Nationwide compromised?

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Soldato
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Anyone bank with Nationwide? A couple of weeks ago my girlfriend and I got sent a new credit card each out of the blue (joint credit card account). They didn't say anything on the phone apart from it was 'for security'. Fast forward to today and we've just received two more.

Tedious as we've had to phone them up to activate each set of cards, and we're just really concerned that Nationwide never told us they were coming. We live in a big block and would always (where possible) request to collect new cards from a branch -- sending cards wildly nilly sounds really dodgy to us. If they got lost in the post we'd have never known. The new cards don't even need activating which is super dodgy, and imagine if we'd have been on holiday? Our old cards would only be active for another 14 days.

EDIT: Girlfriend has just had a good moan at them on the phone, they've said it's due to 'third party advice' and the second set was sent 'in error'. Yeah.. Fills me with confidence :rolleyes:
 
NatWest and Santander have both sent me cards with no notice before now... though both times it was because my old cards were getting close to their expiry date.

What was the reason for the new cards?
 
Hmm buddy I would check this.

I was a victim of credit card fraud on two occassions when I lived in an apartment block with a communal post room.

I had cards sent to me randomnly, it turns out that the 'fraudster/thief' was ringing them (impersonating me)and telling them to send another card because 'he' had lost it. Each time he was hoping that he intercepted the post before I did. He did once.....

The point is when I phoned the card company to query it, I was also told it was an admin error. It was only when the fraud team for the bank stepped in and investigated that it was clear what was going on.
 
They said the first set was sent due to a suspected compromise based on information from a third-party. The second set was an admin error (brilliant). Importantly they did tell us that it's just not us getting new cards, others have too. So we're not being targeted at least.
 
Barclays recently sent me a new debit card for no reason. I was approaching the expiry of the old cars but it was still quite long before the date.
 
Nationwide sent me a new card a few months ago seemingly out of the blue. Rang them up to check nothing dodgy was going on and essentially they said it was to protect my account from "potential fraud".

Had no issues since, personally I don't mind the minor inconvenience if it helps protect my accounts.
 
Barclaycard sent me a new card in the middle of last year saying a similar thing.

Something like we've received information that your account may have been compromised, they sent out a new card and the other one was cancelled a few days later.

It turned out to be legitimate although thankfully no fraud took place.
 
I remember reading a thread about users of various banks getting cards replaced over on MSE a couple of weeks back. Process of elimination seemed to point to a breach of security at Tesco's pay at the pump system. Could this be the case here?
 
ron3003 said:
I remember reading a thread about users of various banks getting cards replaced over on MSE a couple of weeks back. Process of elimination seemed to point to a breach of security at Tesco's pay at the pump system. Could this be the case here?
Click to expand...

Heh, I've had my account compromised once a few years ago, it was emptied via atm withdrawals throughout Italy. The only thing I had done differently in the months before was use the Tesco pay at pump, that i'd never done before.

Doesn't mean or prove anything, but I've never used pay at pump again *shrug*
 
ron3003 said:
I remember reading a thread about users of various banks getting cards replaced over on MSE a couple of weeks back. Process of elimination seemed to point to a breach of security at Tesco's pay at the pump system. Could this be the case here?
Click to expand...
Nope, don't even own a car. Rarely set foot in a Tesco. Also to clarify our cards were nowhere near their expiry.

Our interest-free period ended on that card ages ago (we used it to buy our season tickets) so to be honet with this whole performance it gives us a good excuse to look elsewhere and get another card that actually gives us something back (points, airmiles, cashback etc.)
 
I've been proactively sent a new credit card by HSBC before, to preempt possible fraud. It more than likely affected hundreds or thousands of other card holders but they don't tell you what they know in case it tips off fraudsters as to their information gathering methods.
 
Nationwide sent me an unannounced new debit card once.
When I phoned up to enquire, the upshot was I had used my card at a pay point that had subsequently been identified as fraudulent.

Basically, I'd bought fuel at a station where the staff were swiping/scanning/skimming people's cards. The Police had found out and so everyone who'd used that place within months either side of the scam was issued replacement cards while the investigation went on, whether they'd actually been victims or not.

For whatever legal or anti-panic reasons, the bank wouldn't actually disclose any details while the investigation was ongoing, although I do know every fraudulent transaction was identified by the bank and Police fraud squads, the account holders contacted and everything straightened out.
I know this because, years later, I actually met one of the guys who got banged up for the fraud - Small world!


So yeah, chances are you merely used your card somewhere dodgy or otherwise flagged on their system, so they're sending you a new one. Might just be a system process auto-flag thing, rather than anywhere dodgy - The Post Office refused to let a friend use his PO credit card here at OCUK, simply because they'd had fraudulent refund claims on their cards from previous OCUK customers trying to pull a fast one.
 
ttaskmaster said:
The Post Office refused to let a friend use his PO credit card here at OCUK, simply because they'd had fraudulent refund claims on their cards from previous OCUK customers trying to pull a fast one.
Click to expand...

I've had HSBC decline my card at OCUK previously because they were concerned about possible fraud. It's usually followed by a phone call to check. Several times, they've called me before I've even had chance to look up the HSBC number to complain at them for not letting me spend my own money!
 
Rifte said:
Hmm buddy I would check this.

I was a victim of credit card fraud on two occassions when I lived in an apartment block with a communal post room.

I had cards sent to me randomnly, it turns out that the 'fraudster/thief' was ringing them (impersonating me)and telling them to send another card because 'he' had lost it. Each time he was hoping that he intercepted the post before I did. He did once.....

The point is when I phoned the card company to query it, I was also told it was an admin error. It was only when the fraud team for the bank stepped in and investigated that it was clear what was going on.
Click to expand...

Same thing happened to my wife and I. Someone requested new cards for us from Santander. Luckily they didn't intercept mine, but they got my wife's and drew some money in Rotheram apparently.

Santander's phone security was an absolute joke, you just answer some questions which you would know from stealing someone's bank statement from the post and you are in.

I reported the attempted fraud on my account, and they said they would put extra measures on it, but they eventually ended up just closing the account without even telling me! :mad: I went to a branch to find out what was going on, and they said "Oh yeah we had to close that account due to fraud and we moved your money to a new one.". They didn't even send me the new account details or tell me that was happening.

Then the cashier told me all of my direct debits were gone since they closed my old account. I was dumbfounded, it wasn't like I switched to a new bank, they transferred the account internally but still managed to lose all of my direct debits. There would be no way for me to set them up again, since who has all of their DD details written anywhere?

I made a formal complaint and then they magically found my old direct debits and set them up again and gave me £100 for the inconvenience.

I switched to Halifax after that anyway since Santander security was pathetic as well as their handling of the situation.
 
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