Be Warned! Credit Card Security

[edwardmoulton]

A note of warning to all. I recently purchased an iPhone from TrueMove. Phone is great and coverage not bad BUT:

Standard procedure for them is to take a photocopy of the purchaser's credit card. YES, a photocopy of both sides of the card.

I have subsequently had a security risk on my card that forced my bank to cancel the card and re-issue it. It was traced back to TrueMove.

Moral is, DO NOT allow this archaic account opening practice. Better walk away or pay monthly as I now do. After all, my card, number, signature, expiry and security code are on full view for anyone to use.

TrueMove do not accept this is a security risk. I do and so does Visa International.

I hope this helps others avoid the trouble I have been through....

Anyone else have a similar scare?

[bkkjames]

A note of warning to all. I recently purchased an iPhone from TrueMove. Phone is great and coverage not bad BUT:

Standard procedure for them is to take a photocopy of the purchaser's credit card. YES, a photocopy of both sides of the card.

I have subsequently had a security risk on my card that forced my bank to cancel the card and re-issue it. It was traced back to TrueMove.

Moral is, DO NOT allow this archaic account opening practice. Better walk away or pay monthly as I now do. After all, my card, number, signature, expiry and security code are on full view for anyone to use.

TrueMove do not accept this is a security risk. I do and so does Visa International.

I hope this helps others avoid the trouble I have been through....

Anyone else have a similar scare?

pretty serious stuff there mate. what does true move have to say for themselves? any reply back?

[edwardmoulton]

A note of warning to all. I recently purchased an iPhone from TrueMove. Phone is great and coverage not bad BUT:

Standard procedure for them is to take a photocopy of the purchaser's credit card. YES, a photocopy of both sides of the card.

I have subsequently had a security risk on my card that forced my bank to cancel the card and re-issue it. It was traced back to TrueMove.

Moral is, DO NOT allow this archaic account opening practice. Better walk away or pay monthly as I now do. After all, my card, number, signature, expiry and security code are on full view for anyone to use.

TrueMove do not accept this is a security risk. I do and so does Visa International.

I hope this helps others avoid the trouble I have been through....

Anyone else have a similar scare?

pretty serious stuff there mate. what does true move have to say for themselves? any reply back?

No answer and then the usual Thai deny line....

[bkkjames]

A note of warning to all. I recently purchased an iPhone from TrueMove. Phone is great and coverage not bad BUT:

Standard procedure for them is to take a photocopy of the purchaser's credit card. YES, a photocopy of both sides of the card.

I have subsequently had a security risk on my card that forced my bank to cancel the card and re-issue it. It was traced back to TrueMove.

Moral is, DO NOT allow this archaic account opening practice. Better walk away or pay monthly as I now do. After all, my card, number, signature, expiry and security code are on full view for anyone to use.

TrueMove do not accept this is a security risk. I do and so does Visa International.

I hope this helps others avoid the trouble I have been through....

Anyone else have a similar scare?

pretty serious stuff there mate. what does true move have to say for themselves? any reply back?

No answer and then the usual Thai deny line....

Surely if it was traced back to True Move ( I assume by your card company), they have little room to manouver?

[Livinginexile]

That is not standard practice!

I think it was staff.

A national communications carrier would not resort to petty credit card theft.

Are you sure it wasn't a "auto monthly credit card debit" contract you signed?

[h90]

well if you order somewhere online also the 3 digit code might be recorded. Or if you order from my shop and I have some doubts (for example you are located in Africa) I require that you email me a scan of both sides of the creditcard and a picture of your passport.

So it is not so uncommon.

What do they understand under "had a security risk"?

[bkkjames]

sounds like an auto debit gone bad.

like UBC, Phone Bills, etc etc, never ever auto debit in my opinion. The small convenience factor is outweighed by the potential inconvenience factor by a costlier margin.

[edwardmoulton]

well if you order somewhere online also the 3 digit code might be recorded. Or if you order from my shop and I have some doubts (for example you are located in Africa) I require that you email me a scan of both sides of the creditcard and a picture of your passport.

So it is not so uncommon.

What do they understand under "had a security risk"?

That is my point. It is NOT an odd staff thing at TrueMove. It is company policy for sure as I have checked with several different people and they asked again for this with my new credit card. But I am sure the theft occurred by an opportunist seeing all my card details to hand ratehr than a policy. It was also not a monthly debit error...

