So my debit card was defrauded last night!

[Mr Allen]

Topic.

The last transaction on my debit card was in a local Wetherspoon's Pub last night, and apparently the Bank has phoned my Dad this morning to tell him that Wendys.com has tried to take |£34 out of my account.

Anyway I googled the site and it's a US based fast food chain, which I have never used.

I paid £6.59 on my Paypal account from the Wetherspoons app for my meal and 2 drinks.

Could this be the source of the fraud?

Fortunately the Bank has caught the fraud and stopped it, but annoyingly they have also stopped my card until I get issued with a new card and PIN number next week probably, so I can't go food shopping at Tesco on Monday.

Has this happened to anyone else in the UK?

Please do not just tell me to use Google, I already have.

 

[Mr Allen]

@the_tortoise I am NOT being "friendly" above, this is a serious issue.

If you can, actually read the OP.

 

[the_tortoise]

The "friendly" rating can be used to express sympathy -- I was using it to mean that I am very sorry this happened to you.

I did read the whole message you posted, and I have nothing to say but I feel for you, so I clicked the rating I thought would communicate that.

 

[Mr Allen]

NEXT!

Is there anyone here who can actually HELP?! Smh @ This website, people either completely ignore my topics, or tell me to use Google, or worse, just "like" and don't comment.

 

[Monachopia]

It can happen, my debit card was somehow used to make over a grand's worth of purchases from some weird online store I'd never used, while I was abroad. My bank called me as this was unusual and it was all refunded. It usually isn't too much of an issue, banks are fairly swift at refunding you if you state that you did not make those purchases. They will do their own investigation as it goes on. In my case, it was clear that the address those items were sent to was nowhere near my own, made by people that weren't me.

 

[the_tortoise]

NEXT!

Is there anyone here who can actually HELP?! Smh @ This website, people either completely ignore my topics, or tell me to use Google, or worse, just "like" and don't comment.

I have tried to offer practical advice to you on numerous occasions when I was able to, as have many others.

I get that you are freaked out and very upset right now but there is no need to be so rude about this. I meant well.

In future I will just totally ignore your posts if I have nothing constructive to type out in response.

 

[tree]

@Mr Allen

The fact that people don't reply doesn't mean they are ignoring your topics.
It's likely that people who don't reply have nothing to say regarding the topic.

And you surely don't want useless replies, do you?

I believe your tendency to be very impatient and demanding is what also
reduces the number of replies to your threads.

 

[Mary Terry]

Topic.

The last transaction on my debit card was in a local Wetherspoon's Pub last night, and apparently the Bank has phoned my Dad this morning to tell him that Wendys.com has tried to take |£34 out of my account.

Anyway I googled the site and it's a US based fast food chain, which I have never used.

I paid £6.59 on my Paypal account from the Wetherspoons app for my meal and 2 drinks.

Could this be the source of the fraud?

Fortunately the Bank has caught the fraud and stopped it, but annoyingly they have also stopped my card until I get issued with a new card and PIN number next week probably, so I can't go food shopping at Tesco on Monday.

Has this happened to anyone else in the UK?

Please do not just tell me to use Google, I already have.

The source of the fraud could be from any source. It could be Wetherspoons, or Pay Pal, or any website any where you have used your debit card at any time even months ago. If you bank or pay bills online, then eventually your account will be hacked. It is a fact of life, and you are rightfully angry about it.

In the future, you might consider keeping a stash of cash at your home for emergencies like this.

And, as an American, I can attest that 34 pounds' worth of Wendy's burgers is a whole lotta beef. Ugh. The thief must have been very hungry.

 

[Crossbreed]

Anyway I googled the site and it's a US based fast food chain, which I have never used.

I paid £6.59 on my Paypal account from the Wetherspoons app for my meal and 2 drinks.

Could this be the source of the fraud?

1. Even though you have never been to a Wendy's, is there one in your area, or in the UK, at all? The charge may include a location. (This is important for analyzing your incident.)
2. Do you guys use Visa or Mastercard services, or do you have UK-based credit card companies?
3. Have you talked to PayPal about this?

 

[Mr Allen]

1. Even though you have never been to a Wendy's, is there one in your area, or in the UK, at all? The charge may include a location. (This is important for analyzing your incident.)
2. Do you guys use Visa or Mastercard services, or do you have UK-based credit card companies?
3. Have you talked to PayPal about this?

1: No, Wendy's are exclusive to North America.
2: I have a Master card debit card
3: I don't need to speak to PayPal, I hate speaking to their non UK call centre anyway, the Bank has stopped and refunded the money.

