Barclay card activation measures

[longtimelurker]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I think anytime someone has stolen your card(s) and information with it, it is certainly better to have extra steps in place to activate cards than to send them already activated.

Why let anyone have easier access to anything of yours?

Plus, the person who stole my mail can also answer questions cc companies typically ask me in order to identify myself when I call them:

What is your full mailing addres (yes they have that)

What is your zip code( they have it now)

What are the last 4 of your social (they have those too)

Last 2 times I called different cc companies to ask a question , 2 of the companies "validated" me by using my full mailing address and zip code. Those are easy to find out. Ther perosn who has the IRS document also has the last 4 of my social.Thanks IRS.

Tougher security questions are needed. I'm putting a password on all of mine as well as an added layer.

Why make anything eawsier for someone with nefarious intentions? And I'm much more worried about the broader identity theft issue than just a single card.

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Right, but your post sort of agrees with my point.    They have the full mailing address, including zip, security code of the card etc, when they get the card, whether activated or not.   You mention identity theft and I don't see how activation/non-activation makes a difference there.

Credit card issuers want to make it easy to use, and I would guess they have found that every added step to activate or use decreases usage in favor of other cards, which, for now, is more than losses to fraudulent charges.     I assume that they are not sending them out activated because they forgot to add that step.

So, as a consumer, you want to make it hard for people to use if they steal   The banks want to make it easy to use when they don't!   These are in conflict, although moving to chip&pin would go someone to preventing use of stolen cards.   But banks don't want to do that.

[GoldSorata]

A CC issuer sending out an already activated card is only risking their own liability though.

[UncleB]

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@Anonymous wrote:

If anyone knows of other lenders who send card already activated and don't require activation, it might be helpful information for us all to know. I hope the practice goes away or lessens.

I think Venture is one of them but I have no idea if it was active before I linked it in my account online? It had no sticker on the front.

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That's a bit of a surprise about the Venture not requiring activation... when Capital One recently replaced my QS1 Mastercard with the EMV version, I even got a 'nag' reminder online when I checked my account until I activated it, and it was even the same account number.

[Imperfectfuture]

Maybe it's a state thing, but all my cards required activation.

[Anonymous]

The last card I received that didn't require activation was a first premier card. That was a long time ago.. I think they just figure you can dispute unauthorized charges. Sloppy way to do business.

[Anonymous]

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@longtimelurker wrote:

Is having a stolen activated card a better path to identify theft than an unactivated one?    Don't really see how as the info is the same in both cases, but if someone knows better, let us know!

Obviously it's much easier to place fraudulent charges with an activated card, but that's the bank's problem, not the consumer, so presumably the banks that send out activated cards have decided it is cheaper/better for them.    I expect some portion of people receive a card, don't activate it, and then at some stage try to use it, potentially costing the issuer a transaction (I have also heard stories of people successfully using unactivated cards, but don't know from personal experience)

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Say what? It is the bank's problem! How many people have posted on this site and others the effect of stolen identities and the devastation it beings to their lives?! Many. It is certainly way more than the banks. Unreal!

[Anonymous]

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@Spider15 wrote:

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Say what? It is the bank's problem! How many people have posted on this site and others the effect of stolen identities and the devastation it beings to their lives?! Many. It is certainly way more than the banks. Unreal!

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Agree 100% spider. This is a much bigger problem than just the bank's problem. Sam thing the police said when I talked to them, and told them it was the last 4 digits of my social as wel, my address, etc. Unfortunately, the police don't investigate when it involves the US Postal Service, as they told me. They let the USPS look into it (which, after my conversation with the postmaster, essentially involves them doing nothing -as he said to me " happens all the time -we lose mail all the time."

[Anonymous]

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@UncleB wrote:

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That's a bit of a surprise about the Venture not requiring activation... when Capital One recently replaced my QS1 Mastercard with the EMV version, I even got a 'nag' reminder online when I checked my account until I activated it, and it was even the same account number.

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Didn't need to do anything with the Venture and no sticker (although I didn't try to use it before I linked it either - just did some balance transfers). I'm expecting the Quicksilver Signature Visa next week so I will let you know what that looks like procedurally when it arrives.

Cabela's also didn't require activation - I ended up calling them because I thought maybe the sticker was missing. But Barclay (and Chase as others mentioned here) are major lenders.

[GoldSorata]

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@Spider15 wrote:

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@longtimelurker wrote:

Is having a stolen activated card a better path to identify theft than an unactivated one?    Don't really see how as the info is the same in both cases, but if someone knows better, let us know!

Obviously it's much easier to place fraudulent charges with an activated card, but that's the bank's problem, not the consumer, so presumably the banks that send out activated cards have decided it is cheaper/better for them.    I expect some portion of people receive a card, don't activate it, and then at some stage try to use it, potentially costing the issuer a transaction (I have also heard stories of people successfully using unactivated cards, but don't know from personal experience)

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Say what? It is the bank's problem! How many people have posted on this site and others the effect of stolen identities and the devastation it beings to their lives?! Many. It is certainly way more than the banks. Unreal!

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Since the consumer has zero liability for unauthorized charges, how is it anything but the banks problem? As far as identify theft, if someone steals your card in the mail, how does the thief obtaining an activated card vs an unactivated card allow them to do anything more than use the card (which again, the card owner is NOT liable for).

[GoldSorata]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@Spider15 wrote:

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Say what? It is the bank's problem! How many people have posted on this site and others the effect of stolen identities and the devastation it beings to their lives?! Many. It is certainly way more than the banks. Unreal!

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Agree 100% spider. This is a much bigger problem than just the bank's problem. Sam thing the police said when I talked to them, and told them it was the last 4 digits of my social as wel, my address, etc. Unfortunately, the police don't investigate when it involves the US Postal Service, as they told me. They let the USPS look into it (which, after my conversation with the postmaster, essentially involves them doing nothing -as he said to me " happens all the time -we lose mail all the time."

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In your case, sure it's a concern, because someone stole a piece of mail that had part of your SS number. That is very concerning. But if they also obtained an activated card and used it, you contact the bank and that's for them to handle. I don't see how whether they received an activated vs unactivated card creates more risk for you as far as identity theft. It's the same risk as i see it. You wont be out the money that someone uses that you dont authorize for that activated card.