Be Afraid... be very afraid!

I lifted this from my blog on SLProfiles...
7:15am Sunday 31st May 2009

SL has got me in a bit of a fix at the moment.
Ever since I joined, after paying into SL with the same credit card (payment details are all correct and current too) it now tells me that my credit card is no good. I filled out the details with all the same details correctly and it tells me:

Status:
Sorry, your payment failed. Please try another payment method

I used this selfsame card yesterday afternoon when I went to do some shopping in my local town and it was ok, also I paid for some items on play.com when I got home too, and I know there is more than enough money in my account as I had just been paid on Thursday (bonus and all!).

I am careful as to when and where I use this card as it's the only c/c I have and I don't want any more either. Basically it's used for a few and very rarely used online with the exception of a few places.
I just pray that my account has not been compromised in any way.
I have a paypal account.. but that takes ages to process..
from my account into paypal and then paypal into sl?
this would mean I'd need to be a month ahead.. it takes up to 9 days to process from my account into paypal..!

I contacted SL to find out why my account could not be updated and here is my second live chat with SL this morning as I was asked to update my account info by the online help by the SL Concierge system

*******: Thank you for contacting us. Your Linden helper is probably talking to multiple people at the same time, so please describe your issue in detail while you wait for them to become available.
*******: Hi Rorrim, how did you go?
Rorrim_Wrigglesworth: Hi *******.. I just tried to update my card details and it wont accept them, it tells me they are no good and yet I use this card all the time with you every week.
*******: what is the exact error message?
Rorrim_Wrigglesworth: one sec..
Rorrim_Wrigglesworth: it says this... >> Status: Sorry, your payment failed. Please try another payment method
Rorrim_Wrigglesworth: andIi used this card in my home town yesterday afternoon
*******: ok just a minute please
Rorrim_Wrigglesworth: ok
*******: ok the card is just telling us its not authorised. What sometimes happens is financial institutions change their method of rating SL and class it as a computer game - their restrictions can therefore increase and the block any payments to us. This error message means you will need to contact your back
(she meant Bank)
to let them know to accept any charges from us.
Rorrim_Wrigglesworth: ok.. in the mean time how on earth am i supposed to pay my landlord the tier on the land i rent from her then? I also pay you my tier for my own region as well.. that is due on the 23rd of this month too..
Rorrim_Wrigglesworth: I am meant to pay her today.. and now I canr!
Rorrim_Wrigglesworth: *cant
Rorrim_Wrigglesworth: I only have $** in my account

(I need to pay for a rental today hence my problem with SL and payments.. no payment today and i could lose some land I rent, which I am hoping to transfer over to me)

*******: your financial institution isnt letting us take the charges Rorrim, you need to speak to them I am sorry
*******: when you speak to them, ask to speak to their risk department
Rorrim_Wrigglesworth: hard to do that on a sunday.. i hope my land lord is ok with this.. i dont want to lose this land as i want to get it transferred over to me.. if i lose it i wont be happy
Rorrim_Wrigglesworth: will have to try my bank tomorrow then
*******: ok, best of luck Rorrim, sorry we couldnt fix this for you yet
Rorrim_Wrigglesworth: ok ******* will have to try my bank tomorrow. i hope i get this sorted as this is the only credit card i have,,, i dont want any more of them either. also i dont want to use paypal as that takes too long to process... from my account into paypal and then into sl.. will mean i would have to be a month ahead of the game as it were.. with processing time ( 9days from my account into paypal is a joke)
*******: let us know if it still gives you issues Rorrim, good luck..
Rorrim_Wrigglesworth: will do.. thanks for your help *******. bye for now
*******: bye Rorrim

If this is so then the upshot is this..
No money.. no SL plain and simple
That would mean this:
No home = No land = worst of all.. no club.
Now that I am upset about. It has taken time to get it to where it is now and it is getting better every week as well. With the plans that were in place it was looking good.. and now this.

Blog held for 'publishing', awaiting news update


News Update
10:15am Sunday 31st May 2009
I've since been on the phone to my bank and it would appear that my account has been, in their words 'compromised'.
They have put a stop on my card and that means my account too..
So I have to go into my bank with two forms of ID to take money out of my account. So until my new card arrives, I can't pay for anything online, this includes any D/D's out of my account too! So my account is basically 'screwed' for now. I hope and pray that my land is ok and I don't lose it.

