I woke this morning to find a text message from Westpac on my phone telling me that a suspicious transaction on my Mastercard debit card had lead to my card being blocked and asking me to confirm whether I had made it, which I hadn't. After checking my account and discovering a couple of dodgy transactions adding up to around $400 I texted to confirm that a fraud had taken place.

Within a few minutes I had a lady from Westpac fraud prevention on the phone going through a series of about a dozen other transactions that had been blocked and defining which transactions were genuine and going on to tell me that I would receive some paperwork within a couple of days and that the transactions would be reversed within a couple of weeks. Apparently the major transaction was for a flight booking in China and the buggers had tried to make things look genuine by making a couple of tiny donations to charities in between their buying spree.

I just wanted to give Westpac a great big pat on the back for a great job of prevention and excellent customer service. This is the first time I've had this happen to me and it was a big wake up call. In future it's Paypal or nothing when it comes to online transactions for me. I don't do much online transacting, but I have bought a couple of things recently for my studies, so it's possible that those merchants have a security problem.

Take care online people! If you get caught out I hope your bank is as efficient as Westpac in dealing with these sorts of problems.

Dear Craig,

Thanks for that.

I'm also with Wespac so its good to know that
they're so efficient.

I sometimes watch TVSN and very often am very tempted
by the products they are promoting - especially fashion.
Recently I saw these wonderful Kaftans (Kelly's Closet)
from California that were magical in design, colour, and
style, and could be worn at any time of the year. I've
got holidays coming up plus several other occasions
and I thought - "Wow, these outfits would look great!"
Sacha Drake (Brisbane - Gold Coast - designer) is also
great - but her I can get in Melbourne.

However, they would need my credit card for the purchases.
So I decided not to do it. My husband has been telling
me for ages - "Don't give out your card number."

Now, I'm glad that I didn't.

I don't have a credit card, only a debit card. I don't do net payments with my main account, ever. I don't do internet banking either.

My wife has a couple of thousand disappear recently, from her Suncorp card, in a couple of UK transactions. They corrected it in a similar couple of weeks, & now check questionable transactions via email.

I was rather annoyed with Suncorp a few years back, when I decided I did want to buy a few bits for my cars from overseas suppliers over the net. I asked them to open a totally separate account, divorced from my main accounts, with a debit card I could use for this.

A few months later I checked the balance on this a/c by phone, & was horrified to find it was linked to my main accounts. Once this supposedly separate a/c was accessed, it gave access to all the others. The bank would even give me the numbers of all the other accounts, including offset accounts, just to help.

When I complained bitterly they admitted they could not divorce it from my other accounts, or my ladies account, where I was listed as an operator, as she was on mine.

We now have my accounts spread over 3 banks, which is mildly inconvenient, only because the banks are either too slack to do the job properly, or employ lousy incompetent computer programmers. We have yet another account on a 4Th bank for net use, which is also inconvenient, but I don't want to use PayPal.

I guess I've become a rather suspicious old dinosaur.

I am a regular online buyer. I've made over 500 transactions and I pay all my bills online. I have never had any problems however I am selective with who I use my credit card.

PayPal is an excellent way of making purchases online. PayPal is safe and secure.

The only time I have ever had a problem with my credit card was from it being skimmed... that's when crooks manage to infiltrate an ATM machine and steel your credit card details, including the pin number. In my case the crooks must have telephoned someone in Los Angeles with the card details almost immediately. Within two days they maxed out the card limit of $8000.

This was a GE 28 Degrees Visa which I use for travelling (no credit card fees, best exchange rate, no international transaction fees). When I notified the card company, they cancelled the card, reissued a new card straight away and wiped the illegal transactions after about a month. With the card maxed out I wasn't able to use it until the dodgy transactions were cleared, which is fair enough.

There are so many crooks out to get your cards you do have to be very careful. Fortunately the banks and card companies are cooperative when you can easily prove the transactions were not yours. In my case, as in Craig's, the credit fraud people were onto it very fast, however in my case since I do travel to LA, they didn't pick it up fast enough. It was scary seeing $8000 of debt that wasn't mine sitting on the card; and it was slightly worrying until the debt was cleared; but if it happens to you, be patient and let the process unfold in its own time.

It always pays to notify your bank and credit card company before you leave the country in order to avoid having your card cancelled when you've used it overseas genuinely

PS... it's a nice change to have a discussion topic that doesn't immediately turn into political mud slinging match. Thanks Craig.

I get them all the time & I don't even have an account with Wespac. Ba afraid, very afraid. Ring the Bank immediately to confirm the email.

On an another security issue, I was very surprised today that my smart card had already registered on a trader's reader as I was taking it out of my wallet, maybe before. I was standing back from the reader too.

Craig, NEVER call the bank back, even by phone using a number in the email.
Look up their number in the phone book or in some previous correspondance.
They set up fake offices.
Also watch the email addresses, I had one that looked genuine from
Telstra, but on the bottom it had;

"Telstra trade mark of Bigpond Corporation"
Now it happened that I knew "Bigpond is a trade mark of Telstra
Corporation", not the other way around.

There is another one doing the rounds purporting to be from the
Australian Tax Office. I had an amount of $365 due to me and they
wanted my bank account details so they could send it.
The real funny bit here was that the email address was ATO@addidas.com

The banks have a lot of software watching transactions.
I had a telephone call asking if I had been in the UK.
They probably picked it up because I had made a credit card
transaction the previous day and would not have had time to get to the UK.

