Warning - your credit card is at risk

I recently placed a tackle order on Leslies of Luton's on-line shop, and got an order confirmation message, unencrypted, that gave not only details of my order but also my credit card number, my address, the works -- in fact, everything that a credit card fraudster would need to clear out my account. Being unencrypted, the message could have been read by anyone, or harvested while in transit.

I immediately sent an e-mail to Leslies about this, but they tried to fob me off with worthless assurances that there is nothing to worry about. Which planet are they living on? However, they have assured me that "any concerns are now purely academic as of this week we will have a completely different shop." Which suggests to me that they were aware of the problem but chose not to tell their customers.

This is the only on-line shopping site that I have ever seen such criminally irresponsible behaviour from. I, for one, will never again shop on line with Leslies. I would counsel anyone against giving Leslies their credit card details on the Web -- if you must shop with them, phone in your card details.

What about if the shop use portable telephones? Somebody could be listening in using an FM radio. This is what I used to do at home before they got DECT phones

Was the little padlock showing on your Internet task bar at the time? If not then it wasn't secure, but what is secure these days? Like Karl says, someone could be listening in to a phone conversation.

All the more reason for patronizing your local tackle shop.

I would love to patronize my local tackle shop, but Roman tackle shops do not stock everything I want -- they really do fish very differently in Italy.

Doh!

Had the same thing happen to me Paul. Phoned an order through to a Derbyshire tackle shop, order arrives with invoice taped to the front displaying all my card details - very disconcerting. Never used them again.

Dealt with 'Specialist Tackle' via the FM site and had nothing but first class service; they even phoned me the next day to inform me that one of the lines I had ordered was out of stock and would I prefer to cancel my order. That's what I call customer service.