Pin Number Nightmare

I had a strange experience in an Italian restaurant last night.

The waiter gave me the machine machine machine mer-chine thing to put my credit card into and it said 'enter ref number' on it. I asked the waiter what was going on, but he just said to put my pin number in. I'd not checked the amount, so I refused and then a row started. Then the manager got involved. They cancelled the transaction, then I watched him re-enter the amount and then I typed my pin number in when it said to enter ref number. The machine immediately asked for my pin number, at which point I queried it again. The Italians tried to convince me that everything was fine and I typed in the pin number again. Then the receipt came out and it had my fucking pin number on it. Now that's got to be wrong, no?

Anyway, I refused to hand the card reader back and ripped the receipt in half, keeping the bit with my number on it. Then I grabbed the second copy and kept that too, then grabbed my card and put it in my pocket.

The Italians were going mad, wanted me to give them all the bits of paper and started calling their mates over. I started shouting a bit, which never fails to get you out of situations like that in posh restaurants and we were in the street in under a minute. I called the bank, but they didn't have a clue what I was on about and advised me to change my pin, which I did at once.

I don't even think they were up to anything, but it's odd that most of the CC receipts they have in that restaurant will contain the secret pin number, eh?

did it have anything to do with the son of a prominent politician, two lesbians and a big bag of drugs?

I fail to see how it could be anything else.

Cleverarse wrote:

I don't even think they were up to anything, but it's odd that most of the CC receipts they have in that restaurant will contain the secret pin number, eh?

Ye done the right thing Col

My mate used to have a scam going with the manager of an Indian restaurant,where the manager fella would give him the receipts,and he would then use the pin numbers with cloned cards,and give the manager a % of any ££'s he made.

I got a new TV out of it.

Cleverarse wrote: I had a strange experience in an Italian restaurant last night.

The waiter gave me the machine machine machine mer-chine thing to put my credit card into and it said 'enter ref number' on it. I asked the waiter what was going on, but he just said to put my pin number in. I'd not checked the amount, so I refused and then a row started. Then the manager got involved. They cancelled the transaction, then I watched him re-enter the amount and then I typed my pin number in when it said to enter ref number. The machine immediately asked for my pin number, at which point I queried it again. The Italians tried to convince me that everything was fine and I typed in the pin number again. Then the receipt came out and it had my fucking pin number on it. Now that's got to be wrong, no?

Anyway, I refused to hand the card reader back and ripped the receipt in half, keeping the bit with my number on it. Then I grabbed the second copy and kept that too, then grabbed my card and put it in my pocket.

The Italians were going mad, wanted me to give them all the bits of paper and started calling their mates over. I started shouting a bit, which never fails to get you out of situations like that in posh restaurants and we were in the street in under a minute. I called the bank, but they didn't have a clue what I was on about and advised me to change my pin, which I did at once.

I don't even think they were up to anything, but it's odd that most of the CC receipts they have in that restaurant will contain the secret pin number, eh?

You did the right thing. There is something very bad going on if your PIN was printed on the receipt. Good on you for taking care of the situation.

Yer amount didn't happen to be the same number as yer pin did it?

But them asking for yer pin is very strange.

When I was with my, now passed away, brother-in-law in Washington DC, he had a strange experience with an ATM. He stuck his card in one of those AMTs on the street, took the card, he put in his pin, then the screen started flipping out and then went dark. About a minute later the screen popped back on, but back to the start as if nothing happened. It didn't acknowledge that it had his card and we couldn't get it back out. He immediately called my sister (his wife) and she called the bank... $2500 had been pulled out by some mysterious person in Wisconsin!?!?!?!?

Luckily they canceled the card and the bank reversed the charges on it, but id ATMs aren't safe, then I'm sure Italians ain't either...

Didn't Mike post his PIN number on here recently?

El Jarvo wrote:

Gazman wrote: My mate used to have a scam going with the manager of an Indian restaurant,where the manager fella would give him the receipts,and he would then use the pin numbers with cloned cards,and give the manager a % of any ££'s he made.

Your mate? I believe you're actually thinking of a plotline in the Sopranos.

True that Al,the managers kids went to the same school as ours,they used to meet at 'home time' in the yard,and thats where they did the handover (receipts,cash etc)

Ive never seen a full episode of the Sopranos

El Jarvo wrote:

Gazman wrote: My mate used to have a scam going with the manager of an Indian restaurant,where the manager fella would give him the receipts,and he would then use the pin numbers with cloned cards,and give the manager a % of any ££'s he made.

Your mate? I believe you're actually thinking of a plotline in the Sopranos.

Do you have another mate with a racehorse you're gonna torch for the insurance?!

I thought the Sopranos was a loose interpretation of Gaz's life

Scamming twats. "ref number", would to me, be a number of your chosing to identify the transaction (much as one sets such a thing when setting up online transfers). Telling you it's your pin is a scam scam scam designed to grab pins (though a doctored reader would be better....in fact it probably IS docrored, recording the track off the card, only 3 digits of the pin are on there so they need you to type it still).

Anyway Colin, it's been a real pleasure these last years, we'll miss ye. Enjoy the next life.

Every cloud has a silver lining I suppose.

Someone got my pin from a hacked card reader (in a garage, apparently most of these scams involve garages), fortunately the bank noticed when someone tried to use it on a cash machine in Thailand on the same day I was using it in Sainsbury's here.

But what about this for a scam? Seems almost as good as being an investment banker (though that scam has the advantage of being legal). Apparently the default passcodes for ATM machines were freely available in the manufacturer's manuals on the web, and of course lots of ATMs just used the default passcodes, allowing people to reprogram them to give out free money.

http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/09/two-arrested-in.html

dodgy harry!

I'd av knocked em all out me col,sounds well fookin dodgy shit that dave!

johnny wrote: Didn't Mike post his PIN number on here recently?

Sort of..........take the last 4 numbers of his 'phone number(s) and no doubt, we can all have a curry!!!!!

Plan?

Col, now with a new pin, make sure not to forget it. Better yet, PM me it so if you ever forget it I can tell ya it.

See that, NOOLers looking out for each other, cause I care about you just that much

*don't forget to send the card numberr with it

We were talking about this in work Col (sorry if your passport query went unanswered while we sorted Biggie's life out for him), and between the real world sense of Leanne and my TimeLordy genius, concluded the following...........

Contat your card provider, and possbly the peelers. The whole thing stinks like a whore's twat in a heatwave. The "ref number thing" was a new one on everyone I asked, the only clueful response I got from anyone was the same as my own, that it's "your ref", a number to appear besices the transaction on your statement (like when you pay your card bill by bank transfer, you use your card number as a ref, so it appears beside your payment on their statement[1]. That's assuming it has any legitimate existence at all, which is still undetermined.

There are two main reasons I suggest you take this further.

1. Cunts will be doing this to other people.
2. Who's to say the keypad did not also LOG everything, including the PIN....the receipt may just be handier for them, or even a misdirection for those foiks like yourself who possess a modicum of clue. 3........OK, OK, THREE reasons......
3. The potential for Dobbin's Noggin to end up as a giant pillow favour chez Biggie.

[1]Yes, I am fully cogniscent of the fact that it's a computer transaction, I'm just keeping the lingo straight.....so whichever of you wankers was planning to flame my arse for it........up yer hole! :D