Warning Credit/ Debit cards Cloning

[capnpugwash]

Tuggy, don't be such a Drama Queen;) we are all Cunarders and we are all well known in the 'Other place'.!

 

There is no need for private emails...

 

Bell Boy

 

P. Can you please email me. Thanks

[ovccruiser]

"All the transactions were done whilst we were aboard the ship and they were all done by signiture not pin number. The bank said it must be someone on the ship that had access to my bank details."

 

J

 

That is interesting. In the UK, on signature transactions, the risk is with the retailer not the bank. If the transactions are disputed, the retailer will pay the monies back or will not be creditied with the monies, this is since the introduction of chip and pin. I assume the transactions were carried out in the UK if the card copying was carried out at Sothampton. One has to bear in mind, that every time the card is used, the retailer keeps your total card number on their copy of the transaction slip, not just the last 4 digits as shown on your copy. The slip also shows the expiry date so would not be too difficult to make a copy card. I can see no way that anyone aboard ship could take advantage of knowing card details, unless they have an accomplace ashore. All very dodgy

[Jimsgirl]

Although I am a great mystery fan, and suspicious by nature, I do not think there is a great mystery at the bank.

 

People who do not cruise (yes there actually are people like that), do not know how things are handled as regards money on board.

 

Thus for a bank employee - even the manager- to assume that the OP actually used her card on the ship simply means he/she does not cruise.

 

I live in a small "town" but even here there have been cases of "cloning" a local restaurant waiter (much respected , very well liked) "swiped " the cards, and sold the information , the clone was then used to buy $$$$ of goods in high end stores in other states- some at the same time in states 1000 miles apart.

 

Could it happen at any cruise terminal - yes- as stated in my other posting , the staff at the terminal are sub contracted agency staff, who knows who they are , or their background.

 

I take the precautions mentioned in my other posting, this alerts the credit card company immediately the cloned card is used, and the account can be "frozen", which is why I always carry two different cards.

[capnpugwash]

Although I am a great mystery fan, and suspicious by nature, I do not think there is a great mystery at the bank.

 

People who do not cruise (yes there actually are people like that), do not know how things are handled as regards money on board.

 

Thus for a bank employee - even the manager- to assume that the OP actually used her card on the ship simply means he/she does not cruise.

 

I live in a small "town" but even here there have been cases of "cloning" a local restaurant waiter (much respected , very well liked) "swiped " the cards, and sold the information , the clone was then used to buy $$$$ of goods in high end stores in other states- some at the same time in states 1000 miles apart.

 

Could it happen at any cruise terminal - yes- as stated in my other posting , the staff at the terminal are sub contracted agency staff, who knows who they are , or their background.

 

I take the precautions mentioned in my other posting, this alerts the credit card company immediately the cloned card is used, and the account can be "frozen", which is why I always carry two different cards.

 

They are neither sub contracted nor agency staff, the are full/part time employees of the company which operates the terminal embarkation/disembarkation process, this is either Intercruises or Group Four Security. Their identities are obviously well known as they are there quite regularly. It may be different where you come from but that is how Southampton operates.

[heywood]

Although I am a great mystery fan, and suspicious by nature, I do not think there is a great mystery at the bank.

 

People who do not cruise (yes there actually are people like that), do not know how things are handled as regards money on board.

 

Thus for a bank employee - even the manager- to assume that the OP actually used her card on the ship simply means he/she does not cruise.

 

I live in a small "town" but even here there have been cases of "cloning" a local restaurant waiter (much respected , very well liked) "swiped " the cards, and sold the information , the clone was then used to buy $$$$ of goods in high end stores in other states- some at the same time in states 1000 miles apart.

 

Could it happen at any cruise terminal - yes- as stated in my other posting , the staff at the terminal are sub contracted agency staff, who knows who they are , or their background.

 

I take the precautions mentioned in my other posting, this alerts the credit card company immediately the cloned card is used, and the account can be "frozen", which is why I always carry two different cards.

 

From what has been posted though Lynne, the implication seems to be that the transactions took place on board - not elsewhere. The lady, having given the warning and made this public, should really now give an update. It is not fair to Cunard or anyone else who has been implicated by being mentioned on this thread.

The card could have been cloned anytime or anywhere if the transactions did not take place on QM2.

[Jimsgirl]

They are neither sub contracted nor agency staff, the are full/part time employees of the company which operates the terminal embarkation/disembarkation process, this is either Intercruises or Group Four Security. Their identities are obviously well known as they are there quite regularly. It may be different where you come from but that is how Southampton operates.

 

In my posting I was "trying "to show the staff at the terminal are NOT Cunard employee.

