Thieving backstards (Thieves, and the bank!)

Surely it would be a piece of cake to find out from the airline what name was on the tickets bought with his card? Some airlines even put the booking reference on your credit card narrative so you could quote that and actually get the details yourself. I've never heard of someone booking flights with a stolen card because it's a really stupid thing to do. You might as well buy a laptop and then get it delivered to your home address.

Kensington wrote: »

They're not going to do anything for you - it's entirely your responsibility to secure your VBV/3-D Secure password.

I would imagine that it's a bank's responsibility to ensure that their equipment is secure.

flutered wrote: »

i used the credit union for banking, i have a top up card for internet shopping, not alone do i detest banks, i actually despise them as well.

what's the difference to you?

From www.thefreedictionary.com -

de·test·ing, de·tests. To dislike intensely

de·spised, de·spis·ing, de·spis·es. 1. To regard with contempt or scorn: despised all cowards and flatterers. 2. To dislike intensely;

Note there are a few layers of security with say a Visa card.

This goes over them briefly: http://www.visa.ca/en/personal/securewithvisa/index.jsp

In short:

Chip-and-pin (card present)

Chip and pin is used for purchases where the card holder is present. A valid PIN is needed to complete the purchase. The chip is also resistant to duplication. However, some terminals allow fallback to the magnetic stripe and as such skimming to duplicate magnetic stripe is still profitable.

CVV

There are 2 CVV numbers.

CVV1 is encoded into the magnetic stripe of the card, and is used when the purchase is made in person. This systems weakness is that if the magnetic stripe is copied (commonly known as skimming). Skimming often involves using a camera or fake keypad to also record the PIN.

CVV2 is the code you would use for transactions where you are not present (refered to as Card Not Present, CNP). This is a 3-digit number. You would use this code for mail-orders, phone purchases and web purchases.

Verified by Visa (VBV)

Verified by Visa is another layer sometimes used for web purchases. When you are making a purchase with a merchant who supports VBV, you will be asked to enrol in the program during checkout. You enter a few details here, but the most important is a secret phrase and password.

Once setup, you will be asked to enter 3 characters from the password you setup on many of the transactions you make on the web. The secret phase will also be visible - the idea being, if the secret phase is not visible you are not actually receiving a valid VBV form.

dlofnep wrote: »

Why on earth would I make this up? Christ. Some serious trolling on here today.

Good question, why on earth would you?

The problem is that the facts don't add up. If they were gambling on Betfair then the name on the credit card must match the name on the gambling account. I have a betfair account and part of the process involved me getting a photocopy of my passport with proof of address stamped at the garda station. I then had to send them this before they would unlock my account. To add an account is also difficult and also must be in the name of the credit card/debit card holder.

The reason fro this is to stop a shady character opening a bank account with €1,000,000(or 2,000) and transferring it to betfair, then withdrawing it into another account, closing the first account and claiming that they won the money on the horsies instead of through drug-dealing, robberies or garlic tax evasion. This would make money-laundering ridiculously easy.

Now I am not saying that the 'thieves' didn't steal his account number and his VBV or CVV or whatever and open a bank account in his name. then open a betfair account in his name, get a fake passport in your brother's name stamped by the gardai and finally get his betfair account validated.

I'm just saying that it sounds a bit far-fetched.

Now if you said somebody has stolen his details and bought a couple of widescreen tvs, bottles of booze, etc etc I would have been less suspicious.

But surely instead of taking the extreme risks outlined above(coupled with the risk of flying on a ticket booked with a stolen credit card) and taking into consideration that they 'stole' his number from a bank machine would they not just have cloned the card & withdrawn the cash? (and stuck it in their own accounts to gamble and fly)

Now if this was a member of my own family who told me this story I would n't believe it and I would see if they needed some kind of help. It sounds like your brother is a really nice guy and as such maybe he deserves some tough love. Or you made it up.

just sayin.

Isn't Verified By Visa optional?

When I got my new Visa card last month it keeps asking on every transaction do you want to register for VBV until I registered. You don't have to register though afaik.

Are you sure your bro had registered to this?

Bruce7 wrote: »

If he used the card to gamble on betfair, he could make some stupid bet with another counterparty and lose the money to them.

I don't use it, so don't know the exact mechanics, but I would imagine it's something like:

I offer odds of 1/10 on Italy beating Wales in the rugby by 50 points, or soemthing equally impossible with totally crap odds, which nobody in their right minds would put on. I have 50 quid in my account, so can lay 500 as the odds are only 1/10. My mate bets the 500 with the stolen card and loses it to me. Rinse and repeat.

That wouldn't explain how they managed to set up an account in the name of the cardholder without the passport and paperwork signed by the gardai.

I hate to say it, OP, but maybe you need to point these things out to your brother, in case he does have a problem that he doesn't want to admit to.

Bruce7 wrote: »

If he used the card to gamble on betfair, he could make some stupid bet with another counterparty and lose the money to them.

I don't use it, so don't know the exact mechanics, but I would imagine it's something like:

I offer odds of 1/10 on Italy beating Wales in the rugby by 50 points, or soemthing equally impossible with totally crap odds, which nobody in their right minds would put on. I have 50 quid in my account, so can lay 500 as the odds are only 1/10. My mate bets the 500 with the stolen card and loses it to me. Rinse and repeat.

Wouldn't work. Betfair automatically matches at the best price available. somebody else would be offering much better. (again probably designed to stop money laundering)

dlofnep wrote: »

Forfuxsake - I couldn't give a flying fuck about what you think to be honest. The conspiracy theories forum is around here somewhere. They didn't only use it online, they used it in some shops in Cork city also. It is a fact that my brother's card was used for fraud purchases. I'm not an all interested in inflating your ego, and entertaining some stupid conspiracy theory with you.

In that case it should be easy to prove that he was out of the country. He may not be able to get the money back for the betting, but hopefully will be for those items.