Innocently filling up the car today with fuel and turns out someone else helped themselves to my money!
I visited the local Leclerc filling station today and filled up the car. I used the pay at pump option, so inserted my card and surprisingly my card was refused. Ok I thought, so then got another card out and used that, then successfully managed to fill up the car, and then promptly drove back home.
When I got back home I sent a mail to the card company to ask why my card had been seemingly blocked as I had tried to buy fuel earlier. They responded pretty quickly and said there was a restriction of two fuel purchases per day But I hadnāt even made one. I then looked at my banking app and there they were, two separate very specific payments to the same filling station as the one I had legitimately purchased fuel from. Ummmm. Before anyone asks, these werenāt in any way holding payments that you sometimes see when purchasing fuel.
So I immediately went back to the bank to tell them that it wasnāt me that had purchased the fuel as my card had been declined when I tried. And then I went back into the town, to first go to the Leclerc filling station, but there was nobody there as I discovered it is totally automated. I then went to the local police station to report it, not because of my loss, but primarily to make sure others werenāt also scammed and to hopefully get the perpetrators caught. The police did say they would investigate and get back to me so letās see!
I had something similar at Leclerc in Cahors. I canāt remember exactly what, but after my UK card was rejected twice at 2 separate pumps with no good reason something told me someone following me could fill up on my card.
I walked to the office - a distance most wouldnāt bother. It turned out there was a problem, it had been the case for ay least a couple of months that cards were rejected but somehow the transaction was āleft openā and this could indeed happen. I insisted on having a zero receipt on paper for both transactions. I had to push, as one they could walk over and get from the pump but the other pump had no paper (no one seemed to care).
They hoped I would go away but I said I would wait as long as it took for them to access the log of the pump and give me something proving I had not taken fuel. This took nearly an hour while I lurked i the shop - they were professionally reluctant but personally, they clearly understood.
Iāve always been nervous about that fuel station since and I do.still use it but only with a French card and in day hours. Unfortunately I got used to having to trust automated petrol machines with no office open in Italy where at times thatās all youāve got over a large area.
Unfortunately I didnāt get a 0 receipt for the rejected card, as there wasnāt anybody at the filling station, as it is literally a standalone filling station. Iāve outlined the very clear chain of events to the card company and now also shared a copy of the police report so hope they will reimburse what has been lost. and sincerely hope the police can catch whoever kindly charged my card.
Very interesting to know, and somewhat disappointing that there are folks out there that would choose to take advantage of that.
I think Iāll now be avoiding the automated pumps. Yes it takes a little more time to pay a person, but at least you donāt have the risk of being scammedā¦ā¦
Interestingly, the police mentioned that theyād had ATM card scams reported but hadnāt seen problems with scams involving card payments person to personā¦ā¦ā¦.yet
When my bank statement recorded that several withdrawals had been made from my French bank account to pay for a washing machine, a fridge, and other shopping, amounting to several hundred pounds at two supermarkets in the UK, I realised that something was wrong!
I think the SuperU petrol pump had something to do with it. I donāt know the technicalities of how this can happen, but it was my credit card number that had been used abroad - not my card.
Happily, between my dashing back and forth between my branch bank and the local gendarmerie, all those withdrawals were eventually reimbursed by Master card.
What galled me the most was that there were people in the UK who knew they had a stolen card number and gleefully went about their way knowingly & illegally spending someone elseās money.
I was unaware of this possibility - someone please explain in detail? A card is rejected at a pump, but the transaction left open and the next person availing of it? How is this possible? Or is it something that the pump managers can do? I am quite worried now, as I use automated pumps and yes, have had my card ārejectedā but have never checked my card statements that closelyā¦ mmm.
I do not know if this overcomes the problem - use Apple Pay. I am such a believer in this and use it for everything possible. My gripe, apart from the luddites who do not accept cards still, is with French fuel pumps (except for one on the A61ā¦) and banks who have disabled their contactless pad so that one still has to carry a card to get fuel and withdraw cash
I think that is a bit harsh Adam, I too use my card for almost everything, for however small the amount, but I do know that the cost of renting the equipment and the percentage taken is sometimes way too high for a small business to bear. My barber has had hers taken out and the boulangerie here have a minimum cut-off point (though I believe this may be illegal) which I wouldnāt dream of complaining about.
But this situation does worry me. I donāt do the mileage I used to but I always use a card to fill up. The other day my card was refused at a peage at Mont de Marsan so I put it in again and it worked 2nd time. I am now going to check if anything else was taken at the time.
I think sometimes it is not a scam as such, but a glitch that means although the terminal rejects the card it actually goes through with a delay. So the next person who comes along gets a very nice present!
Would that be because initially Ā£100 / 100 euros or more is automatically ātakenā in spite of the actual amount of fuel purchased and that this is above the contactless limits?
Well with a ā¬50 limit that excludes many transactions these days.
BTW I made a slight mistake above. At the peage it was contactless, I was wondering if I had taken it away too quickly and went a bit slower the second time. Just checked, nothing else taken at that time.
When I say the fuel pumps do not take contactless - I should have elaborated. They, apart from one on the A61 that I know of, have disabled the contactless pad on the card machine, so that ApplePay cannot be used. With ApplePay, you can exceed the general contactless limit and go up to the limit of your card being used on ApplePay.
Yes, fuel pumps with an attendant will accept ApplePay in the kiosk.
The nearest answer I have had on this from someone in Shell is that ApplePay is still not widely used outside the US (this surprises meā¦) and as, said above, the contactless limit is quite low, it is just not cost effective to set up all the pumps for contactless.
I have never had an answer on this subject from the banks and why they have disabled their ATM contactless padsā¦ If I were a bank, I would be promoting ApplePay - or equivalent - as the only way to go.
David, yes, I accept there are sole trader cases where it might be difficult to accept cards, but I think they do need to look at where their market is and where it could be, in accepting cards. The opposite to your boulangeries is one in South Kensington, who does not take cash at all - even for one croissant! Their model says that processing cash and cheques is as expensive as cards, plus they get quick trade - someone pops in, grabs a croissant, out with the phone, ping and away!
Usually these crimes happen when people insert their card in a fake reader and then type in their PIN code. One must be very careful and make sure that a fake card reader has not been stuk over the real one!
Iāve not heard of it happening with contactless payments yet. I believe for this they need an internet connection and the chip/phone/watch present to work, so it might be safer in that regard.
But I hadnāt even made one. I then looked at my banking app and there they were, two separate very specific payments to the same filling station as the one I had legitimately purchased fuel from. Ummmm. Before anyone asks, these werenāt in any way holding payments that you sometimes see when purchasing fuel.
