Another Scam Out There

My daughter sent me the following which came to her from a reliable source. I don't know how credible it is but worth the warning anyway.


WARNING...New Credit Card Scam.

Note, the callers do not ask for your card number; they already have it. This

information is worth reading. By understanding how the VISA & Master Card

Telephone Credit Card Scam works, you'll be better prepared to protect yourself.

One of our employees was called on Wednesday from "VISA", and I was called on Thursday

from "Master Card".

The scam works like this: Person calling says, "This is (name), and I'm

calling from the Security and Fraud Department at VISA. My Badge number is 12460

Your card has been flagged for an unusual purchase pattern, and I'm calling to

verify. This would be on your VISA card which was issued by (name of bank). Did

you purchase an Anti-Telemarketing Device for $497.99 from a Marketing

company based in Arizona?" When you say "No", the caller continues with, "Then we

will be issuing a credit to your account. This is a company we have been

watching and the charges range from $297 to $497, just under the $500 purchase

pattern that flags most cards. Before your next statement, the credit will be sent

to (gives you your address), is that correct?"

You say "yes". The caller continues - "I will be starting a Fraud

investigation. If you have any questions, you should call the 1- 800 number listed on the

back of your card (1-800-VISA) and ask for Security.

You will need to refer to this Control Number. The caller then gives you a 6

digit number. "Do you need me to read it again?"

Here's the IMPORTANT part on how the scam works. The caller then says, "I

need to verify you are in possession of your card". He'll ask you to "turn your

card over and look for some numbers". There are 7 numbers; the first 4 are part

of your card number, the next 3 are the security Numbers' that verify you are

the possessor of the card. These are the numbers you sometimes use to make

Internet purchases to prove you have the card. The caller will ask you to read

the 3 numbers to him. After you tell the caller the 3 numbers, he'll say, "That

is correct, I just needed to verify that the card has not been lost or

stolen, and that you still have your card. Do you have any other questions?" After

you say No, the caller then thanks you and states, "Don't hesitate to call back

if you do", and hangs up.

You actually say very little, and they never ask for or tell you the Card

number. But after we were called on Wednesday, we called back within 20 minutes

to ask a question. Are we glad we did! The REAL VISA Security Department told

us it was a scam and in the last 15 minutes a new purchase of $497.99 was

charged to our card.

Long story made short - we made a real fraud report and closed the VISA

account. VISA is reissuing us a new number. What the scammers want is the 3-digit PIN number on the back of the card. Don't give it to them. Instead, tell them you'll call VISA or Master card directly for verification of their conversation. The real VISA told us that they will never ask for anything on the card as they already know the information since they issued the card! If you give the scammers your 3 Digit PIN Number, you think you're receiving a credit. However, by the time you get your statement you'll see charges for purchases you didn't make, and by then it's almost to late and/or more difficult to actually file a fraud report.

What makes this more remarkable is that on Thursday, I got a call from a "Jason Richardson of MasterCard" with a word-for-word repeat of the VISA scam.

This time I didn't let him finish. I hung up! We filed a police report, as instructed by VISA. The police said they are taking several of these reports daily!

They also urged us to tell everybody we know that this scam is happening.

Please pass this on to all your family and friends. By informing each other,

we protect each other.
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I just had a call from my local bank's security department. I'm always leary of these calls. I 'dropped' the call and then called my bank and asked for 'nicole' in fraud. Turns out she asked me if I was in the mountains on my cell. It was the real deal as my wife had made 4 seperate Grocery purchases one day while feeding a group of kids at the High school on a cook out.

I'd say that the majority of these calls are legite. But best to make sure

 

Our survival depends on our vigilence. We can never be too cautious as we go about our day to day lives even when others perceive us to be paranoid.