Card Fraud at Petrol Pumps

[John Brown]

On the way back to the UK a couple of weeks ago I called into the last services on the Toll Road south of  Calais to top up my tank before catching the ferry.

I tried the self service pump but it did not work so used the manned pump and paid inside the building

Next day my card declined in a shop and when I checked my balance, 399.99 euro had gone off my card for fuel

My bank acted quickly and stopped the payment and later put the money back in but it meant a new card etc being issued.

I parted with my card in the Petrol Station for all of 30 seconds. I didn't get a receipt but I will always ask in future !

Was it a random act or are you targeted because you are obviously passing through, maybe once

John

[suein56]

[quote user="John Brown"]I parted with my card in the Petrol Station for all of 30 seconds. [/quote]

That's the part I don't understand ... as in all card machines I use, except Lidl for some reason - it is you who puts your card in the slot in the machine. If my card ever leaves my hand I would like to know where it is going.

[quote user="John Brown"]I didn't get a receipt but I will always ask in future ! [/quote]

You received nothing at all ?... from a card transaction that is very fishy and, for me, definitely a heads up that something/somewhere was wrong.

Thankfully your bank acted quickly and reimbursed you; hopefully they will also help in tracking down and catching the perpetrator.

Sue

[Pickles]

Was the 399.99 in addition to the correct amount or instead of? If it was in addition, it may be that the self-service pump had been compromised - presumably you had got as far as putting in your PIN?

[Gardengirl]

Is it possible that the person at the caisse put an extra 9, and it should have been 39.99 and that you possibly rushed off with a ferry to catch and didn't wait for your receipt?

I couldn't possibly leave without a receipt - my husband logs everything and enjoys to work out mpg or kmpg which is very good in our Prius, despite being able to use the 'after-burner' to leave other vehicles behind when necessary/wanted.

[Chancer]

The next day may be the key word here also that you tried the self service machine.

The actual card transactions usually take significantly longer than that but what does happen every time that you use a self service machine which of course does not know how much fuel you will be using is that it does a préautorisation of the maximum amount that the pump will dispense and this remains debitted from your card until the actual transaction goes out a few days later when it is reversed.

normally this never shows on your statement and you only know that it has happened when you try to buy something in the days that follow and find you dont have the funds.

€399 is a lot but corresponds to the pumps used by the poids lourdes and also those in harbours, when we fill up our dive boat we have to do it in 3 lots of €399.

I am fairly convinced that is what has happened in your case, because you didnt continue the transaction at the pump the amount would have been witheld for IIRC 4 working days before being reversed.

[Clair]

I'm with Chancer on this.

When you use a pump, a predetermined amount is blocked - though not spent - from your card. This amount is released once the transaction has gone through the system.

[Cendrillon]

+1

I agree with Chancer and Clair

[suein56]

[quote user="Chancer"]€399 is a lot but corresponds to the pumps used by the poids lourdes and also those in harbours, when we fill up our dive boat we have to do it in 3 lots of €399.

[/quote]

Amazing what you can learn from the Internet. I would never have thought boats took so much fuel; how astonishing.

Sue

[John Brown]

Hi, thanks for all the comments

We were on our way home in a hurry because of a family illness and I had been driving for 7 hours so that did not help.

I tried the self service pump but I'm sure I didn't get to putting in my pin number. It said, I think, not able to read card, try another card

The amount taken from my card afterwards was 27.08 euro. ( never fill right up before the ferry )

 I top up this account as and when from a savings account and keep the balance low just in case I have the card stolen and raided

My account said something like balance 425,  minus 19 available ( something else had not yet gone through. think it was toll charges ) and it was stopped before it appeared on the account so your point Chancer could have applied

The card reader was behind the counter but the pin pad and display was in front of me so it seemed natural to pass the guy my card

My bank put me through to their Fraud Department and they blocked the account for 5 to 7 days. They Issued a new card & pin so I'm guessing they saw it as fraud. I suppose I will never find out if it was actually fraud

Thanks for all your help

btw everything is OK at home now

John

[Chancer]

[quote user="suein56"][quote user="Chancer"]€399 is a lot but corresponds to the pumps used by the poids lourdes and also those in harbours, when we fill up our dive boat we have to do it in 3 lots of €399. [/quote]
Amazing what you can learn from the Internet. I would never have thought boats took so much fuel; how astonishing.

Sue
[/quote]

Its a floating gin palace owned by our president, we were not a large group and only paid €20 for each dive (there were 2 that day) so I'm fairly certain that we didnt use that much fuel, I think he just wanted to impress us, I too was astonished, more by the fact that in France marine diesel costs the same as road fuel, actually it was more than I pay at Intermarché, you have to be seriously rich in France to have hobbies that humble working people have in the UK.