It seems that an attempt was made to take out, get this... 62p, approx $1(!) from my account by, wait for it....
Linden Lab!!

It seems they were 'testing' my account, according to my banks fraud dept. So they, my bank, put a hold on my card when this happened!
They told me this in a phone call I just had with them, after going through a series of security questions about my account... after 'travelling' the World' on the phone to a call-centre, that wasn't in UK.. I ended up talking to someone in my banks fraud centre in the UK.

Be warned people if you see this happening you will have a possible wait of at least a week for a new card and the hassle of having your account suspended while this is all resolved.

It would seem that someone has taken out about £570, $925 approx. out of my account and they, my bank let this go as they claim it was an online or phone transaction where you supply info ie c/c number and c/c security number. This was done over the past week so they said.

I didn't think I spent that much in my local Sainsburys this week on food, as that's the only time I used my card, before yesterday, Sat 30th May. Seems it was done in the Dominican Republic, so I my bank told me... nice to know I go shopping for food there..! pffftt!
Like I am about to part with money like that online!

My bank are now sending out forms for me to fill out and sign and send back to claim this money back. Also sending me a new card (with new card details etc) I just hope the bank use Royal Mail as I requested for secure post, aka special delivery/signed for and not a courier as it could well go missing.


Be afraid... be very afraid... LL seem to be 'testing' accounts' and you may get yours suspended like mine!

One of my credit cards was similarly 'compromised' (by a different company using the same 'test fee' of $1) several years ago. I'm afraid to tell you that, as well as all of this hassle, your card may now be frozen at *any* time it displays what your bank regards as 'suspicious activity' in the future, since it will probably be put on their watchlist.

At best, depending on your bank, they may just call you to check up on your recent transactions, and ask you to confirm what you have spent and where. Just before Christmas 2008 I received a phone call from my bank's credit card section, asking me to verify several large purchases made online, which were part of my Christmas present shopping for that year.

Your best bet is to note down those various numbers you have called (the ones where you actually got answers) and keep them somewhere safe. You don't want to be forced through that whole pillar-to-post rigmarole again in the future.

Your landlord's tier issue and lack of inworld funds to pay it could be resolved with a quick purchase and transfer of L$ via Xstreet into your main purchasing balance (not your account balance), using your Paypal account (unless, of course, that is funded by the same credit card). It's instant, and I'm sure your landlord would understand any slight delay in payment. As to the issue of your own tier, I can't help. Perhaps contact Linden Lab and ask them to note the issue on your account, and contact them again the minute you've validated your new card? They *may* take into account your extenuating circumstances.

Don't hold your breath, though.

sometimes it is the bank that is being secure for the card holder..i had to actually go in to my bank and tell them that it was one of my places i purchase from..
you could try buying lindens from xstreet if you haven't done that..it has been pretty instant for me when i buy there..

Also, some credit card companies will actually block Linden Lab on the basis of fraud. You'll need to contact your credit card company and allow authorization for the money to be passed to Linden Lab.

If they still refuse... I'd suggest you close the credit card account and take your business elsewhere.

Yeah, this is not unusual at all with Banks any more.....if the card works elsewhere.....the FIRST thing you should have done is called the bank. Not LL....the bank is the one controlling the authorization. I've had to call my own bank once since I started.....after that it was never a problem again.
And Paypal.....I wouldn't even bother with them, there have been some problems with paypal lately (some are posted here on the forums) All Paypal does is slow everything down to a snails pace. It's not worth it and they DO screw up a LOT.

As for your landlord.....simply talk to them. I have had more then one occasion where I've been late by a few days for one reason or another and I've NEVER had a landlord that didn't understand fully and tell me not to stress it and pay when I can. Things happen......most people realize this and are pretty cool about a fair grace period. And ya know what, if they're not cool about it......then I'd be looking for a different landlord anyway. If you tell them your dilemma, and they still pull the land from beneath your feet....then they're not being very professional.

My bank de-activates my card any time I try to make a payment to LL. It does not help to have them add a note to my account. Every single damned time I try to pay LL they de-activate the card, causing other automatic payments to other companies, and local purchases, to fail as well.

LL needs to figure out why CC companies hate them. Could it be because they still allow gambling? Too many charge-backs? Just what the hell is the issue?

