My life outside flying can be pretty mundane. It involves going to work, fiddling with computers, making people happy that their problems are resolved, and rinsing and repeating.
However yesterday, I got a text message from MBNA UK – who I hold a legacy BMI Diamond Club Credit card with (mainly as its an easy way to get Avios without dealing with American Express).
Here’s the message – with bits redacted.
That’s not a message you want to get whilst you’re fiddling with a server so it sends out network policies correctly.
So… What to do? Well, I contacted my provider within a minute of that message going out.
If you suspect the message is a fraud – it might be best to ring the provider directly rather than respond by text. I had a previous number from MBNA that matched this number, but I rung them anyway to find out what the heck was going on.
Sadly – it was confirmed that my card has been blocked due to possible fraud. A tiny bit of digging indicated that no vendor was owning up, rather that the card was on a list provided by Visa/Mastercard/Amex to MBNA as one that could be at risk, and thus MBNA went and blocked it.
The really annoying thing? Seven Business Days to get a new card. Considering I was about to go shopping for a fair few flights, this is unwelcome timing.
Thankfully, I have other resources when it comes to buying tickets.
What can you do if it happens to you? The answer sadly is not a lot – other than contact your card provider as soon as possible to establish what has happened, then monitor your statements for suspicious transactions.
Admittedly, the time I had my credit card stolen in France, there were transactions on the card within 30 minutes of it being nicked (Mainly at McDonalds at Orly Airport), and it was a quick call to the card halted, and another telephone call to get that money refunded from my provider.
Annoying – but bearable.
But again, it proves the quicker you notice these odd transactions and fraud – the better… for your own financial health.
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