We have a very nice couple booked in to sit for us in 2 weeks. We have just been asked if they can post their credit cards to us as they have been cloned while abroad. They are from a different country. I am not sure why they are not being posted to where they are.
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Hi Coco
They may be somewhere it is difficult to receive mail or they are moving around a lot during this period, and might not be somewhere long enough to get the card.
I don’t even know if cards are able to be expedited in any instance, but when I have had cards replaced in the US for fraud, loss,etc…, it could take up to 10 business days to get the new one. So it is possible by time the card came, it would be very close to their arrival at your home or they would even be there already.
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@Coco I have had to do the exact same thing before as I was constantly changing addresses (sits) so I didn’t want the card getting lost along the way somehow. Having it sent to a sit which I knew I was going to be at for a while seemed the logical answer and it did arrive two days before I did so worked out perfectly.
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I understand them getting them posted to your house as it can take 10 days for a new card to come, HOWEVER, you mention they are a couple… both of them got their cards cloned? All of their cards? I wouldn’t let anyone I didn’t properly know for years change their bank details to my address, and even then I’d struggle to say yes.
I once had my replacement card sent to my next sit’s location. Why? Because I was afraid there wouldn’t be enough time for the card to arrive at the location I was at, and I didn’t want to take the risk of the card arriving after I had already left.
If your sit is in two weeks, they are probably worried the new card won’t get to where they are currently before they leave. Then they would have to call the bank again and have them issue a new card and number again. If you aren’t comfortable having it sent to your home maybe they can get it sent to a local post office.
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This is a worry for me as a friend had a scam and had the same thing happen to her and they ended up with bailiffs out for defaulted credit cards and so many problems as it was registered to their address. I really want to belief it is all above board as they are such a nice couple but my friends experience has made me very wary.,
I can totally understand, I’d be wary. I wonder what happens when people stay in hotels and need a replacement card, the banks must have something set up where they can collect it directly from a sister bank in the country they are staying in or from a post office or somewhere like that instead, surely.
The fact they asked you, rather than having it arrive once you are gone makes them seem innocent, but I still wouldn’t like the idea of it.
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Traveling continuously, I’ve had a need to get a physical piece of mail like a credit card and had it sent to where I’m doing a sit. They asked you, that says something. Consider also the THS background check has been done and you have already decided to trust your home and pets to them. Perhaps it would be good to tell them of your concern.
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Getting a credit card posted to your home is not different from getting a product from Amazon. I’ve been housesitting for the last 5 years and I had lots of things delivered to the sits’ location for different reasons. A delivery address will not get you into any trouble.
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Just to add to that - They’re in a couple, only one person is ID checked on THS, as we’re in a couple too and I was suprised that both of our ID’s weren’t requested.
@anon47943759 @ziggy good advice
From your experience, when you did ask for your card to be sent to a different address, did that mean that you also had to change your bank account to the “new” address ?
The permanent address of the account does not need to be changed to get a card sent to a different address. The card can be sent to a different location. I lost a card once right before traveling to visit family for the holidays. The bank just asked where I wanted the card sent and mailed it there. No changes to my account address were needed.
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@coco I understand your concerns. I do think that as they were up front and asked you that’s a good sign that they are not trying to do anything fraudulently or underhand .
However it’s always good to trust your instinct with these things . You could say to them actually I’m not happy with that because ( cite your friends experience) and then suggest that their bank could send the cards to a local bank / post office for collection.
Their bank should have a provision for travellers who loose their cards whilst overseas.
@Silversitters no, I requested the bank to post to the housesit address but keep my normal mailing address on my account as it was. It wasn’t an issue to do so. I guess different banks and different countries may or may not do this.
@Silversitters of course not. And, by the way, it was a Revolut card. They performed some card upgrades last year and were replacing the old cards. Initially, I thought the card would automatically be sent to my home address (as my local bank does). However, they had the option to have the card sent to any location of one’s choice, so, of course, I opted for that. If they sent it to my home address, my son would need to forward it to me, and I wouldn’t be too happy about having my card shipped twice. Additionally, the old card was due to expire within a month, so there was also a time constraint.
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Thanks @anon47943759 and @ziggy
I am sure that that will be reassuring to @Coco .
My U.K. bank will only send to my registered home address or collect from a branch which is why I asked the question .
The same rules apply in Sweden. (even though I once had my Swedish card DHL:ed to Dubai). However, the Revolut card is for travelers thus the shipment is more flexible.
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We get stuff sent to houses we are sitting all the time
Criminals don’t usually ask for permission - I would not worry
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Mine too, hence the worry as I would have to make the temporary address my permanent if I wanted to send elsewhere. This is where the problem is.