M&S now hit by data breach

[Simon]

Is anywhere safe?   

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/internet-security/11959667/MandS-website-temporarily-suspended-after-leaking-customers-details.html

[nowster]

It's not just a data breach, it's an M&S data breach. 

[Ray]

 

[Simon]

Wish I'd thought of that.   

[Baz]

arent they saying it wasnt a data breach but an internal error.  Did you also see that the Talk Talk one last week...a 15 year old boy has been arrested



Apologies to Simon as I see he already posted the talk talk info in another thread...I didnt read it

[Technical Ben]

Yeah. Sounds more like a server/software error.

Oh, and I'm speechless by similar stories to the Talktalk scam ones:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34432596
"Solicitor lost £734,000 in phone scam"

Callers said "We are from the bank, send us all the money, thanks!"

Most shocking thing, this person is a "solicitor". I really really do feel sympathy for them, but wow, I just cannot describe how I feel over them being "tricked".

[zappaDPJ]

Yeah. Sounds more like a server/software error.

Oh, and I'm speechless by similar stories to the Talktalk scam ones:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34432596
"Solicitor lost £734,000 in phone scam"

Callers said "We are from the bank, send us all the money, thanks!"

Most shocking thing, this person is a "solicitor". I really really do feel sympathy for them, but wow, I just cannot describe how I feel over them being "tricked".

The problem is what happens when the call is genuine. I've twice let forth a torrent of abuse to callers I thought were trying to scam me only to find later on they were calling from Barclays fraud department. When someone persistently rings me asking for my secret answer there's only one way to reply.

[Baz]

So Zap, how did you eventually realise they were true callers....what system is there for verifying honest true calls?  We're forever told by banks that they dont do calls like this or ask for info so how do you know its genuine 

[Simon]

I had that recently with the Halifax.  They had blocked a fraudulent transaction on my credit card, and were trying to contact me.  Trouble was, they were using an automated caller with a withheld number, so after about the 10th call, all of which I had previously ignored, I eventually answered, and heard a recorded message, so immediately hung up.  It was only later, when I found out that my card wasn't working, that I thought it might have been them, so called them on their fraud line (which took 35 minutes to get through on), and suggested as politely as I could manage at that point, that they might want to review their procedures for contacting customers in the event of a suspected fraud. 

[Glenn]

First Direct will personally call and leave a message on your answer service, put a message on your online account, they will also text you if they have your mobile on record, asking that you call them on they normal number. From there the staff can then direct your call to the correct dept.

BTW, if I wait more than 30 seconds for an answer to the phone call, that is a long wait.

[colirv]

I've twice let forth a torrent of abuse to callers I thought were trying to scam me only to find later on they were calling from Barclays fraud department.

Interesting. We don't bank with Barclays, but have a Barclaycard. They've picked up attempts at fraud (genuine and false) several times, and IIRC have simply stopped the card, texted me and ask me to ring them.

[Clive]

I had that recently with the Halifax.  They had blocked a fraudulent transaction on my credit card, and were trying to contact me.  Trouble was, they were using an automated caller with a withheld number, so after about the 10th call, all of which I had previously ignored, I eventually answered, and heard a recorded message, so immediately hung up.  It was only later, when I found out that my card wasn't working, that I thought it might have been them, so called them on their fraud line (which took 35 minutes to get through on), and suggested as politely as I could manage at that point, that they might want to review their procedures for contacting customers in the event of a suspected fraud. 

Good for you Simon!  Exactly the same happened to me a couple of years ago.

[Simon]

I've heard many good things about First Direct, but not having a "physical presence" is hard to get past.

[Glenn]

I have not needed a physical presence in the 21 years I have been with them. If you need to pay in a cheque, just go into an HSBC branch. If you need to arrange a loan just call them.

[Simon]

I've got a few separate accounts with the Halifax for this and that, so a move would be complex, and not something I would want to undertake without a very good reason to do so. 

[mervl]

It's interesting how even the same Banks seem to do things differently with different customers. I'm with one of those mentioned, and every time I use my card with a new retailer it seems (doesn't happen often, though) I get a fraud check on the last few transactions. I don't mind but they go through a process: landline call and automated answerphone message left, ring my mobile if no answer, text if there is no answer, and I get a Y/N response option for the group of transactions which is brilliant as I don't have to speak to anyone! So far the answer has always been yes, it's me. The card is reactivated within a minute. It's not foolproof I'm sure, but I don't have to disclose any personal information and can't be tempted to say anything I shouldn't. (Um, thinks . . .  forum).

