[Guite]

Based on user feedbacks here I applied for HDFC credit card last November. After about one month I got a call back. I conveyed the card I want and the limit I want (1L). Few more phone calls followed and then they sent someone to collect documents and take my signature. I wanted to fill up the entire form then and there but this person could not tell me what all and where to fill, he could only tell me where to sign. Prior to this his boss was constantly on the phone with me asking details! Beats me why collect and confirm details over phone when you are actually meeting the person in the flesh. Turns out they are just collecting agency.

For the next one week or so more phone calls followed from various persons claiming to be from HDFC, asking / confirming one bit of information at a time. This was followed by a physical verification visit to my residence. And then more calls to confirm office phone number.

Thereincomes a little complication. I had given my visiting card. I work in a branch office but my visiting card had the head office address on the front. So they entered my head office address as my primary address, and residence as secondary. So they want a Delhi office number but I tried telling them that they cannot reach me there and that I sit in Noida. They would not listen.

The card was finally dispatched to our Delhi office. Needles to say, delivery was not successful. I got a Bluedart message to that effect and called HDFC. I was told to write a letter requesting interchange of primary address with secondary address. This I dropped today at HDFC ATM.

I was also told that my credit limit is 1.5L, which is contrary to the request I had made earlier. Looks like record is not maintained properly. Makes me doubt whether I will get the card I requested, which they had also assured initially.

All in all a very tedious process. I will heave a sigh of relief when the card reaches me.

Originally Posted by null

So, anyone else who had this experience of a call stating "card is likely to be compromised"?

Happened to me after Thailand family holiday. ICICI called up upon our return, telling us that cards swiped there are exposed to greater risk. Me and my wife's cards were replaced.

[maverhick]

Did you have a chip-card? If not they might issue you a chip card which is a bit more secure (not online) but at merchant POS.

Secondly did you travel anywhere out of the country? If so some cos flag cards and then issue a new one if the country you swiped the card in is known to be a haven for CC frauds.

Originally Posted by null

Got a strange call today from ICICI, claiming my card is "likely" to be compromised & they want my confirmation to block it. I did not accept, then, called up their helpline. The agent confirms that the call was from ICICI and the call was because, they have information that my card is likely to be compromised & if I accept they will go ahead and block the card. After confirming that there is no additional charge of any kind (no card replacement fees, no new annual/renewal fees - it is a free card from ages), I agreed to block the current card & reissue a new card without any charge. Next question is, "since you are getting a new card, do you want an upgrade". I decline re-iterating that I don't need any new services/features/fees. Then she summarises, "based on customer request, card is being blocked & a new one is issued". I ask for confirmation by email, and she says, I will get a service request number by SMS.

- How will ICICI know that my card is likely to be compromised?
- Why try to push for a upgrade card - makes me feel this is the whole intention?
- Service request SMS has not come yet for my request. Their initial SR SMS came within seconds of my received call (which made me call the help desk immediately).

I found this episode very unconvincing & hence shot across an email from my internet banking account asking the above clarifications.

So, anyone else who had this experience of a call stating "card is likely to be compromised"?

[infotech58]

One possibility is - their, or some vendor's, which stores credit card information might have been compromised and they came to know about it hence taking preventive action to reduce fraud liability.

Originally Posted by null

- How will ICICI know that my card is likely to be compromised?
So, anyone else who had this experience of a call stating "card is likely to be compromised"?

[null]

Originally Posted by infotech58

One possibility is - their, or some vendor's, which stores credit card information might have been compromised and they came to know about it hence taking preventive action to reduce fraud liability.

I have been using this card only for fuel for last few months now and that too at a particular petrol station only here. Haven't used it anywhere outside the city nor for any internet transactions. And it was old card. Not the new chip on card ones.

So, possibly, the card reader at that petrol bunk is breached & hence a new card for me? Let me wait & see. I was told I will get a new card with the same number (I think).

[infotech58]

If fraud is indeed the case, you would not get a card with the same number. Expiration Date however would be the same.

Originally Posted by null

So, possibly, the card reader at that petrol bunk is breached & hence a new card for me? Let me wait & see. I was told I will get a new card with the same number (I think).

[sa_kiran]

Originally Posted by null

So, anyone else who had this experience of a call stating "card is likely to be compromised"?

There is no such thing as likely to be compromised. The card is either compromised or not. In this particular case, you say no and continue with the card and there is a fraud after a few days, will be bank say that we had warned you, you did not agree and hence we have no liability? NO. Your card is not likely to be compromised, BUT THE BANK WANTS TO SELL YOU A CARD WITH CHIP, THAT WILL OBVIOUSLY COME WITH AN ANNUAL CHARGE.

[rajesh1868]

Originally Posted by null

Got a strange call today from ICICI, claiming my card is "likely" to be compromised & they want my confirmation to block it.

My colleague yesterday got the same call. She asked for a mail confirmation. Dont think any mail has come yet.

[binand]

Originally Posted by null

- How will ICICI know that my card is likely to be compromised?
- Why try to push for a upgrade card - makes me feel this is the whole intention?

So, anyone else who had this experience of a call stating "card is likely to be compromised"?

You are entering the field of predictive analytics. Wikipedia has a primer article here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predictive_analytics

Basically what these folks do is to analyse your past data and a bunch of other stuff to come up with a risk score of each transaction (is it likely to be made by you or a fraudster?). If the risk score exceeds a certain threshold they will reject the transaction (or mark the transaction as "suspect", or whatever). For example - a while back - I had swiped my credit card at a very large jewelry showroom in Calicut, my hometown, for a very large amount. The transaction, which would have been so uncharacteristic of the profile they would have built of me, did not go through immediately - but while I was waiting at the counter (with the PoS device displaying "Receiving"), I got a call from the bank, taking me through a security verification and asking whether I triggered that transaction. Once that call was over, the PoS device got the "Approved" message.

