Colin Woodcock, who runs country furniture dealer Woodcock Antiques with his twin brother Martin, sold the 18th century oak two-tier cricket table to a buyer over the phone in December 2016.
He checked the person was registered to the address they gave and ensured the card they used had not been registered stolen. However, last month, card payment firm Worldpay wrote to Woodcock and said “the genuine cardholder denied authorising or participating in the transaction”. He had to pay back the £2200.
‘Data matched’ search
Experts have urged dealers and auctioneers to deliver items only to the address that is registered to the card used to pay for an item.
A Worldpay spokeswoman said: “Card not present (CNP) transactions are taken at a business’s own risk.” However, these risks can be reduced by checking the card and address through a ‘data matched’ search. Dealers with concerns “should ring Worldpay for a ‘Code 10’ authorisation to ensure it is safe to proceed”.
Following a spate of credit card frauds, a number of auction firms scrapped CNP transactions.
In 2013 two men were found guilty of a widespread card fraud which targeted auction houses across the country.