All you can do is call them as soon as you get the failure notice from LL and authorize the charge. It should go through if LL runs it the next day. You have to do this every damned time.

I've resolved that if my store fails to make tier and I exhaust my linden dollar balance (from a land sale) I'm just going to give up.

Same thing happened to me with my CC...twice! I finally gave up and now use PayPal which has screwed up twice but not for LL payments.

This brave new connected world seems to have some cul de sacs of major disconnect.

A $1 ping on a card to test it is not unusual. It usually happens everytime you purchase gasoline if you pay at the pump, for example. The reason you are not aware of it is because no actual charge goes through on the card to match that test and so nothing shows on your statement. (If you keep track of your credit card online, you can see them if you check before the transaction falls off though).

Since I am assuming (sorry if I'm wrong) that LL has taken funds from your card in the past, I'm pretty sure that they are not the fraudulent transaction that caused the bank to shut down your card. I would think that it is the transaction in the Dominican Republic which is the actual culprit. It should have been flagged right off, I agree with you there, but I tend to think that transaction is the one that caused the card to be shut down.

There are more ways to do a credit card transaction with just the numbers than over the phone or online. Many people who perpetrate credit card fraud are professionals, and are the reason that steps like the security code number on the back of your card were instituted to begin with.

Here are some ways that I have heard of:

Getting a card number off of a receipt...thankfully most stores now **** out most of those numbers (for good reason)

Phishing. People call and claim to be your financial institution and tell you that your account has been compromised and they need you to provide that security code in order for them to know that they have the right person (THIS IS ALWAYS FRAUD NEVER DO THIS). Phishing via email. Same only I just was reading an article last week about how most people are not falling for this any more. To many nicaraguan inheritances I guess lol.

Dual swipes. When you hand your card to a cashier, they swipe your card twice. Once into the register, and once into a little box they have set up next to the register. (This happens in convenience or small stores mostly, where you might have only one person working and so no one really notices it, they pick up their equipment before they go home). Have you noticed that often stores now have a little thing so you can swipe yourself instead of handing over your card? There is a reason for that.

Store databases get hacked. Big ones. Huge ones. In the bank I worked in, we had to pull a huge number of cards because they had been used in a store which was part of a large nationwide chain whose database got hacked. If I told you the name of the store (and I'm not going to, it was a few years back and I don't wanna get sued lol) you would probably think 'wow...I've shopped there'.

Well this is getting long lol, but what I am really trying to say, is it probably wasn't the $1 charge from LL that caused your problem, even if the customer service rep you talked to at the card company said that it was. Sometimes people feel a need to CYA

I hope everything turns out ok for you Rorrim, No wonder you're anxious.
Maybe there is a case to be made for having a back-up credit card, although I understand your reluctance to do that.

I use a debt card, they can only pay out as much as they actually have in them so can't rack up debt like a credit card can.

I have had help tell my alt this same rave though too. That my bank may be halting the payments for security.

In fact I was making a mistake with the last 3 digits.

this has happend to me 4 times in 2 years..the first time i was worried..and called LL & my bank...both claiming the issue wasnt "their end"..the solution was very simple..though

Just delete the payment method and re enter it...voila...it worked all 4 occasions...im unsure why it happens, but this worked for me

My bank didn't notice when someone drained my account to watch US cam porn (from a US IP), gambled online (from a north African IP I believe), and also frittered some of my cash in Canada. All within 72 hours, during which I was also buying my shopping with that card in the UK. Still, as they've made it clear I'm a second class customer (I only have their basic account, so no branch services, upon pain of banishment more severe than even LL can dream of) I can't expect them to actually do anything to protect my account. It even took many months of paperwork and phone calls for them to investigate and reimburse me, trying to convince them I wasn't on three continents at once was an uphill struggle.

It's a pain when your account is suspended, but better a week of hassle getting it sorted out, than months of being short on cash because they missed an actual problem and then faff and fail to resolve it...

I would never use any Credid Card and if then only a prepaid CredidCard coz I do not trust the Internet at all

ok... thanks for all your responses.. Seems to have touched a nerve of sorts with some people... although it would appear that some people didn't really read what I said so let me re-iterate what I said.

I have been using this card since I joined Second Life and that is about 18months and I have been using this card to pay into my account in SL since I joined.

There was only one problem, prior to this one, and that was when I first used it in here.

