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Credit Card Fraud Alerts

do the fraud alerts tell you what the reason for the alert is for?

I was getting frustrated with that when I was running my online shop. The merchant services provider told me it was "catch 22", and to relax the rules of authorisation if I didn't want the alerts; and that the larger companies run on a slacker rule base - and take the (very few) fraudulent transactions on the chin!

The problem in the UK lays with the Post Office records, Electoral Roll and the address the card is issued to.

My address with the post officeMy address with the electoral roll is the same, but my address on my C/Card statement is
When ordering from a merchant with a strict rule base set that will flag fraud in the UK or even be refused if I put in my correct address. On a lower level rule base they would only check house numer and post code, and even lower still just card no, expiry and cvc.

In the past i've cards come through because of minor discrepencies in address like this, and just wave them through. If it's a different address I'd phone them, and it's usually a case of some one has just moved house, then I'd do it as a phone transaction.. But it did get me worried sometimes and I was waiting for that "Charge Back", but out of 350 or so transactions they were fine.

Couple of things that I found sped up the process

only send goods to the same address as the card (this is becoming mandatory for some banks now)

State that as part of the process you will need dispatch notice (I set up a simple auto responder that fired an email when a parcel was ready to dispatch, it sent them the details and asked them to confirm the address) If their was card payment issues these could be sent then. By doing this and making sure its clear you will do this you are getting them to check their emails

Just a warning I'm sure no one is stupid enough to do, never ever ask for a copy of the card by fax email or any other way. I once got asked to fax my card over to a company in the US because most credit card fraud comes from outside the US (which at the time was wrong but is right now) I oddly didn't and instead forwarded the email to the local sheriffs office in the company home town who while confused did agree to pay them a visit.  As I wasn't the only strange foreigner to do so can you guess what he found....

In the UK you have to be a licensed data protection officer to keep credit card records that includes pictures of them, while many businesses are totally innocent reasons to ask they can as I understand it be done for mail fraud in the US (not a lawyer based on conversation with one)

oddly enough I don't follow my own advice and will now happily send my card via fax, its a new natwest one completely black except for the chip and pin no numbers, name can only be seen if you hold it to the light, no 3 digit security code on the back.

Banks are now working with the large payment vendors to create secure activiations requiring you to login in to your banks website or applet as part of the process not sure if this will minimise fraud though.