Theft!
I should be writing right now. I should be editing and drafting, but right now none of that feels so important. Instead I'm outraged. Someone, somewhere just tried to rob me. Through some method they obtained my credit card details and attempted to make a purchase online.
In addition to needing my bank card number and sort-code they also needed a three digit secure code that is only used during telephone and online purchases. Most credit card cloning occurs at cashpoints, a device inserted into the reader records all the data from your card. Even your PIN is captured - but that wouldn't give you access to the three digit code. They had that. This means that at some point they have likely either held my card, or, more frighteningly, one of the sites that I have previously trusted to do business with leaked my details.
The bank that I have an account with insists that as an added measure of protection you must enter random letters from a password separate to your PIN. Aha! That should stop anybody from fraudulently using my card… or so you'd think. A little bit before 2am this morning I received an email from my bank notifying me that my credit card's online shopping password had been changed. Whoever was using my card details must have discovered that they couldn't make their purchase without knowing that password so they somehow managed to change it instead.
When I saw the email I was immediately cautious; although it looked authentic, I've received a spate of similar emails recently claiming similar things but all from banks where I don't have an account. It took almost forty minutes of investigating before I was sure that yes, the email was genuine, and yes, it was safe to follow their instructions and query the change. When I phoned the bank to see what was happening I discovered that someone had attempted to make a purchase for €1600 from an online marketplace. I was not amused. Fortunately the purchase seems to have failed. I'll have to wait a few days to be fully sure, but I now have details on who to call and what to say if the bill does come through on me. In the meantime my bank card has been cancelled with immediate effect. It will take a few days for a new one to arrive, which will be annoying but I'd rather endure some disruption to my daily routine than to lose over a month's wages.
This act has had one other effect; it has really driven home for me just how important an issue security has become in our digital world. As a result of tonight's events I can no longer feel sure that my personal information is safe. My trust has been violated, and that hurts. I've spent an hour now looking at all of my passwords, reviewing the places that I trust with my data and changing how I act online. I was pretty good before; never revealing more than was necessary, but now I'm determined. I've changed my passwords, I've restricted my information, and in future I'll be watching my card at all times. I've been caught once, next time it won't be so easy.