The practice of copying both sides of a card is highly illegal by the way according to Visa Internaitonal so I would stop doing it h90 if I were you. It defeats the object of having a creddit card for personal use only and gives anyone the opportunity to use the details as if they were the cardholder!

[bkkjames]

well if you order somewhere online also the 3 digit code might be recorded. Or if you order from my shop and I have some doubts (for example you are located in Africa) I require that you email me a scan of both sides of the creditcard and a picture of your passport.

So it is not so uncommon.

What do they understand under "had a security risk"?

That is my point. It is NOT an odd staff thing at TrueMove. It is company policy for sure as I have checked with several different people and they asked again for this with my new credit card. But I am sure the theft occurred by an opportunist seeing all my card details to hand ratehr than a policy. It was also not a monthly debit error...

The practice of copying both sides of a card is highly illegal by the way according to Visa Internaitonal so I would stop doing it h90 if I were you. It defeats the object of having a creddit card for personal use only and gives anyone the opportunity to use the details as if they were the cardholder!

Not that I dont believe you mate, but I would love to see this "company policy" in writing before passing judgement... you have it handy?

[edwardmoulton]

well if you order somewhere online also the 3 digit code might be recorded. Or if you order from my shop and I have some doubts (for example you are located in Africa) I require that you email me a scan of both sides of the creditcard and a picture of your passport.

So it is not so uncommon.

What do they understand under "had a security risk"?

That is my point. It is NOT an odd staff thing at TrueMove. It is company policy for sure as I have checked with several different people and they asked again for this with my new credit card. But I am sure the theft occurred by an opportunist seeing all my card details to hand rather than a policy. It was also not a monthly debit error...

The practice of copying both sides of a card is highly illegal by the way according to Visa International so I would stop doing it h90 if I were you. It defeats the object of having a credit card for personal use only and gives anyone the opportunity to use the details as if they were the cardholder!

Not that I dont believe you mate, but I would love to see this "company policy" in writing before passing judgement... you have it handy?

Sorry, nothing in wirting.

Call TrueMove on 08 2000 3333, ask to buy an iPhone and ask if they need a copy of your credit card as well as your passport. They will tell you or ask anyone else who you know recently bought an iPhone through TrueMove. Standard practice for them...

Anyone know someone senior there to bringing it to their attention as I have tried in vain to get a name?

[bkkjames]

well if you order somewhere online also the 3 digit code might be recorded. Or if you order from my shop and I have some doubts (for example you are located in Africa) I require that you email me a scan of both sides of the creditcard and a picture of your passport.

So it is not so uncommon.

What do they understand under "had a security risk"?

That is my point. It is NOT an odd staff thing at TrueMove. It is company policy for sure as I have checked with several different people and they asked again for this with my new credit card. But I am sure the theft occurred by an opportunist seeing all my card details to hand rather than a policy. It was also not a monthly debit error...

The practice of copying both sides of a card is highly illegal by the way according to Visa International so I would stop doing it h90 if I were you. It defeats the object of having a credit card for personal use only and gives anyone the opportunity to use the details as if they were the cardholder!

Not that I dont believe you mate, but I would love to see this "company policy" in writing before passing judgement... you have it handy?

Sorry, nothing in wirting.

Call TrueMove on 08 2000 3333, ask to buy an iPhone and ask if they need a copy of your credit card as well as your passport. They will tell you or ask anyone else who you know recently bought an iPhone through TrueMove. Standard practice for them...

Anyone know someone senior there to bringing it to their attention as I have tried in vain to get a name?

well, sounds wierd - never been asked for copies of my credit card to buy anything here - but somehow it wouldn't surprise me.

[edwardmoulton]

Exactly, but obviously not so uncommon as h90 said he does it. It shocked me but I assumed that a big company would not try it on but of course it only takes one person to take advantage...

[h90]

well if you order somewhere online also the 3 digit code might be recorded. Or if you order from my shop and I have some doubts (for example you are located in Africa) I require that you email me a scan of both sides of the creditcard and a picture of your passport.

So it is not so uncommon.

What do they understand under "had a security risk"?