 

I think you have used semantics , if they are part time/full time employees of Intercruises or any other company then obviously they are NOT Cunard employees , which is my point.

 

Red Hook or any other USA port no doubt is the same. The terminal is operated by a company "contracted " to provide a service to Cunard, therefore the staff are not" Cunard employees".

 

The same can be said of so called "Cunard reps" at airports or hotels, they work for a company" contracted" to provide a service to Cunard. In fact many of them work only on a "as required " day to day basis, just like "office temps".

 

You can call them by any name you wish (I used the term sub contract,) whatever term you may use , the fact remains they are NOT Cunard employees.

 

Could the card have been cloned at Southampton - maybe - just as my card could be cloned at Red Hook , the person doing the cloning, then sells the information and purchases can be made anywhere at any time by the buyers. It is therefore hard to pinpoint any one particular individual, but it is possible to zero in on the place the cloning could/maybe have taken place.

[capnpugwash]

In my posting I was "trying "to show the staff at the terminal are NOT Cunard employee.

 

I think you have used semantics , if they are part time/full time employees of Intercruises or any other company then obviously they are NOT Cunard employees , which is my point.

 

Red Hook or any other USA port no doubt is the same. The terminal is operated by a company "contracted " to provide a service to Cunard, therefore the staff are not" Cunard employees".

 

The same can be said of so called "Cunard reps" at airports or hotels, they work for a company" contracted" to provide a service to Cunard. In fact many of them work only on a "as required " day to day basis, just like "office temps".

 

You can call them by any name you wish (I used the term sub contract,) whatever term you may use , the fact remains they are NOT Cunard employees.

 

Could the card have been cloned at Southampton - maybe - just as my card could be cloned at Red Hook , the person doing the cloning, then sells the information and purchases can be made anywhere at any time by the buyers. It is therefore hard to pinpoint any one particular individual, but it is possible to zero in on the place the cloning could/maybe have taken place.

 

I have no wish to argue with you, all tha I did was to point out the errors in your assertion

"Could it happen at any cruise terminal - yes- as stated in my other posting , the staff at the terminal are sub contracted agency staff, who knows who they are , or their background."

I am sorry if my correcting your erroneous statement upsets you but I did think that it was important to do so. I am sure that you wouldn't want to accidentally mislead people.

[moniquet]

It can happen anywhere especially in the UK and Europe. Spain is one of the worse places. I lived there for some years and it happened frequently, a few Eastern European gangs were broken up.

[ombrelle]

This thread is sooo interesting and scary!! We embarked Queen Victoria in Venice Oct. 28. We used our Platinum Card for embarkation, we were given the onboard card. We stowed away the card in the stateroom safe.We used another credit card with a smaller amount on it,never used the Platinum Card. Today, we received a call from the Credit Card security advising us to destroy our Platinum Card because someone was trying to use it on line for gambling! They could not give us additional information if there were any other charges at this time.They will be forwarding us a form to fill out so an investigation could be carried out. Has anyone else had this happen to them? Now I am so worried,what is going on? This is the first time it has happened to us,we pride ourselves to be very caution. Must use the card with the smaller amount to check in then? Any advise? Thanks.

[Scrapnana]

This thread is sooo interesting and scary!! We embarked Queen Victoria in Venice Oct. 28. We used our Platinum Card for embarkation, we were given the onboard card. We stowed away the card in the stateroom safe.We used another credit card with a smaller amount on it,never used the Platinum Card. Today, we received a call from the Credit Card security advising us to destroy our Platinum Card because someone was trying to use it on line for gambling! They could not give us additional information if there were any other charges at this time.They will be forwarding us a form to fill out so an investigation could be carried out. Has anyone else had this happen to them? Now I am so worried,what is going on? This is the first time it has happened to us,we pride ourselves to be very caution. Must use the card with the smaller amount to check in then? Any advise? Thanks.

 

Unfotunately, this problem seems to be a sign of the times. My card was compromised a year ago and the card had never even left my house. Although it is truly frightening, my card company was fantastic. They notified me that there appeared to be unusual activity on my card when someone tried to charge a $5000 TV online. Although they never figured out how someone got my information, they took care of everything. After filling in a very simple form the fraudulent charges disappeared.

 

With the many RFID blocking wallets being sold today, the problem seems to be getting worse. After reading this thread I think I will be buying one before my next cruise!

[ombrelle]

Unfotunately, this problem seems to be a sign of the times. My card was compromised a year ago and the card had never even left my house. Although it is truly frightening, my card company was fantastic. They notified me that there appeared to be unusual activity on my card when someone tried to charge a $5000 TV online. Although they never figured out how someone got my information, they took care of everything. After filling in a very simple form the fraudulent charges disappeared.