When I tried to use my card the second time in here it was blocked, as the amount was a large(ish) one, and my bank, thinking it was a fraud, blocked my account to stop the transaction.

I contacted my bank and informed them that the transactions into SL from my account are genuine.
They then lifted the 'block' on my account and I had no trouble whatsoever until this Saturday.

What happened to my account over the weekend had nothing to do with my bank whatsoever.

It was Linden Labs running a 'check/test', call it what you will, that caused the problem, as just after the time they made the 'test' I happened to be attempting to pay into my account in SL.

I could not do so as the bank had stopped my account... due to the LL 'test'

If you read my post the info is all there.
As I said my bank blocked my card/account due to what they called 'suspicious activity'. This was over a 66p ($1) charge they made.


The thing that annoyed me intensely and made me so angry was that they, my bank, let someone take from my account £570... $925 approx, as they had all the correct info to do so.

As I said I am very careful with my personal details with regards to my bank account amongst other things, yet the only place that I used my card was in my local supermarket and also on Play.com and on SL (to pay into my account here) and also a 'hole in the wall' machine near to where I work, where I took some money out earlier in the week.

This machine was given the all clear, so I'd like to know Who/Why/Where/When my account was compromised.

This is what the bank are investigating and they have now taken steps to rectify my account.


Now....
On the subject of Lindens and acquiring them....

To pay into my SL account to get Lindens for use inworld I need money..
and to do this I need a C/C to do so. Hang on.. my card was frozen, as I only have.. oops typo, make that HAD! one C/C as I have no desire to want or to have anymore than one!

hmmm... how to get money into my SL account?

I know...maybe I could use my PayPal Account then?

Nope... No can do as, hang on a sec. that ALSO requires the use of a C/C to pay into it from my bank account!
And... as I don't want to pay by cheque into my PayPal account as that takes way too long for me as it is!

To pay into my PayPal Account takes, believe it or not, around 9 days and this is DIRECT from my bank account with the use of my C/C.

oh hang on....!

I can't do that now.. as my card has been stopped by my bank, as I just said!

Then to pay into SL from my PayPal Account add on even more days! If that is the case I would need to budget a month ahead to ensure I had sufficient funds in my account to pay SL for my Region and also to pay my Landlord the tier for my Island plus anything else I'd possibly like or need.

I have, since this morning, managed to get some Linden into my account with the help of a very good friend of mine, and with the remaining $'s in there I now have sufficient to pay my landlord the tier, due today!

So when I finally log in to SL I can then sort things out with my landlord.

My own Region in SL is safe for now, as the fee isn't due for a around 3 weeks.


In short, to sum up...!

LL attempted to take $1 from my account in a 'test'!

MY BANK BLOCKED IT!

Nothing was taken from my bank account as this was viewed by my bank as 'suspicious activity'.

They, my bank, froze my account instantly, to stop ANY further transactions on my bank account whatsoever.

When I was on the phone to the Fraud Dept of my bank, I discovered that my account had been taken for the amount I said earlier and this had nothing to do with SL or Linden Labs at all.
This was a fraud carried out on my account earlier in the week, and my bank informed me that there has been a lot of suspicious activity on accounts lately but they didn't stop that, as i said it looked, to them, perfectly legitimate.


A new card is on the way to me from my bank and I am expecting delivery in the stated time that my bank gave me via special delivery.

I hope that clears up any thing that people may have missed in my original post.

As I said I posted this as a warning to others about their SL accounts and paying into it and getting the same/similar message..
Check with you banks with regards to your own bank account and see if you have had any 'tests' done on your account in SL..

Is that clear enough now?

I've had my CC suspended 3 times because of LL's "test" debits. A number of people have posted here that it is a very common technique used by online companies. When I was talking to my bank about it, they were aware of it as a security technique used by online suppliers, but seemed to think it was fairly uncommon. The impression I came away with was that it is a widely used technique in the US, but much less common in the UK, and was likely to trigger the UK banks' security systems. Haven't had any problem in the last year or so though.

Just a clarification: Rorrim, it sounds like you are not using a credit card but a debit card. Debit cards connect directly to your checking account at the bank. You've already learned that this can be potentially dangerous. If you really want to avoid having this account compromised, cut up the card and inform your bank that you no longer want it connected to the account. Pay with cash or write checks.

