Bank: Entered into force a new law that allows banks to block the card for a couple of days if there is the suspicion that it is fraud. We published a detailed analysis on why the Bank can block your card. We selected from it the most important thing especially for you.
1. A bank can block a card if you pay for purchases from a new device.
That is if you always pay by contactless payment from iPhone 6, and then suddenly someone tied your card to the old Android, then the bank will seem suspicious. The same, if you pay for purchases from someone else’s laptop. In such cases, the bank should call and ask if you know about the operations performed. If you do not pick up the phone, then, in theory, the card can be blocked. Whether banks will monitor all this in practice is not yet clear.
2. The bank may block the card if it has already tried to illegally withdraw money from the device.
If the device tried to illegally withdraw money, the Bank found, as the client has confirmed, the device will be under suspicion. The next time someone again tried to withdraw money through it, the card can block, before again calling the owner.
3. A bank can block a card if purchases are made at an unusual place or time.
For example, the cardholder lives in Moscow and today bought something to “Tape”. A few hours later the same card is paying for the smartphone in the U.S. in the physical terminal. It is an occasion for the Bank to call and find out what’s going on.
4. A bank can block a card if an unusual amount is withdrawn from it.
If suddenly payday client unexpectedly spends the entire balance on the card, which has never happened before, — for the Bank it will be suspicious.
5. The bank can block the card if the recipient is a known scammer
A few Banks will maintain a database with operations that tried to commit the fraud. Then analyze the data and in such cases to contact the owners of the cards.
What to do if the bank has blocked the card?
To unlock your card you need to call bank customer care from the registered mobile number. The operator will ask your personal data, ask you to confirm the latest purchases, and if your readings match, the card will be unblocked immediately.