 

With the many RFID blocking wallets being sold today, the problem seems to be getting worse. After reading this thread I think I will be buying one before my next cruise!

 

Seriously???:eek: Maybe we should wrap our credit cards in foil even when kept in safes? What world we live in? Thanks Scrapnana.:)

[moniquet]

Many banks have a scheme where a message is sent to your mobile/cellphone after any transaction on the card.

[Underwatr]

With a credit card (vs. a debit card) the risk to you personally is some inconvenience from not being able to use a blocked card but no financial risk, since you don't have any liability for fraudulent use by others.

 

I've been notified by an issuer of suspicious activity on a card we received and activated but had never used or even taken out of the house - sometimes people get lucky in creating fraudulent numbers; they don't need to have had any contact with you or your card to attempt to use your card's number.

[moniquet]

A recent case here involving US citizens.

 

http://www.vibespain.com/?p=2084

 

 

Any business can get a rogue employee I am sure Cunard are not immune:)

[Jimsgirl]

A recent case here involving US citizens.

 

http://www.vibespain.com/?p=2084

 

 

Any business can get a rogue employee I am sure Cunard are not immune:)

 

Any business can get a rogue employee, especially those who use part time "on call on a day to day employment" which is most likely the case with the company in control at Southampton terminal (and most likely any terminal)

 

Unfortunately in this thread posters sang the same old song "Cunard is infallible -Cunard cannot possibly do any thing wrong "

 

It was even suggested that the OP was a "troll" faking the thread in order to blacken the good name of Cunard. This is a ridiculous stance to take on something which is serious and can affect us all.

 

No one other than the OP can know where or when he/she used the card, so let us accept the original posting as it was intended - A WARNING no matter where or when the cloning was done.

 

Although I try to take every precaution , it could still happen to me, and I thank the OP for the warning , and I hope they will soon have the matter straightened out .

[moniquet]

Any business can get a rogue employee, especially those who use part time "on call on a day to day employment" which is most likely the case with the company in control at Southampton terminal (and most likely any terminal)

 

Unfortunately in this thread posters sang the same old song "Cunard is infallible -Cunard cannot possibly do any thing wrong "

 

It was even suggested that the OP was a "troll" faking the thread in order to blacken the good name of Cunard. This is a ridiculous stance to take on something which is serious and can affect us all.

 

No one other than the OP can know where or when he/she used the card, so let us accept the original posting as it was intended - A WARNING no matter where or when the cloning was done.

 

Although I try to take every precaution , it could still happen to me, and I thank the OP for the warning , and I hope they will soon have the matter straightened out .

 

Yes I have noticed a bit of imbalance on here:) Everyone not singing from the same hymn sheet is a troll!

[Cruachan]

Yes I have noticed a bit of imbalance on here:) Everyone not singing from the same hymn sheet is a troll!

 

Would someone care to point out to me the post or posts in which the OP was accused of being a troll. Because I'm hanged if I can find them.

 

J

[northernsailor]

Seems odd that ONE person is 100% sure that it was Southampton Terminal their card got cloned when how many 10's of thousands have passed through there this year? Surely it'd be rife.. or did this woman check-in and say 'Hey, for the record I've got a 500k limit on this card..'

 

If you look closely at the machines that the use in Southampton they are all linked to laptops which are no doubt kept at Carnival's office or somewhere over the road - I can't see a way where someone would be able to fit a cloning type device to their system. - I don't just mean Cunard either - but any Carnival embarkations done at Southampton.

 

As someone else said - if it's on a credit card, you've absolutely nothing to worry about - phone up, dispute it - done. You can't always live your life in fear, you are meant to be going on a holiday remember!

[Mid-Atlantic Ridge]

Seems odd that ONE person is 100% sure that it was Southampton Terminal their card got cloned when how many 10's of thousands have passed through there this year? Surely it'd be rife.. or did this woman check-in and say 'Hey, for the record I've got a 500k limit on this card..'

 

If you look closely at the machines that the use in Southampton they are all linked to laptops which are no doubt kept at Carnival's office or somewhere over the road - I can't see a way where someone would be able to fit a cloning type device to their system. - I don't just mean Cunard either - but any Carnival embarkations done at Southampton.

 

As someone else said - if it's on a credit card, you've absolutely nothing to worry about - phone up, dispute it - done. You can't always live your life in fear, you are meant to be going on a holiday remember!

 

The check in equipment is kept on board the ship and unloaded at each embarkation port, you could say that they don't ever leave the control of the purser's staff. I am with you on this one, why panic over something that may never happen?