 

[Judge]

The last transaction on my debit card was in a local Wetherspoon's Pub last night, and apparently the Bank has phoned my Dad this morning to tell him that Wendys.com has tried to take |£34 out of my account.

Anyway I googled the site and it's a US based fast food chain, which I have never used.

I paid £6.59 on my Paypal account from the Wetherspoons app for my meal and 2 drinks.

Could this be the source of the fraud?

Under the circumstances, that's not a bad guess in terms of logical deduction for a couple of reasons:

1) There appears to be a Wendy's hamburger franchise some 58 kilometers north of you in Leeds assuming it was reopened. Wendy's returned to the UK in 2017.
2) Such a petty theft/charge was likely done in a hurry, relative to suspecting your most recent pub charge.
3) Sadly any time you use a debit/credit card in such a place there is an elevated chance of the card number being hijacked for use elsewhere.

Wendy's returns to the UK

Unfortunately this is merely logical deduction. Meaning it's not foolproof by any stretch of the imagination. Especially given you have posted past concerns about the possibility of your accounts possibly being hacked. That it's possible that the theft might have taken place elsewhere given how often you use that card. And given the prevalence of such thefts world wide, I suspect there's very little law enforcement does about it.

The important thing is that you're getting a new card. About the only vigilance you can do is to create much stronger passwords online anywhere you use that card, and perhaps to consider going to another pub for the timed being. Consider using alternatives to whatever vendors you frequent the most. Which to say the least will be inconvenient for you. But it would be a pity for this to happen all over again with a new card.

One thing for sure though. Forget pondering geographical considerations. Credit and debit theft can happen in your neighborhood, or literally on the other side of the world. Distance no longer matters, given that account numbers are kept in worldwide corporate databases like Pay Pal breached multiple times by hackers.

 

[Autistamatic]

Rich, there's nothing more you can do. It happens to thousands of people and it's happened to me. You will likely never know for certain where your card details were leaked and it could well have happened months ago. There's sites on Tor that openly trade in such information.
I keep a couple of hundred quid in cash securely stashed away in case it happens again and a full larder. If you don't have such a cushion, I can only hope someone close to you will provide you a loan until you new card arrives.

 

[Crossbreed]

Sadly any time you tender a debit/credit card in such a place there is an elevated chance of the card number being hijacked for use elsewhere.

I keep an account/debit card just for high-risk transactions (including internet). I normally keep $5-10 in that account and add whatever I intend to spend. If someone tries to charge an additional transaction (beyond my $5-10 buffer), it is declined.

 

[Judge]

I keep an account/debit card just for high-risk transactions (including internet). I normally keep $5-10 in that account and add whatever I intend to spend. If someone tries to charge an additional transaction (beyond my $5-10 buffer), it is declined.

Good point. I do something similar as well to lessen the exposure.

Though in Rich's case this may be the only account he is authorized to use for all his transactions whether usual or not. Still though, if it's something he can implement another account it would be a good idea.

 

[Crossbreed]

I do something similar as well to lessen the exposure.

Our bank started to recommend it to other patrons after I told them what I was doing.

 

[Judge]

One other thing to ponder. The possibility that he may have been a victim of yet another massive data breach of Pay Pal. One that may not have been formally announced to the media just yet.

In these cases it's possible for thieves to sit on a stolen account number for a long time. Though in this instance I find it rather remote given the nature of the purchase. That more likely it may have been stolen locally and used relatively quickly over a relatively benign purchase.

Either way, anyone is completely vulnerable under such circumstances. The important thing is that he isn't being charged for that transaction.

 

[Autistamatic]

I like that idea. I actually have a second bank account with the same bank as my primary account. I may ask for a card to be issued on that account so I can do the same

 

[Crossbreed]

I may ask for a card to be issued on that account so I can do the same

Make sure that you "opt out" of overdraft protection on that card.

 

[Autistamatic]

Make sure that you "opt out" of overdraft protection on that card.

Will do

 

[Southern Discomfort]

I'm sorry to hear that.

I paid £6.59 on my Paypal account from the Wetherspoons app for my meal and 2 drinks.

Well you're paying through paypal, unless they also tried to pay through paypal too I wouldn't think Wetherspoons would be the source. They'd have have to go through Paypal in order to steal from you so unless you get a notification from them too then I wouldn't think that would be the case.

And look, online fraud can be incredibly easy at times. With weak passwords and people relying on back up phrases, "Where did you go to school at?" sort of thing - people can find this information online! They put it on Facebook and other social media sites.

If it's not via Wetherspoons, have a think about what passwords and authentication methods you use in the future. If available use two step authentication (Email and text message for example).