You would be ultimately safer to buy the prepaid cards that you can find at convenience stores to pay for online games.

Regarding PayPal - you say it takes 9 days from your bank to PayPal, and then a few more from PP to LL... if that is the case, and you do have to plan a month out, maybe that's the way you should go.

It is not Linden Lab's fault that your bank rejects Linden Lab. It is your bank, and since your account has already been compromised, it sounds like your bank is trying to cover itself.

It happened to me once, long ago, the first time I attempted to use a card for LL. My bank froze it. I called LL, then called the bank and authorized charges from LL; they lifted the hold and that was that, never happened again. Never had to go through all that you are having to go through. Once I authorized it, then LL tried again, and it went through and that was that.

Thanks for your reply Oryx.
I have had that suggested to me as well, buying gamecards that is, although I will need someone to point me in that direction as i've no idea where to look for them at all.
My card is, as you say, a debitcard and SL do take them as well.
The thing is.. over here in the UK debit cards are pretty safe to use. It seems, as was suggested that as UK banks have a tighter security system, or so it would appear, then that would explain why I have this problem, apart from the fact that my bank failed to spot a big transaction out of my account!! Towit they are currently resolving the problem, as to how it happened, the bank are investigating it. They assured me that I will be reimbursed as well.

As such my new card (with new numbers etc) is on it's way and as I said I only use my card in limited places anyway. I am old fashioned when it comes to money.. I prefer the real thing.. the way I was raised, spend only what you what you have got.. you can't spend it if you don't have it. I used to have credit cards but got shot of them as I loved to shop. reined all that in before the recession hit, and a good job too.... so all I have now is my debit card. No money in my current account = no shopping, apart from any savings I have elsewhere that is, but that is for 'rainy days' and also for use way into the future.. if I survive and live that long that is.
Thanks again for your suggestion though.

Rorrim,

I'll second Oryx's sage advice...look into a prepaid credit card. From what I understand, these aren't as common in the UK as they are here in the US...but here is an article I found that lists some of the UK-available ones at the bottom:

http://www.creditsolveuk.com/prepaid.htm

I only use a prepaid card for my online purchases, including with SL (for those who run into trouble with SL and prepaid cards, look into a Greendot card - www.greendotonline.com - they do accept these, it's what I use). I am just not willing to risk my "real capital" by using a real credit card/debit card. So I load up whatever amount I think I'm going to need for a week of online purchases onto my prepaid card, and then the amount I risk losing is relatively low.

Robin, LL always sends through a dollar charge to test if the card is good.

Depending upon your bank card's policies and how sensitive they are to overseas banks, it may at times decline.

Something like going on vacation, ordering online and shopping locally in the same day, or using an out of country bank could flag the account and get things temporarily declined. The bank cards want to make sure the card isn't being misused, and things like it being used in two different countries in one day tends to raise their suspicions. That is standard and not prejudicial. Cards seem to be very sensitive lately.

Second Life sometimes uses a USA bank and sometimes uses a bank in the UK and some cards tend to decline if the UK bank's used. It's at random (which bank is used) as far as I understand. Call your card if necessary and make sure they allow LL to go through.

I also noticed that when I registered alts it bunged up (official terminology!) my pre existing registrations. So give it a few days, file a ticket if you are premium and try not to panic.

Interestingly, the CC that I always use exclusively for internet purchases was the one I used on SL. After 3 charges had been made against it by the Linden's I received a call from the bank's fraud department, which took me through the previous 6 purchases I made with it to confirm that it had not been hacked or stolen. I straightened it out with them (and since I used to work in that business, I thanked them for contacting me promptly) but now I use Paypal.

Linden Labs is on some S**t list, apparently.

http://www.greendotonline.com <--
This is a great way to get money into SL.

Have you checked your card hasn't expired? I only say this because I went through all the same panic as you're having only to find it was my fault for not updating to my new card!

Some sage advice for anyone.

If you are going to use credit cards, you need TWO.

Your CC can be blocked for any reason at any time by anyone. Hotels and rental car agensies can put holds on your card for no reason. Merely bying gas out of state while visiting a friend can cause a card to get locked till you get home and answer their phone call (calls to the CC almost always have to be made from your home phone on record).

If one gets blocked, you have a second to bail you out.

Always have two, not one, not ten... TWO.