trust her

sometiemes without a members photo its hard to give advice

Very good........

I missed this one at first. I shall not bite as "lifeisrandom" knows nothing about either my wife or I and so it could be a fair suggestion.

But as I have said before it is my wife's card and the majority of the money was earned by her, at the moment she is the bread winner in the family and so she would be stealing only from herself.

Doesn't the bank cover you against fraud?

I know for my card if it were to be fraudulently used i could cancel the card and have all the fraudulent transactions charged back and refunded.

I would hope so, although surely we will need to prove that it is fraud I.E: We didn't buy the camera ourselves. Hopefully we will get video footage as proof tomorrow.

Sorry mate..........

GlobalDJ, you just get on with your own life........................

If any part of your life was ever influenced posters on an anonymous internet forum.........................C'mon, be real.

Look, I'm a controversial poster, I don't bash Thai people...etc etc..... I'm actually quite a nice guy!

[jaiyenyen]

I had a card cloned in the UK a few years ago.

I noticed about 15 purchases not made by me, that amounted to around £600.

The bank told me it was quite common for the thieves to make small transactions rather than one big one as they are less likely to be spotted by the genuine account holder.

I just had to fill a form in giving the details of the transactions that were not mine, and got a full refund.

[Beardog]

Good luck dude,

Ask the back to check the accounts on each side of your name, I had my account crossed with the next account one time.

It took about 45 minutes to get it worked out.

Hope that's it.

It has crossed my mind that it could just be a genuine mistake, I can't help asking myself that if I have been scammed then I would have been taken for more than 5,300 baht.

And the fact that they did not have my wife's debit card in their posession. (Can a card be fabricated if they have the right details?)

When I was in Chaing mai in Jan 2004 (I went with a girl from Krabi) She took me to a country bumpkin kinda restaurant bar & we went in the back with one of her friends that worked there. Right at the cash register was a machine (probably made in China) that had a stack of Visa& Mastercard blanks in the center of the machine there were 6 choices of holographic emblems to chose from. Probably takes less than 1 minute to clone your card. Only need to trace the signature & your shafted. The clone machines are quite real just as counterfeit bills are real.

I should probably reported the establishment, but did not want to wind up on the news as the farang that was found dead on the side of the road from a taxi driver (Mafia) + to, I never pay with a credit card or an electronic card in LOS.

The carbon copy duplicate is most likely the most common used. The plastic cards I am sure can be physically altered -same as a passport. As they never check your card with scrutiny in Los Or look at the signature to see it is a woman using a mans card . Just an observation of purchases I see at Carrefour.