How to block a lost or stolen Belgian bank card - new phone number

Belgium's Card Stop hotline, which allows users to quickly block a missing or stolen bank card, has become a completely free service from this week.

Telecoms minister Petra De Sutter said it was "absurd" that the victims of bank card fraud or theft should have to pay €0.30 per minute to protect their accounts.

"As most customers today have a mobile subscription, we make sure that a call to Card Stop is included in their package of minutes, to avoid additional charges," De Sutter added.

Card Stop was launched as a cooperation between Belgian banks in 1993, using a paid-for 070 number.

The switch to a freephone service from this Monday requires the use of a new phone number. It is now 078 170 170. The old number will remain operational for several years to ensure no calls are missed.

Financial services federation Febelfin has launched a multimedia advertising campaign to raise awareness of the new number. Stickers on cash machines will all be replaced.

Last year, Card Stop received 824,127 calls. Some 68% of calls were for lost cards, 8% were thefts and 25% of callers had been the victims of an internet scam.

The number is available 24 hours a day in Dutch, French and English. It can also be called from abroad by adding the +32 prefix to the phone number.