[deovrat]

Originally Posted by bullrun87

I don't think Amazon and ebay accept it. Have you been able to use your card on Amazon? I have always had to use my visa on Amazon.

Originally Posted by vinit.merchant

Diners is not accepted at any Amazon site, India or outside.

Apologies! I can't recall exactly, but had once purchased a Kindle eBook from Amazon.com, so assumed India site would as well.
Rest of the sites hold true, recent purchases with them all.

[BenjiRoss]

Originally Posted by BenjiRoss

I had my first unauthorised spend on my Regalia CC. I woke up this morning with two text messaged of Rs. 500 spent at iTunes.
I've quickly blocked my card.
The iTunes account used was not my own ID, so I''l contact Apple to see what they can do. I chatted with Apple and they said I'll have to make a phonecall..

The damage is more than I initially thought. I checked today and found that total transactions done were for 12500 rs. HDFC initially stated that only the 2x500 rs. we're spent, but it looks like the card was used more. The concern I had was that the other expenditures, did not result in any text message to me.
This is the scary part as it should not occur unless the person using it managed to turn off SMS notifications too. I've gone through my accounts and nothing else is amiss.
The next shocker came when apple stated that the credit card was not used on their site at all on the concerned dates, but I'll double check that again today.
Does anyone know how transactions can occur on my credit card without SMS notifications. HDFC customer care was clueless about this.
I'm not sure if finally my card was misused or whether someone manages to use a glitch in the security.

[ptushar]

Originally Posted by BenjiRoss

The damage is more than I initially thought. I checked today and found that total transactions done were for 12500 rs. HDFC initially stated that only the 2x500 rs. we're spent, but it looks like the card was used more. The concern I had was that the other expenditures, did not result in any text message to me

If the transactions have happened after you have called up HDFC, then you will most probably be covered for these expenses.

Most importantly, please check your Terms and Conditions on your credit card. These should clearly state your liability and the bank's liability in case of a fraud. Sometimes banks offer a credit card liability insurance on your card. Such insurances generally cover you for a fixed sum for upto 48 hours before you call up and inform the bank of a fraudulent transaction. But there are caveats to this, which you will need to read in the fine print. For example the bank may insist that you inform them within 24/48 hours of the first fraudulent transaction.

But I would suggest that you talk to HDFC to understand what protection you have against fraud on a premium card like Regalia.

[diyguy]

I just called AxisBank and informed them that I am concerned that my renewed credit card has the same old 16 digit number and the lady offered to have it blocked permanently and get me a new one. She did agree with me that foreign transactions can happen without the need for a "verified by visa" pin or a SMS NETSECURE code and that it is better to generate a new 16 digit number...

[BenjiRoss]

Originally Posted by ptushar

If the transactions have happened after you have called up HDFC, then you will most probably be covered for these expenses.

Thanks for the info. It looks like the transactions happened just before I blocked the card. There was a repeat attempt to use it that afternoon that was declined.
I called up Apple again and they are unable to see any transactions on my account OR using my CC at any account. This is baffling

Also it is baffling that I did not receive any text messages on my phone for the last 12 transactions. HDFC brushed aside this complaint about the SMS saying they would look into it. Not sure if this points to some fraudster who is able to disable SMS notifications too!
HDFC is usually pro-active. On my trip abroad, I ended up getting a phonemail and email as soon as I transacted with my CC!
As of now I am emailing their dispute forms and will wait for further action.
Because of the text message glitch, I am constantly checking my account which is linked to the CC to see any debits - I may end up with OCD!!!

[ptushar]

Originally Posted by BenjiRoss

Thanks for the info. It looks like the transactions happened just before I blocked the card. There was a repeat attempt to use it that afternoon that was declined.
I called up Apple again and they are unable to see any transactions on my account OR using my CC at any account. This is baffling

Are you sure that Regalia is not covered by any card fraud protection program? Because if it is, then ideally transactions upto 15 days 'before reporting card fraud' are generally covered.

I came across this article on LiveMint, which might be useful for you. Please take up the matter with HDFC and see how much of your money can be recovered. Look up the fine print on your terms and conditions to understand what is your 'real' liability in this scenario.

http://www.livemint.com/Money/f6EdcY...ud-victim.html

These days it is worthwhile to get your cards covered under a card protection insurance. SBI, ICICI and OneAssist have some good plans. OneAssist provides coverage of upto 30 days before reporting card fraud and a cover of upto 5 lacs.