That is my point. It is NOT an odd staff thing at TrueMove. It is company policy for sure as I have checked with several different people and they asked again for this with my new credit card. But I am sure the theft occurred by an opportunist seeing all my card details to hand ratehr than a policy. It was also not a monthly debit error...

The practice of copying both sides of a card is highly illegal by the way according to Visa Internaitonal so I would stop doing it h90 if I were you. It defeats the object of having a creddit card for personal use only and gives anyone the opportunity to use the details as if they were the cardholder!

Example:

One True staff is using your creditcard to order from my shop.

It pass the security check, if your card is registered for Thailand. Visa can't tell me if the address or anything is right.

I send the products in good faith

You get the bill (and the faker the product).

I get a letter from Visa to proof you really ordered from me, which I can't, because not even the shipping address is right.

I ask VISA how to prevent that in future and the security department tells me "let the customer send a scan of both sides of the creditcard+Passport, so you can see if it matches" hahahahaha

That scan thing was a recommendation from VISA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(but it is well known that one hand at VISA does not know what the other hand is doing. VISA Austria does not even know the phone number of VISA Germany etc etc etc.)

Edit to add: at customer I have real doubts, I don't accept the card at all, unless it is American Express. Since I got a perfect scan of a real existing card. The card passed all checks. Just the bank didn't exist at all hahahaha. There are some perfect cloned cards around. But in general there is less fraud now. Of course there are the usual Nigerians who try it again and again but and frequently some as**holes who find out that they are low on money and tell that they didn't order......But both much less than 10 years ago.

But in

Edited April 7, 2009 by h90

[paulandmaneerat]

I had the same problem when I went to pay my True Move monthly account by credit card. I noticed they were copying back and front - fortunately they didn't take it out of sight to do it.

They brought the copies back for me to sign. I tore them up and put them in my pocket. I pointed out to the assistant who understood English well, that she was obtaining information that could be used fraudulently on my card. All the time I smiled. 'No problem' she assured me, it was company rule. The manager came as did other assistants all trying to assure me that the information would not be mis-used. I told them they could copy the front, but not the back. But they were not interested anything less than the full monty.

I paid by cash. As I left they were all laughing and shaking their heads at the crazy farang.

P&M

[ernest1966]

If it is True Moves policy to do this and they do not change this then visa should ban true as an accepted seller

Might be company policy, but given the opportunity...

Ernest

[khunjake]

Just pay most everything by cash or with ATS from your bank. Avoid the security risk and the bullshit 3% FX surcharge that most US/European banks charge now anyway. Copies of front/back credit cards sounds highly suspicious to me anyways.

I paid by cash. As I left they were all laughing and shaking their heads at the crazy farang.

[david96]

There is no reason to copy the ID page of a passport at all.

All that is required is that the document name matches the name

on the credit card and the photograph in the passport matches

the person in front of them. Passport sighted only.

The card holder not the staff member inserts the credit card

reader, the staff member enters the amount of the transaction

the card holder enters the transaction type in this case CC.

The holder of the card can choose sign or enter their PIN,

then OK or ENTER (or the equivalent).

The message on the screen "Transaction being processed"

appears then the final message " Transaction approved".

In some cases the transaction may be denied.

A print out of the transaction is provided.

Alt all times the card reader must be in front of the customer.

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In the case of online transactions using the Internet, if the vendor

suspects the transaction could be fraudulent they should refer the

card number to the CC issuer, Visa, Mastercard or Amex. for

verification.

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Thailand is one of the countries with high CC fraud and one

should advise your home bank where you will be, a watch will

be placed on your CC account.

In Thailand I will only use a CC to obtain cash at a bank or

bank ATM. No responsible vendor would photocopy both sides

of a credit card or remove it from your sight.

One transaction I did at the FX desk of a Bangkok Bank branch

about 12 months ago photocopied my VISA CC both sides.

Next time I did a CC transaction they just used the card reader,

but not in front of the customer, sign only no PIN. But it was a

different branch. This was 10 months later.

Two months after the first transaction my bank in Australia

telephoned me to state that my would be replaced within one

week as it had been "compromised" I had only used it three times

in the last six months, the last time was the transaction at the Bangkok

Bank where the CC had been photocopied.

CCs are used as a last resort in Thailand if no other method is available.