As for your second question - it is likely that the calling agents have performance-linked incentives based on the number of cross-sells/upsells they manage in a month. So, attempting to sell you a card upgrade is something they are trained for and something from which they get money. Don't spite them for it. Just say no and move on :-)

Originally Posted by infotech58

One possibility is - their, or some vendor's, which stores credit card information might have been compromised and they came to know about it hence taking preventive action to reduce fraud liability.

While possible, this is quite unlikely as there are several disclosure norms governing such events, so it wouldn't have escaped popular press.

Originally Posted by Guite

Based on user feedbacks here I applied for HDFC credit card last November. [...] All in all a very tedious process. I will heave a sigh of relief when the card reaches me.

HDFC as a group I believe revels in bureaucracy, processes, procedures, paperwork. Be it the bank, the home loan folks, the mutual fund guys, the trading platform... everywhere it is a mess of self-attested copies of passports and birth certificates and applications in triplicates and whatnots.

[windsurfer]

Just wanted to share my experience with citibank card.

A week ago, at midnight i receive a message that my cad has been used for a purchase of EUR 100. I was bit shocked as I had not done this transaction. I decided to call Citi helpline to verify this. Even before I could call Citi, I got another transaction spend for EUR 75. I called them up immediately and confirmed that I did not do these transactions. I asked for the transaction details. It was physical swipe and not a internet transaction. The transaction was done in Italy. I told them very clearly that I did not travel outside india in last 3.5 months. They blocked the card immediately and a request for new card was made. They asked me to call when the transaction were charged to the card.
Few days back, I saw both transactions on the card. I called them and disputed the transactions. They asked me fill up a form for the dispute. They informed me that charges would be reversed immediately and they would start an inquiry into this. After the inquiry, if it has been found that I did these transactions the charges would re-appear on my card. I was fine with this.

I received the new card 2 days back and these charges were reversed.

Now big questions is where was the card compromised?

[mjothi]

Originally Posted by windsurfer

Now big questions is where was the card compromised?

Answer may be with you

You said not traveled in past 3.5 months, so what was the locations you have been traveling and using these cards before that? I heard that there was a gang who duplicated the cards that we give to hotels, bunks etc where the swipe is not done in our front. It may be in or out of India.

A quick glance on your usage pattern can help.

[windsurfer]

Originally Posted by mjothi

Answer may be with you

You said not traveled in past 3.5 months, so what was the locations you have been traveling and using these cards before that? I heard that there was a gang who duplicated the cards that we give to hotels, bunks etc where the swipe is not done in our front. It may be in or out of India.

A quick glance on your usage pattern can help.

I meant not traveled out of India. It did happen in India.

I trying to see if the details were stolen physically or through online. Guess, no easy answer :-)

[Guite]

Originally Posted by binand

HDFC as a group I believe revels in bureaucracy, processes, procedures, paperwork. Be it the bank, the home loan folks, the mutual fund guys, the trading platform... everywhere it is a mess of self-attested copies of passports and birth certificates and applications in triplicates and whatnots.

Yes, there appears to be a lot of bureaucracy. It seems there is a different person to verify each bit of information:- salary, bank account statement, addresses, phone numbers, etc. etc. They seem to be hugely staffed. On the positive side, their customer care number quickly gets you to a living, breathing person's voice.

[binand]

Originally Posted by windsurfer

A week ago, at midnight i receive a message that my cad has been used for a purchase of EUR 100.

Now big questions is where was the card compromised?

Without knowing where all you have used your card, how can anyone tell?

Assuming one doesn't do MOTO transactions, I see these possibilities (in my assessment of decreasing order of likelihood):

1. Card details "skimmed" at merchant location in a card-is-present transaction.
2. E-commerce merchant's database compromised.
3. E-commerce in-transit sniffing. The lock icon by itself is of little value.

And, the most likely of them all:

0. A process called dumpster diving. How do you dispose of your card statements, charge slips etc.?

[RajeshK]

Originally Posted by windsurfer

Just wanted to share my experience with citibank card.

A week ago, at midnight i receive a message that my cad has been used for a purchase of EUR 100. I was bit shocked as I had not done this transaction. I decided to call Citi helpline to verify this. Even before I could call Citi, I got another transaction spend for EUR 75. I called them up immediately and confirmed that I did not do these transactions. I asked for the transaction details. It was physical swipe and not a internet transaction. The transaction was done in Italy. I told them very clearly that I did not travel outside india in last 3.5 months. They blocked the card immediately and a request for new card was made. They asked me to call when the transaction were charged to the card.
Few days back, I saw both transactions on the card. I called them and disputed the transactions. They asked me fill up a form for the dispute. They informed me that charges would be reversed immediately and they would start an inquiry into this. After the inquiry, if it has been found that I did these transactions the charges would re-appear on my card. I was fine with this.

I received the new card 2 days back and these charges were reversed.

Now big questions is where was the card compromised?

Looks like there are more such cases on Citibank Cards. I am also using a Citibank card and it was swiped for 150CAD at a fuel station in Canada. Simillar issues (different countries) are reported by friends / friends of friends. The common thing about this is "Citibank Card".

@windsurfer, have you visited Bangalore in recent past and if so lets see if there is any common place we have swiped our cards..!! may be helpful for others to avoid such places. (I haven't visited Hyd in the last 10years).

Thanks
Rajesh

[Recompose]

Originally Posted by binand

0. A process called dumpster diving. How do you dispose of your card statements, charge slips etc.?

Why the charge slip? It does not contain the full 16 digit number, nor the expiry of the card, nor the CVV.