Fraudulent Transactions - Credit Card

[JIM505]

Dear Lemonfools

Is there anything else that I could do?

To my horror earlier today, I realised that there were three large unauthorised transactions in one of my two credit cards. Payments to three hotels on the same day in three different UK cities totaling over £600!

I rang the issuing bank which cancelled the card (Visa) straightaway and they suggested to ring their Fraud Dept. after 8 am.

An understanding person in their Fraud Dept. promised that the three transactions will be refunded in due course and a new card will be posted to my home address. She also added that the transactions were made through Booking.com and my pin number was not compromised so I can continue to use it.

I have not used Booking.com lately (last time was a year ago, I think) as I am aware that their customer's data were hacked a year ago.

Instead, I use many of the Booking.com's competitors and I primarily use a Halifax Clarity credit card (MC), especially when abroad, as I can check transactions in my mobile straight away. It is marvelous!

I also filed an online report on Action Fraud but I found their website a little bit difficult to navigate. Just for their records.

Needless to say that I am very upset today and I wonder if there is anything else I could do. I use credit cards since the early 1980s, I travel extensively and I had never an issue with fraud.

Has anyone else encountered the same problem?

Is it related to my Booking.com account?

Many Thanks
JIM505

[Lootman]

An understanding person in their Fraud Dept. promised that the three transactions will be refunded in due course and a new card will be posted to my home address. She also added that the transactions were made through Booking.com and my pin number was not compromised so I can continue to use it.

You said these were on a credit card and not a debit card. As such there would be nothing to refund as you would not have paid the monthly bill yet. Rather they just need to remove those charges from your account. Not that it matters that much since you would obviously never pay those items anyway. In fact part of the dispute procedure with credit cards is that you should not pay for incorrect items.

In my view this is part of why credit cards are better for general use than debit cards. Credit cards give you time between the charge and you paying for it. With debit cards the money goes out immediately and then you have to get a refund - always a harder thing to do than merely refusing to pay for something.

The only time something like this happened with me was when my card was stolen. All the charges fraudulently made thereafter were reversed once I reported the theft, even though I reported the loss after those charges were made (I was overseas at the time).

To the other point, anyone booking 3 hotels for themselves in 3 different cities for the same day should raise a flag with booking.com.

[dealtn]

To the other point, anyone booking 3 hotels for themselves in 3 different cities for the same day should raise a flag with booking.com.

From my reading it was payments "made" on the same day, something I have down regularly when booking a series of stops on a single trip, not payments for staying at three hotels on the same day.