Comments on: “Verified by VISA” Issues

By: Alan North

Alan North — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 12:13:47 +0000

M-Fox says above:
“In the UK and other parts of the world VbV/MCSC are second nature to those consumers who have embraced this extra layer of security because of the lack of other security measure, such as Address Verification.”

Not it’s not second nature. I have never been able to buy anything online through vBv, even with merchants with whom I have a long history of on-line purchases. I even tore up one credit card and got another issued - same problem. I have a flawless credit history btw.

By: Phil

Phil — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 06:28:55 +0000

Thanks for the tip on backing out of the VbV page! I was placing an order with NewEgg.com (a great online retailer) and got the VbV page. I went back a few pages, clicked My Account and saw the order there, all ready to go — without “verifying” with Visa.

“Verified by Visa” screens give NO exit. I’m a savvy user, but 99% of people wouldn’t dare guess to back up. Worse, most retailers warn users not to back up or “it will cause your order to be charged twice” (or some such warning). Totally unconscionable!

By: Nick

Nick — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:36:26 +0000

I tried to buy a gift for my wife, and every time I tried to complete the VISA transaction I got an error.
There was no indication whether I’d entered the card details wrong, or just failed the VbV check, or whether it was a problem with the merchant’s site.
In retrospect, in was probably my fault for using Firefox + NoScript, but I ended up just calling the merchant and completing the order over the phone.

So maybe this is the plan to tackle online fraud: make the online payment experience suck so bad that nobody will want to use it, and they’ll just pay offline instead.

By: Oblio_A

Oblio_A — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 02:56:42 +0000

From the Wells Fargo VbV FAQ…

“Macintosh computer operating systems are not currently supported by Verified by Visa.”

So, now half of the worlds credit-cards won’t work on a tenth of the worlds computers. How does this help consumers?

By: Tia

Tia — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 14:55:52 +0000

I just keep getting a script error and a bunch of call this and that from my credit card issuer. They seem to have no control of it. It has happened with two of my cards, one for a credit union and one from PNC bank. I can’t make any purchases becuse they tell me my password is wrong. Their is no contact info for Verified by Visa. It’s really frustrating to have someone else in control of whether I can spend my money online or not.

By: ricardo smith

ricardo smith — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 05:17:04 +0000

In my previous comment it should be added that the $49.99 charges were from onlinesupplier.com. who offers Verified by Visa as fraud protection. Ironic. I am furious with the retailer for allowing this scam to be perpetrated on the customers. They must be in cahoots.

By: ricardo smith

ricardo smith — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 05:07:49 +0000

I encountered the Verified by Visa scam, also by surprise, while shoppying online at Fry’s Electronics. I had the similar experience of apparently being denied completion of purchase if I did not join up with verified by Visa. I did complete the registration but got annoyed the next time I shopped so I refused to use it. Surprise! I could purchase anyway. Then the $49.99 bills started coming MONTHLY!! I contacted them and got 3 months fully refunded and my membership in Verified by Visa cancelled. I’m writing becasue none of the posts mentioned that they steal your money big time. You should all check your credit card bills!

By: Catherine

Catherine — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 00:59:48 +0000

I was just confronted with this yesterday when I went to buy dowloadable VJ mixing software online. I thought that was weird, but I went through with it. I figured if they had the rest of my SS# blanked out except for the last four digits, it was legit and safe enough. I’ve just never seen this before and wondered why an online software company from Europe would require this or will this happen with anything I buy online with Visa from now on? I did get an email verification from Chase bank directing me to the Verified by Visa Web page.

By: Mary Kay

Mary Kay — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 23:33:31 +0000

Yes, to all of the above complaints. Trying to back out (because I wasn’t comfortable giving my personal information on line) was a real treat. I finally exited the Internet. I went back to the site and purchased with my Master Card. I’ve had to write “The Skinstore” to make sure I only ordered once, but after reading the above, I better check my Visa account to make sure I wasn’t charged twice. I do almost all of my ordering online and I am definitely not a fan!

By: Stephen Rapp

Stephen Rapp — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 22:15:50 +0000

I was attempting to buy a software upgrade from MacMall today when the Verified by Visa page came into play (not as a pop-up). I clicked on a link for a window that would explain it. It stated authoratatively that I already had this password and would need to enter. I called by bank and they knew nothing. I went to the verified by Visa site and it had no customer service contact. I called the main visa number for my bank and they couldn’t find a contact either, but suggested I try the number for there ID theft Hotline. Some hotline that was. You dial in your zip code and are given numbers to “volunteers” who have specific hours 3 days a week. That’s scary!
I called my bank visa again and got transferred to an online specialist. They said I simply need to go through as if I’m going to enter my password on the Visa verify site and you can enter a new password. Thatall seemed pretty weird. Then I tried using my new password to complete my purchase. At first it seemed like it went through then suddenly I was redirected back to where I put in shipping information.
I contacted MacMall a while later from work and they only had record of an account from a few years ago and not the one I had just created an hour ago. A few hours later I called and they showed 2 accounts, but none were just created. When asked about the Visa verify thing they had no real information. They just keep telling me to keep checking back. I didn’t get any instant emails back from either MacMall or Verify by Visa, so I feel very uneasy about the whole thing. I’ve bought things on line from small ma and pa outlets with no problems. Now I’m feeling like they are trying to get every bit of personal info they can manage. I’m probably gonna switch banks and start over.