I have a First Direct Visa, they just rung me up, to check my last 3 transactions, is that normal.
I know that banks do have various anti-fraud systems in place, but the two times Ive encountered it Ive been told to contact them, not been contacted directly. (My dad tried to buy something with his card in the shop, and it came up on the shops system that he needed to contact the company, they elt him use the phone etc...and for me I bought something on Play.com which was unusually high cost for me and it got flagged so I had to phone Barclays to let them know it was me...oh, and another time my account got stopped because someone in america tried to use a deactivated card number!)
Anyway, in circumstances like the above where you are suspicious, err on the side of caution. Tell them politely that you will be happy to comply and would like a reference number to call them back. Then find the official phone number on the card companies website and phone them. If its legit, you can carry on where you left off. If the call wasnt legit, you will be able to tell them about the scam etc.
Same applies with any emails that have links that ask you to log in before proceeding. Just open a new window and start from the official site...
ive had natwest call me to check purchases (credit card used is Russia)
just dont give out any info or passwords if somebody calls you.. if they are the bank then they wont ask you any of these questions.. Be carefull of scams.
But, if you have just paid for things for China on your CC then they might call, just be cautious.
I have had that just after I bought a watch from Japan, but it turned out that some one had tried to take $5.00 off it and when that started to go through went for a $500 10 mins later, but the card company thought that the two so close, both being straight 5 and 500 dollars suspicious, as rarely is it a straight $x00.00 by the time tax and shipping is on on a US transaction, in my case it wasnt me and they stopped me getting ripped off
If they are just after giving you information and asking that you confirm transactions then yes. Most credit card operators will check for unusual transactions and query them if they are suspicious. Ive had it done twice and I know other people who have had it done too. They are just trying to prevent fraudsters nicking money from your account and they are usually pretty good at it.
Just remember not to provide any privacy details unless you phone them. There have been instances of fraudsters phoning someone up, pretending to be from their credit card company, getting them to supply their details and then stealing their identity.
we had a problem in Canada last year where my Mums card got blocked because there of sudden and unexpected (from the banks point of view) large purchases in a foriegn country. What they didnt know was we were there on holiday. A little painful at the time, but reassuring that they keep an eye on it.
Tis a shame Halifax dont learn off all the other companies and banks out there. I had 3k taken from my account and spent in 31 seconds in 7 different countries and they never once queried it, great service eh!
HSBC were too protective. I placed an order for thirty books on Amazon, ridiculously small charges as most were second hand going for something like 50p. Obviously all of them being from third party sellers each charge went through individually on my card and by the time half had been placed the bank declined the other half, apparently sticking lots of sequential small charges on a card is quite common if your card has been cloned so they tend to cancel further charges and leave you to get in touch with them. Its very annoying at times but Id sooner have them overly zealous with protection than not protective enough, Im sure Id be the first to complain if they werent.
Change banks, they should phone you up and check.
Quote from: SeriousChange banks, they should phone you up and check.
I did as soon as they got the money back into my account :D