Unrecognised payment taken from debit card

[Anonymous]

Having checked  my bank statement I have found a payment which appears to come from O2, but for which I have no other record of either setting up or having made manually. 

Normally when topping up with O2 you get a text message confirming it has taken place, there is no such message associated with this transaction...

The payment shows up with a reference of MIP*O2 UK Top Up, 441132722320 GB

I checked with the customer support desk yesterday evening and they could find no record of it so have had to cancel my debit card.

If you are a synic like me, if you remove the 44 from the front of the reference number and replace it with a 0 you gets a Leeds area phone number, O2 have one of their call centres in Leeds, but this might just be some dreadful coincidence, as ringing this number just gives a NP (no party connected) dial tone.

Has anyone else come across this, and what is the solution - apart from stopping the debit card - ??

[MI5]

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@jonsie wrote:

I'm always asked for the verified by visa details but that's down to the issuing bank rather than O2.

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I don't believe so jonsie.

It's controlled by the website.

I use same debit card for all online purchases and some sites ask for it and others don't.

[jonsie]

I'm always asked for it on the O2 website even though my card is registered. Nationwide by the way....

[MI5]

So that implies O2 use the verified by visa programme.
Others don't, for some reason.

[jonsie]

I used an RBS card previously and the verified by visa screen never came up. Go figure.....

[Cleoriff]

I have two accounts with Nationwide. My main account is never asked to be verified by Visa.... no matter where I use it...

[jonsie]

You sign up via your card so irrespective of the site you are on you will be prompted to verify.

https://www.visaeurope.com/making-payments/verified-by-visa/

Verified by Visa

Verified by Visa protects your card against unauthorised use and gives you peace of mind when shopping online.

Verified by Visa involves two quick steps to authenticate your purchase.

• First you’ll see the personal message that you provided when you signed up for Verified by Visa and that only you and your bank know about. This lets you know that the security screen you’re seeing is genuine
• Then you’ll be asked to enter your Verified by Visa password.

The Verified by Visa security screen will look like this:

[MI5]

This link states some online retailers don't use it
https://www.visaeurope.com/making-payments/verified-by-visa/
"Shop safely online

Even if you’re shopping on a website that isn’t offering Verified by Visa, there are some simple safeguards."

[Cleoriff]

That above (posted by @jonsie) only happens to me when I use my HSBC card. Never Nationwide.

And it has to be said I shop for everything online....

[MI5]

It must be a combination of both then but it still relies on the website calling for it if supported by the bank.
Maybe you need to sign up for it on your Nationwide account?

[jonsie]

I remember signing up when I first got the Nationwide account and I'm always asked whether it's O2, Amazon, Fleabay and even when adding funds to PayPal. So....you sign up for it.