Credit cards provide Air Accident cover and Lounge access and what not. What baffles me is why don't they provide Card Fraud protection in-built in their cards. This is more needed than lounge access at airports.

I am going to have a relook at all my cards now and replace my cards with those which provide me with card fraud protection. I am okay to sit in a cafe outside the lounge while I wait for my flight than to lose money due to card fraud.

I really do hope you are able to recover at least a part of your money lost.

[SilentEngine]

Originally Posted by BenjiRoss

Also it is baffling that I did not receive any text messages on my phone for the last 12 transactions. HDFC brushed aside this complaint about the SMS saying they would look into it. Not sure if this points to some fraudster who is able to disable SMS notifications too!

This part is little concerning. There is no way for a regular user to control/disable these SMS notifications for credit cards. And HDFC doesn't provide a way to enable SMS AND Email notifications, which could have been useful in this case.

[binand]

Originally Posted by SilentEngine

This part is little concerning. There is no way for a regular user to control/disable these SMS notifications for credit cards.

It is actually a regulatory requirement. The fact that they were not received in itself suggests there might have been inside help here and makes the bank liable. It is not possible for the card holder to turn these transaction alerts off.

[rkg]

The American Express Membership Rewards® Credit Card is being offered lifetime free for online applicants till November 30th. How good is this card.
https://www.americanexpressindia.co....cpid=100251642

[SilentEngine]

Originally Posted by rkg

The American Express Membership Rewards® Credit Card is being offered lifetime free for online applicants till November 30th. How good is this card.
https://www.americanexpressindia.co....cpid=100251642

It's a credit card variant of the gold charge card, with same set of features. Main advantage of this (and gold) card is the monthly bonus 1000 MR points that you get for 4 transactions of Rs 1000 or more. That works out to 6.25% cash back if you convert it back to statement credit or 12.5% if you convert to miles. If one is getting it free for lifetime, it sure is a good card to have.

Originally Posted by binand

It is actually a regulatory requirement. The fact that they were not received in itself suggests there might have been inside help here and makes the bank liable. It is not possible for the card holder to turn these transaction alerts off.

Yes, that's very true.
In this day and age, there is no reason for a bank such as HDFC to not provide email notification over and above the regulatory requirement.

[S_U_N]

A good research paper on credit card security and attacks is here:
http://eprint.ncl.ac.uk/file_store/p...C22D6E1FDB.pdf

I would summarize it as:

MasterCard's network is better than Visa when it comes to detecting distributed guessing attacks.
Our Indian merchants are better than their international peers in the sense that they have implemented 3D Secure.

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by S_U_N

......
Our Indian merchants are better than their international peers in the sense that they have implemented 3D Secure.

That bit is definitely true. I'm also skeptical using plastic money in-person overseas (esp. US) where PIN requirement at POS terminals is still sparse.

[diyguy]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

I'm also skeptical using plastic money in-person overseas (esp. US) where PIN requirement at POS terminals is still sparse.

actually I have had good experience using Indian cards in the US. When I swiped at Target for about 460$, I got an immediate call from Citibank asking me if I did the transaction as they blocked the first swipe. When I said yes, the next swipe went through fine.

[condor]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

That bit is definitely true. I'm also skeptical using plastic money in-person overseas (esp. US) where PIN requirement at POS terminals is still sparse.

US has a lot of personalized cards with photo's of the card holder. Hence there is one level of check built in. We have not come to that, and the OTP factor + pin, which I feel are important.

[Saanil]

Originally Posted by diyguy

actually I have had good experience using Indian cards in the US. When I swiped at Target for about 460$, I got an immediate call from Citibank asking me if I did the transaction as they blocked the first swipe. When I said yes, the next swipe went through fine.

I also recently used my Citibank credit card overseas but did not get a call. However, before my journey, I had informed Citibank that I will be swiping my credit card during my travel time and Citibank made a note of it. If you inform the bank about your travel plans before hand, I guess you do not get a call. At least this is what the customer care executive told me. I had called them to ask if my credit card would work overseas. They said it would definitely work but if I inform them about the dates and country of travel, they will add it in their records and I will not get a call if I swipe my card.

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

That bit is definitely true. I'm also skeptical using plastic money in-person overseas (esp. US) where PIN requirement at POS terminals is still sparse.

Originally Posted by condor

US has a lot of personalized cards with photo's of the card holder. Hence there is one level of check built in. We have not come to that, and the OTP factor + pin, which I feel are important.

Even I was surprised when nobody asks you to enter your PIN at overseas POS. You just swipe your card and that's it! I am much more comfortable with the entering PIN method.