One transaction was for $6000 worth of jewelry, two plane tickets,
which they tried to cash in the next day and surprise surprise
paid their rates at Camdentown Burrough council !!

I asked the bank if they got caught but the bank could not/would not say.
I have never had trouble giving my credit card number over the phone
or in email. The bank carries the risk anyway. The card number is
everywhere you go so on its own it is no risk. Just make sure the pin
is never allowed out. Paypal is of course the way to go.

Hi there CRAIG MINNS...

Many thanks for relaying the details of an attempted fraud on your Westpac Card. It always good to hear the Bank's are on the ball (generally) when it comes to unlawful use of your Card.

Interestingly, I received an Email, from a bloke describing himself as the Honolulu Airport, Baggage Controller. He claimed I had a box that had been consigned to me; waiting for either my personal collection, or arrangements to be made to have the article retrieved on my behalf, by another acceptable means ?

Apparently it contained valuable material, as the insurance slip (attached thereto) was for the amount of $11,500 USD, coverage, in the event of loss or theft ?

This fellow, (benevolently) suggested to me, as it was obviously too costly and inconvenient to travel personally to Honolulu, he could arrange for an approved 'bailee' to take possession of the parcel on my behalf, and he could then send it on to Sydney, through the regular US(insured)Postal service ? A small fee of $77.56 USD needed to be paid, for both the Honolulu Airport, 'release from Bond' fee, and the normal USPS fee would need to be incurred ? A credit card would be accepted to make this payment ?

Well, it was a new one on me, and most elaborately conceived I must admit. I was not expecting anything from the US, so unless I had an unknown, but generous benefactor who was sending me the household silver, or something similar, I don't know ? I would love to entertain myself with people like this, but my computer skills are poor, and I'd probably give the game away the moment I acknowledged his original Email. Still...?

Then there are the phone calls that when answered there is no one there.
Wait a little and someone will come on and say.
"I am so & so from Microsoft and there is a problem with your computer"

Oh I say, what is the problem.
We have detected a fault. Can you press the windows key and the letter
R at the same time.
OK I say, done that.
What is on the screen they say, Nothing I say. I once got the
"supervisor" on after a lot of this!
Oh. try again and after about five minutes of this, I ask is it a
problem with my windows ? Yes they reply; Oh ok I will check.

I then go and make a cup of coffee, come back and say,
Well I have been all round the house and the windows are OK.

Sometimes this elucidates a string of abuse, other times they are
even dummer and don't pick up on what I have said, their english is
usually poor.
If I don't go on with that routine I let them think I am trying to
help them until I usually say, I have wasted enough of my time
wasting yours so get stliuygktfd !

Another way out is I say windows, that is rubbish, I use Linux. Ta Ta !

For the last three weeks I have been getting these calls usually
between 5pm & 6pm. In the background it sounds like a call centre.
I also hear my voice at a low level coming back with about a 2 second delay.

Anyway if you get these calls make up your own game with them.

Good onya Bazz. Man after me own heart. I luv 'em.

One bloke called with the usual, I'm from Microsoft, etc. He tells me I got a virus. I say, I've got bugs? No way I've sprayed with Mortein Surface Spray & all the bugs died. A virus he says Oh OK, I'll give it a squirt with Glen 20. That'll fix the viruses. Thanks for the warning.

There's another that tells you the Tax Department owes you $3/5/7297.32. I like this one. I tell them they offered the lady down the road more than $9000. Why can't I have $9000. They ask about Bank details & I make up some & a strange bank details. Then they ask me to call the Supervisor. I tell them, that because I haven't been able to pay my Bill I can only take incoming calls. Use another family members phone. No, we are all in the same boat. I tell them to post it as they have my address. They say they can't. They say they need to verify that it's me. That's when I get all excited & demand they send me the money so I can pay my phone bills. Send me my money! Send me my money. You said it's my money so send it! I want my money!

That's when the ba$ta#ds hang up. I'm still waiting for the money. I love door knockers too. Poor Ba$ta#ds.

Craig I've had several calls over the years from cities bank basically asking if I was overseas or if I had mad a particular purchase. But it's always god to be the ball.

Foxy, I think the moral of the story is that you could have happily done as you wished, safe in the knowledge that Westpac's excellent security team would protect you.

CH, I agree with you about the invasion of partisan political sniping.

Jayb et al, good advice about emails. In this case the message came on a text and the lady properly identified herself as well as identifying transactions I had made. Unless the bank itself has been compromised, in which case I can't do much except wait anyway, I think it's reasonable to accept it as legitimate.

I do suggest using PayPal, but also take advantage of the offer from the banks of two-step security on transactions, so that no transaction will be cleared without you entering a security code contained in an SMS sent to your nominated mobile phone number.

On the whole, I'm actually more, rather than less confident in transacting online after this experience.

A number of correspondents say they use Paypal which is a good move, but be aware that there have been numerous attempts by nefarious organisations to send out phishing emails under the guise of Paypal with authentic looking logos etc., in an attempt to get your account number and password. I have had at least half a dozen.

Make sure any emails you receive address you by name and have the padlock or https in the address bar if you click on any link. Better still don't click on a link just go into your individual browser and start from scratch.

On the subject of email security, always delete all the previous email addresses before forwarding them on or use Bcc. That exhortation to circulate something because "some kid is dying or wants to break a record of some sort" is only a method to prey on your conscience in order to vacuum up all the email addresses with an embedded tracking device.