French Toll possible Scam!!!

[Melman Giraffe]

Anyone had their credit card rejected at the Toll?

If so check your credit card statement.....

To cut a long story short, returning home on Tuesday last week we had to pass through 3 Tolls so my wife used her credit card for ease of payment (before you ask the card hadn't been used for a while prior to this)

First Toll - Payment accepted and we wizz through

Second Toll - Card declined - That's odd as we have plenty of credit on the card. We then tried another card which was also declined. so we called the assistant who came over opened the machine and swiped the card in the machine and asked for my wife to put in her pin into the machine once more - Again declined, this time the assistant gets onto her radio and calls out the long card number etc to her colleague - Again declined.

We then have to hand over our paperwork for the car so they can confirm our home address and send us a bill to pay at a later date. All of this seemed legit until this morning. Wife receives a call from Credit card company asking if she is in New York to which she replied No.

The card has been cloned and someone had been spending in New York over the past 24hrs - Go figure!!!!

Not sure if connected but be aware!!

[Melman Giraffe]

hairyben said:

Possibly it'd been auto blocked by the second toll as transactions in NY and france at the same time would have sent up a red flag? So not necessarily the toll thats the source of the scam.

Forgot to add the card worked perfectly at the 3rd Toll

[Puggit]

Did you normally require a pin? The tolls we use you just stick the card in!

Which tolls were these? Good for other PHers to be aware.

[Melman Giraffe]

Puggit said:

Did you normally require a pin? The tolls we use you just stick the card in!

Which tolls were these? Good for other PHers to be aware.

I will see if the toll is on the paperwork i received- It was the one just before you get into Roan from Le Man.

Come to think of it you are correct we previously hadn't used the Pin only on this occasion - Hmmmm

[Puggit]

Melman Giraffe said:

I will see if the toll is on the paperwork i received- It was the one just before you get into Roan from Le Man.

Come to think of it you are correct we previously hadn't used the Pin only on this occasion - Hmmmm

We passed through there 2 weeks ago. Strangely they had humans at each barrier, apparently to speed things up (500m queue up to the tolls). Mrs Puggit had to pass her card, and it went in to the machine from the human's hands - but no pin required.

[Melman Giraffe]

As mentioned this might just be coincidence but it just seems odd, it just takes one of the attendants to be that way inclined for your info to go astray.

[RC1807]

Wow, TFFT I have a Liber-t tag.

[Puggit]

RC1807 said:

Wow, TFFT I have a Liber-t tag.

Funnily enough at this toll 2 weeks ago, they had opened all gates for all vehicles. Tag would have not saved time (I'd have been livid if I had one!)

[The Moose]

Over here it's usually the petroleum pumps that get you

[Bikesalot]

The Moose said:

Over here it's usually the petroleum pumps that get you

I've been done by that.

Explaining to the CC company that it was impossible to fit 68 liters of fuel in my motorbike was all it took!

[threadlock]

Melman Giraffe said:

this time the assistant gets onto her radio and calls out the long card number etc to her colleague

This doesn't sound like a particularly secure way of passing over your card details. She might as well have used a megaphone or a massive sign with the numbers on it...

[Melman Giraffe]

threadlock said:

Melman Giraffe said:

this time the assistant gets onto her radio and calls out the long card number etc to her colleague

This doesn't sound like a particularly secure way of passing over your card details. She might as well have used a megaphone or a massive sign with the numbers on it...

I agree but it was one of those situations where you dont think clearly as you are concerned why payment has been declined

[threadlock]

Melman Giraffe said:

I agree but it was one of those situations where you dont think clearly as you are concerned why payment has been declined

Certainly - I wasn't criticising your actions, but wondering whether this was how the fraud was made possible.

[carreauchompeur]

Brexit can't come soon enough.

[Kev_Mk3]

RC1807 said:

Wow, TFFT I have a Liber-t tag.

this

[Melman Giraffe]

threadlock said:

Melman Giraffe said:

I agree but it was one of those situations where you dont think clearly as you are concerned why payment has been declined

Certainly - I wasn't criticising your actions, but wondering whether this was how the fraud was made possible.

For sure

[SilverSixer]

Puggit said:

RC1807 said:

Wow, TFFT I have a Liber-t tag.

Funnily enough at this toll 2 weeks ago, they had opened all gates for all vehicles. Tag would have not saved time (I'd have been livid if I had one!)

I have the tag, and on my drive this summer from Calais to St-Jean-de-Monts and back, there wasn't a single dedicated tag lane, all lanes seemed open to everyone. But I didn't get held up at any toll booth. Still, it's a marginal advantage not to have to wake the wife up and get her to find the credit card etc etc etc - just bip and go! Also not having to pay the invoice until September when all the charges were in July helps summer holiday cash flow a little bit (for those non-company directors amongst us).