[zappaDPJ]

Interesting. We don't bank with Barclays, but have a Barclaycard. They've picked up attempts at fraud (genuine and false) several times, and IIRC have simply stopped the card, texted me and ask me to ring them.

A similar thing happened to me a couple a days ago when I attempted to buy an iPhone except the text just listed my last three transactions and asked me to text back Y or N, similar to what mervl describes above. Perhaps they change their procedures to try and make it harder for scammers or more likely people just refuse to respond to phone calls these days.

So Zap, how did you eventually realise they were true callers....what system is there for verifying honest true calls?  We're forever told by banks that they dont do calls like this or ask for info so how do you know its genuine 

They stopped my card which prompted me to call them. The stupid thing is I had actually already called them only to be told that Barclays would never ring and ask the questions they were asking.

The problem is I don't trust anything. I treat every email as a scam, never respond to phone calls and I thought twice before responding to that text I received. The only reason I did was because credit cards offer you some degree of protection against fraud. It seems to me you can't be too careful these days, however clever you think you are you can still get scammed and if you do, it's probably gone for good.

In nearly two-thirds of cases the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) found that banks were not responsible for victims' losses.

It looked at 200 examples of the telephone fraud, in which account holders lost up to £100,000 each.

But it ruled that the bank was liable for those losses in only 37% of cases.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-33386934

[Technical Ben]

The problem is what happens when the call is genuine. I've twice let forth a torrent of abuse to callers I thought were trying to scam me only to find later on they were calling from Barclays fraud department. When someone persistently rings me asking for my secret answer there's only one way to reply.

I never send abuse. What is harder? Being polite but asking for the office number (which I can check against paperwork/phonebook and call back), or giving them my entire underwear drawer?

[zappaDPJ]

I never send abuse. What is harder? Being polite but asking for the office number (which I can check against paperwork/phonebook and call back), or giving them my entire underwear drawer?

5 or 6 calls a day every day for a week. I was polite until Friday at which point I let rip and felt better for it

[Simon]

Slightly off topic, but talking of nuisance calls, I'm fed up with companies that phone you after you've used their services to ask for feedback.  I don't know if it's just me being a miserable git, but if I use a service, and pay for it, that's it, as far as I'm concerned.  Why should I then be pestered to congratulate them on doing what they're supposed to do anyway?  My main bugbear at the moment for this is Ford, who phone every time I've had a service done on the car.  I've asked them not to call twice now, over the last 18 months or so, but I had a service done yesterday, and have already received three calls from them this evening, so I've blocked the number.  Can't they just assume everything is OK unless I contact them?  It's the same with online companies that pester you for feedback whenever you buy something.  Yes, it's fine, or I would tell you!   

[zappaDPJ]

Everyone seems to do it now. The guy who mows my lawn insists on having written feedback when I sign his time sheet!

[Technical Ben]

5 or 6 calls a day every day for a week. I was polite until Friday at which point I let rip and felt better for it

Same here, still get them.
I'm torn between re-educating/re-enabling/offering redemption to the callers and playing a bit of a stand up/hidden camera Joke on them. 

Why let them ruin my day? Turn it around and make it a productive call for them. I'll start with the finer points to the writing of Shakespeare I think! 

PS, yes, now everyone and their dog is looking for feedback on facebook/google*/trustpilot.

*at least it was in our targets, but quietly died off. I presume as they found it as broken and obsolete as I did, but wanted to "boost google searches" cos someone somewhere told them it would.

[Simon]

I had that recently with the Halifax.  They had blocked a fraudulent transaction on my credit card, and were trying to contact me.  Trouble was, they were using an automated caller with a withheld number, so after about the 10th call, all of which I had previously ignored, I eventually answered, and heard a recorded message, so immediately hung up.  It was only later, when I found out that my card wasn't working, that I thought it might have been them, so called them on their fraud line (which took 35 minutes to get through on), and suggested as politely as I could manage at that point, that they might want to review their procedures for contacting customers in the event of a suspected fraud. 

This has bloody happened again, with a different Halifax card which I have only used online on a couple of occasions, the last one being in June.  Repeated 'Withheld' calls again, and a text message asking me to call their fraud line.  I can't see how anyone could have got the card details of this one, but they tell me that the fraudsters use randomly generated numbers and sometimes just strike it lucky.  The transaction was blocked, so no harm done, but another stressful half an hour getting through to them, and more inconvenience of having to cancel the card.

[zappaDPJ]

I can't see how anyone could have got the card details of this one, but they tell me that the fraudsters use randomly generated numbers and sometimes just strike it lucky.

If they really are that lucky they should just stick to doing the lottery