Oli Welsh
14:47 (BST)
18/02/2008
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UK bank blocks WOW payments
Halifax Bank of Scotland reports "significant number of fraudulent transactions"
Major UK bank Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS) has apparently stopped automatic payments to California-based game operator Blizzard, on the grounds that World of Warcraft is at the centre of an unusually high incidence of credit card fraud.
The bank isn't citing Blizzard as the cause, but says the frequent use of stolen credit cards to pay for WOW subscriptions and fees is enough to warrant caution.
The block applies to Halifax customers, as well as those of its subsidiary, the Bank of Scotland, and legitimate subscribers will need to contact their bank to authorise future payments.
"We have seen a significant number of fraudulent transactions through Blizzard's gaming sites. We have, therefore, blocked the majority of Visa/Mastercard transactions we receive from there in order to combat this," the bank told The Register.
"We do not believe the fraud is anything to do with Blizzard themselves, their sites or the integrity of their billing systems, rather it is site users utilising stolen credit card details to pay for subscriptions," the Halifax spokesman said.
"If a customer does want to subscribe to a game site operated by Blizzard, using a Halifax or Bank of Scotland credit card, we can arrange for the payments to be processed for them if they contact us."
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