Friday, April 23, 2010

TechNet Purchase Causes Fraud Block on my Credit Card

It was a wonderful afternoon. Dropped off at Best Buy with my son to pick up some CD-R and DVD-R disks and my card got rejected. Such a wonderful feeling to hear "I'm sorry sir, but do you have cash or another card?" when you're having a nice, lazy Friday afternoon with your boy...

I just looked at the balance online last night to see what I needed to pay this month and it was fine. Nowhere near the limit, even. So I came home and looked again and saw the new fraud block notice. I called the number and had to work a little to get past the first lady. I try to be nice to those people because they're the minimum wage front line fodder. No use in pressing them for info they don't have. Finally get through to the fraud people and do they have an answer? Apparently the computer flagged my TechNet purchase from the Microsoft Online Store as suspicious. The MSDN renewal from a few days before, which was for more was fine, but the TechNet one raises the flags? Ugh... Anyhow, they gave my home number one call this afternoon and when we didn't answer my card was blocked. Is it just me or is that completely over the top? One call? If someone doesn't answer one call their card is immediately blocked? And they couldn't even give me specific guidelines as to why that purchase caused the alert?

I've had several alerts on our personal card in the last couple years but that bank didn't block the card immediately. I got multiple calls and from what I can remember always called the number from answering machine messages later. But the card was never blocked so that you look like a fool standing there in line. I think I need to change banks. I already "fired" them for personal accounts a few years ago in favor of the one that had more customer friendly procedures, but they don't have business accounts. I truly hate dealing with banks...



About The Author

Ron Grove draws on over ten years of training, network administration and development experience. He loves to work with new technology and see how that technology can be best utilized by his clients. You can find him through his company Evanoah, LLC or through his LinkedIn profile.
Posted by Ron Grove at 6:14 PM

9 comments:

  1. Hi Ron, I've just reported an unauthorised withdrawal claiming to be from Microsoft TechNet on my bank account. I know it's fraudulent because I've never purchased anything from them (and it's not an insignificant amount).
    Perhaps your bank was merely responding to an increased number of fraudulent withdrawals claiming to be made by TechNet, and your kosher payment got caught in the crossfire?
    Given the option, I'd much rather be in your shoes than mine right now!

    Cheers!
    Laurence
    ReplyDelete
  2. I received a strange invoice from Microsoft Technet Plus saying that I had purchased TechNet Plus Direct online for $379.54. The product was sent to someone in California who I had never heard of and charged to my mastercard. I immediately called Microsoft Technet and got a weird response. There was no phone number on the invoice, so I got it from the internet. I had to cancel my mastercard and report a fraudulent claim. I'm still waiting to hear from all involved. As far as I'm concerned, someone is either using Microsoft TechNets info or they, themselves, are involved a fraudulent scheme.
    ReplyDelete
  3. I also just got a fraud charge from a purchase at Microsoft Technet, my bank flagged it immediately and turned my card off.
    ReplyDelete
  4. My bank called me and I too was the victim of an illegal use of my debit card to buy a $373. Microsoft Tech Net subscription. They credited me but today I got an invoice with the name of some guy who the service was shipped to and his home address. I am wondering if I should go to the police with this invoice, the address is one county over. What is going on with MS Tech Net?
    ReplyDelete
  5. I also had a fraudulent charge ob my debit card from microsoft tech net. I filed a police report and took the matter to my bank to resolve. Wish I had a clue as to how they got my debit card number and how it was that some person was able to use it so "easily" with this microsoft technet!
    ReplyDelete
  6. Just got a call from my bank, Capital One, also with a fraud charge from Microsoft Tech Net for $208.95. Tech Net's offices are closed today (Sunday), so nobody on the phone to speak with. Looks like this is happening a lot to them. My guess, just a random hit on a CC#.
    ReplyDelete
  7. I also had a charge for Microsoft TechNet Plus on my Amex. The "invoice" I received from MS had no phone number, ubt had the billing/shipping address as mine. I opened a dispute with Amex, informing them that I did not authorize this charge. The interesting part is that Amex had a phone # on file (unlike my invoice), but when I called it, I heard a recording of a woman's voice pitching a sex line.
    ReplyDelete
  8. Wow, wouldn't have expected so many problems with TechNet subs being charged to people, but makes some degree of sense I suppose. Looks like lots of black hats screwing people over with credit card fraud so they can download the software and licenses from Microsoft for free. Gotta keep up on technology so they can keep ahead of security measures I suppose...

    I don't mind some anti theft measures from my bank, but they cut things off too quickly and left me out to dry. That's what I was upset about more than anything else. Hopefully in the future they'll just give me more time to respond before cutting me off... I didn't name the bank, don't want to give any hints about who I do business with, but at least they didn't give me a number to a sex line. :-)
    ReplyDelete
  9. Just to continue this post I am receiving letters with renewal invoices (again not for an insignificant amount) for a subscription I have never had. Clearly, whoever is behind this scam haven't been stopped and I am just wondering how many people pay up!!
    Linda
    24.05.2011
    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)