West Norwood Card Cloning Epidemic

[dogmatique]

Now, normally I ignore emails in my inbox telling me to beware of a certain cashpoint, but over the last few hours, as the emails came in from friends that live in West Norwood - nearly EVERY SINGLE ONE has had their card cloned in the last few weeks (current count 7) , with withdrawals happening all over the world.

That's pretty much everyone I know who lives in West Norwood bar about 2 or 3 people.

There seems to be some relatively convincing conjecture over on (pff) Virtual Norwood that it's the Somerfield at the cemetary end of the high st.

One lady even said that half the queue in the bank when she went in to sort it out had the same complaint.

You can check their awfully polite thread here

I digress - I'm assuming that some WN people here have had, or have heard of similar - the sample portion of people I know must mean that this has been massive!

 

[gaijingirl]

HUH!

I had my card cloned 2-3 weeks ago and I use that Somerfield at least once a week on my way to/from work!....

It was highly fucking inconvenient to have my cash-flow halted 5 days before my wedding with loads of people to pay in cash over the following days. I still haven't sorted it all out.

 

[dogmatique]

I think the biggest question here is how the fuck has it been allowed to go on so long and to so many people?

Its only because people have suddenly cottoned on and gone "Really? You too?" that there's been any realisation that its been happening.

 

[bluestreak]

i wish i knew how to clone cards. no more dog food for dinner and no mistake.

dogmatique, why wouldn't it be "allowed" to carry on?

 

[gaijingirl]

Some people are saying Tescos... I've used that 2x I think since it opened - so it could have been there - and someone also tried to use mine to withdraw cash in Germany.

I don't actually know anyone who lives in W. Norwood - I just travel through there on my way to work and it's where I tend to buy bribes - sorry gifts - for my students.

 

[dogmatique]

I mean in terms of the Police investigating it more quickly. There seems to be a tendany to avoid card fraud and pass the buck around. I'm sure if you went down Streatham Police station and reported a crime they'd pass you on to someone else, who would then stick it on the top of a pile of current complaints in some central office somewhere...

 

[gaijingirl]

I was surprised at how quickly HSBC cottoned on though... the two attempts were immediately blocked - I'd probably used the same card somewhere in the UK minutes/hours before whoever cloned it tried to use it in Germany.

Just read the Virtual Norwood thread - it's good that Somerfield are stepping up to it.

 

[wrysmile]

I had my card cloned the other week - I think it might have been the cash machine near my work but I do use the Natwest one on West Norwood High St sometimes. I went to see the bank near work to tell them about how theirs was the last machine I'd used and instead of apologising on behalf of HSBC, the guy fell over himself to tell me about how it could have been any cash machine in the world that cloned it.... except, apparently, theirs.. GRRRR I know they have to defend their stuff but they were really dismissive and rude about it - I had to complain about how they'd handled my complaint!

 

[T & P]

Mmm... had mine cloned last week- or at least that's when I was told by my bank about it. I have used my card on a few shops around West Norwood, but then I've used it elsewhere.

 

[ohmyliver]

Me too. Attempted useage in canada and india. I've used the natwest and the sommerfield in tulse hill.

 

[pootle]

Both me and my fella have had our cards cloned in the last couple of weeks. He was used in Germany, and mine America (although his transactions weren't approved)

We live on Norwood Road and I'm forever using the cashpoints, Tesco's and Efe's around there...

 

[Farmer Giles]

I heard that Tooting was one of the highest cloning zones.

 

[gaijingirl]

Both me and my fella have had our cards cloned in the last couple of weeks. He was used in Germany, and mine America (although his transactions weren't approved)

Mine was also an attempted withdrawal in Germany which was not approved.

 

[zoltan]

Me too. Attempted useage in canada and india. I've used the natwest and the sommerfield in tulse hill.

I have been told tha this is Likely the tamil tigers eelam group using expat sri Lankans if its the 2 above ( usually by strong coercion & not so subtle threats) to work the scam - its a sophisticated money gathering excercise to fund their war - many groups do this.

Germany based scams are likely Balkans organised and executed - again, long standing and sophisticated

The detials are usually gathered by middle men and sold on immediatley to the interested parties

Ryanair now refuse to take short notice web bookings fo Latvia & Lithunaia due to the huge amount of fraud that seems to eminate in these heavily gangsterised countries - Ryaniar are only doing this as if the transaction is later found to be bogus, they lose the cash they initally banked.


NB- I am not propagating the Counerfeit DVD = supporting al Aqida line so favoured by some - but this is a huge business with a massive number of varied players

 

[zenazena]

my mum had someone trying to take money out of her account from canada a couple of weeks ago.

 

[rennie]

This thread make me want to check my bank statement. Off I go...

 

[CONDEX]

They tried to use my card in India a couple of weeks ago, but FirstDirect blocked the transaction as suspicious..

Its either the Somerfield up beside the cemetary or the Tulse Hill rail station.

 

[Structaural]

*emails mum*

 

[Melinda]

The Shell Garage on Gipsy Hill also had a problem with cloning.
I know 4/5 people who got caught out there and they all got their money back from their respective banks no questions asked.

IIRC it was a Sri Lankan group at work there.