When do spam and credit checks go hand in hand? Easy: When the spam is from an otherwise legitimate mail order company, and their unsubscribe link takes you through an account sign up process before you can actually unsubscribe – an account sign up process which includes a credit check because, after all, by signing up you are applying for a credit account with them. The company concerned is Very, a catalogue company which is a Shop Direct Ltd brand along with Littlewoods and a few others. Recently, I started…
Read MoreAuthor: VinceH
Additions Direct: The story begins
I discovered today that I have an account with a company called Additions Direct and, although I don’t owe them any money, there is only £971 of the £1,000 credit limit available. This is because there is an unfulfilled order on the account – for an “X Factor Waistband Amplifier” which, at £25 (and looking like something utterly dreadful), is yet to be shipped – plus £3.95 delivery. Except that I don’t have an account with them, having not used this company to purchase anything, and having not set up…
Read MoreBarclaycard: The story ends… for now?
After discovering there had been fraudulent activity on one of my credit cards held with Barclaycard on the 16th September, and my subsequent contact with them that didn’t get anywhere on the 17th, I had a missed call on the morning of Sunday 19th September from a withheld number, which I assume was from Barclaycard’s fraud department, but they made no further attempts to contact me that day. I finally received a call from them on Monday 20th.
Read MoreBarclaycard and the illusion of security
A couple of days ago, I posted about the call I received from Barclaycard concerning fraudulent activity on one of my accounts, and from which I concluded that Barclaycard themselves have become a victim of social engineering (which I am now able to confirm, and will be updating that post to explain after finishing this one), allowing the fraudster to set up new online access to my accounts – and I dropped in a comment about the security questions that they ask, and would have asked the fraudster, pointing out…
Read MoreHave Barclaycard fallen victim to social engineering? (Updated 19/9/10)
I received a partially automated telephone call from Barclaycard today – their systems had been alerted to possible fraudulent activity on one of my credit card accounts. When I initially answered the call and their robot explained this, my first thoughts were that it probably wasn’t fraudulent activity, and that I’d have to confirm a transaction I initiated a few days ago – I booked some holiday accommodation, and the last couple of times I’ve booked with the same company I’ve received a similar phone call and had to confirm…
Read MoreA tortoise with a briefcase…
It started with flying polar bears, and now we have tortoises with briefcases. Where will it end, I ask, just where will it end?
Read MoreSpread the infection
I’m a science fiction loving geek and, while I love all sorts of science fiction, I’ve a particular fondness for apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic material. I don’t know why that is, although I’m sure there must be some deep psychological explanation for it. However, whatever the reason, it’s a plain and simple fact: I like stories in which the human race has been brought to its knees and all but wiped out. I’ve also always loved horror, and I can well remember staying up late as a child to watch the…
Read MoreI saw a flying polar bear…
About a month or so back I was lying in bed unable to sleep, when the first verse of this more came to mind out of nowhere. I grabbed my phone and typed it in, and two and a half of the next three verses quickly followed. It’s been sat on my phone since then, until yesterday when I transferred it to the PC and added the last two lines. (And at the same time, came up with the beginnings of two more silly rhymes about animals, which may or…
Read MoreHow to improve the game of football
There seems to be a bit of excitement in the air at the moment surrounding a tournament involving the game of football (or soccer to any Overpuddlian readers). With that in mind, I decided it would be a good idea to resurrect something I wrote about two years ago – this tournament thingummy makes it actually topical! I originally posted this as a Facebook ‘note’ – but here it is in all its glory:
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