 

M-AR

[sanne]

I think what is important here is the warning that it could happen. I can tell you from experience that it is very stressful when on a cruise to receive an email informing you that your credit card has been compromised and it will be suspended until you ring them. You cannot email. So a very expensive phone call is the only way to sort this out, otherwise it spoils your cruise. So if we all become a bit more careful as to how and when we use our CC then that can only be a positive thing. Of course this doesn't prevent it happening but it can lessen the chance.

[ovccruiser]

I think what is important here is the warning that it could happen. I can tell you from experience that it is very stressful when on a cruise to receive an email informing you that your credit card has been compromised and it will be suspended until you ring them. You cannot email. So a very expensive phone call is the only way to sort this out, otherwise it spoils your cruise. So if we all become a bit more careful as to how and when we use our CC then that can only be a positive thing. Of course this doesn't prevent it happening but it can lessen the chance.

 

If the card is suspended and its the one you are using to pay the cruiseline, wait for the call from the pursur and then the cruiseline will pay the phone cost:D Been there, mid Atlantic phone call to my Bank in the UK

[newjoisey]

horse choking wad of cash,2 credit cards and 1 very healthy check book.....never leave home without them..imo

[gentlemancruiser]

I think what is important here is the warning that it could happen. I can tell you from experience that it is very stressful when on a cruise to receive an email informing you that your credit card has been compromised and it will be suspended until you ring them. You cannot email. So a very expensive phone call is the only way to sort this out, otherwise it spoils your cruise. So if we all become a bit more careful as to how and when we use our CC then that can only be a positive thing. Of course this doesn't prevent it happening but it can lessen the chance.

 

It is very hard to prevent your credit card from being cloned or stolen. This can happen to anyone at anytime. I've had my number stolen even when I notified the CC when and where we would be travelling. The CC company is still going to hold your transations. I've had my CC number stolen even when I wasn't travelling and I'd only used that CC for emergencies!!! It can happen to anyone at anytime, mine happened at an Esso Station where I'd stopped to buy gas before going to the airport.

 

If you are travelling onboard and receive a message from your cc company, tell someone at the pursers desk and they will help you, especially if they know that the CC they have on file for payment will not be accepted!

[edgeoftheworld]

I have quoted the relevant section of the post from the other forum below. The original post on this forum could certainly be interpreted in the way you describe, as could the first part of what "Marianne Coventry" said. However the second part of the quote is entirely unambiguous.

 

"All the transactions were done whilst we were aboard the ship and they were all done by signiture not pin number. The bank said it must be someone on the ship that had access to my bank details."

 

I have a sneaky feeling that another confounding factor in all of this may have been a communication failure between MC and her bank.

 

J

 

I am sorry that has taken me a while to reply but my I.S.P has been down all day, How do i know of this happening! It is Through personal emails not a web site!. The person involved is adamant that the card was not used anywhere apart from at check in at Southampton & no where else & that purchases where made on the card whilst they where on the ship & that the card companies fraud department are now investigating the case.

 

'Whilst they were on board' could still mean used elsewhere (not on the ship) in their absence whilst they were on board. However, presumably, you are saying that purchases were made on QM2 and debited to their credit card, at the same time as they were on QM2 and making purchases/settling accounts using that credit card.

Perhaps somehow it is a mistyped digit.:confused:

 

 

 

yet the ships probably dont have card processing facilities!

 

 

 

card authorisation systems require a 'live' connection to a merchant bank in order to authorise the use of a card.

this applies whether using chip&pin or signature checking.

 

to process a card payment you also need a terminal, which is either a stand-alone unit supplied by the merchant bank, or a pos system which has to meet certain security standards.

each terminal costs money, even the software ones as part of a pos system

therefore they are only installed where neccesary

(eg lots of pubs & restaurants have multiple tills to process orders, but only 1 card payment terminal)

 

in addition, your not allowed to store card details to process a payment later

 

 

so;

live connection to merchant bank via marine satellite > not happening

storing card details > not happening

cunard/carnival paying for terminals at every bar, shop & restaurant > not happening

 

 

 

 

to know where the fraudulent transactions have come from, simply look at the purchases on a statement.

it will list the retailer name, the amount, date, & sometimes the actual location

 

presumably the person concerned has done so?

[Norfolk Brit]

yet the ships probably dont have card processing facilities!

 

Well, I know it's not Cunard, but Celebrity certainly does; when we were on Eclipse a couple of months ago, we received a letter in the cabin advising us that our card had been rejected, and requesting we contact our bank. As it was obvious (to us, if not to Celebrity) that the Purser's Desk had made an error in processing the card, I wandered down and asked them to put the card through again - they advised that there would be a fairly long wait while they did this; it actually took about fifteen minutes.

 

From this, it appears to be normal practice for all cruiselines to check at some point during the cruise that the funds are available for the final bill?

 

Mary