HELP!!! Thinkpad Phishing Scam????

[Lenovoate]

Hi all,

I recently placed an order for a W500 through Lenovo's website. I was very excited to get the price I got because it was through Lenovo's 48 hour sale.

The order process was smooth, and when it finished I got the order comfirmation page with my customer number and order number.

Then it gets strange. I never got a confirmation email from Lenovo. I checked my email address with my Lenovo account, and it was correct. Weird, I thought. But maybe just a mistake.

So I checked Lenovo's website to check my order status, and everything looked fine. Shipping date was the same. All good.

Now here's the really strange part. The next day, I get an email from someone at "directlenovo.com" that says that my order has been canceled do to a problem with my credit card. I called the number in the email (not Lenovo's customer service number) and I get a rather rude Indian woman who says that she can't help me and that I need to talk to my bank.

Thinking maybe my bank flagged such a large purchase (I don't make many purchases over $1,000), I call my bank, and they said the transaction went through, and the money was gone from my account.

I checked Lenovo's website later that day, and my order was gone from their sysyem.

Can anyone here help me figure out what happened?

I'm trying to call Lenovo right now, but I'm really scared. It sure all seems like a phishing scam. But how!!! It was through Lenovo's website!

Please help. Any light you can shine on this situation would be greatly appreciated.

[ajkula66]

No phishing scam there. Lenovo's credit card services and processing leave a lot to be desired...quite a few people (including myself) had issues during the ordering process...credit cards denied, hold put on funds five times in a row etc...

Lenovo doesn't actually charge your card until the item has been shipped. They do put a hold on funds though, which expires in a couple of business days.

"directlenovo.com" is a valid address, BTW.

I'd call back on Monday to see what's what. If the money is indeed gone and the order has been canceled, you need to speak to your bank again and get all the data.

Good luck.

[Lenovoate]

Thanks I appreciate the help. I did check out directlenovo.com, and it turned out its just their direct sales portal.

Your right, it is just a hold on funds...but still not good.

Monday? I can't take care of this tomorrow?

Yikes....much to be desired indeed.

[ajkula66]

Your bank can remove the hold if you ask them to...

Call back and have them explain what the problem with the credit card exactly is...

Good luck.

[Mark@Lenovo]

Hey,

Sorry to hear about your troubles. George offers fair advice.

Can you send me a PM with your order number? Like 2Dxxxx?

Honestly, if Lenovo has canceled the order, there is nothing else Lenovo can do to clear the charge hold. Charge holds are a function of the issuing bank, and vary in duration based on the rules of the issuing bank / card type.

I understand that it can be frustrating not to have an order in place, and not to have the charge hold cleared over the weeked.

Mark

[sparta.rising]

You are mentioning funds removed from your bank... so I assume that you are using a debit card... I'd really suggest that you use a credit card for online transactions, much easier to deal with in the event of problems or fraud.

[carbon_unit]

Yep, I learned the hard way too. Never use a debit card for online purchases. Always use a credit card. They have much better protection.

[Lenovoate]

Yep, I learned the hard way too. Never use a debit card for online purchases. Always use a credit card. They have much better protection.

Yep I'm learning the hard way too. Turns out they're claiming my address is wrong, but I've double checked with the bank three times and they have the right address.....

Still figuring it out. Thanks for the help.