A very clever credit/debit card scam

Top Dog · A very clever credit/debit card scam

Posted from another forum:

This warning is doing the rounds. Not sure if it is genuine, but it is just the sort of thing I'd fall for!

VISA & MasterCard Telephone Credit Card Scam - READ URGENTLY PLEASE

This one is pretty slick since they provide Y O U with all the information, except the one piece they

want.

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

reading. By understanding how the VISA & MasterCard Telephone Credit Card Scam works, you'll be

better prepared to protect yourself.

One of our employees was phoned from 'VISA', and I was called on another day from 'MasterCard'.

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 London?' 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 0800 number listed on the back of your card (0800-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, 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 - 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 too late and/or

more difficult to actually file a fraud report.

What makes this more remarkable is, I got a call from a 'Jason Richardson of MasterCard' with a wordfor-

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.

This has been checked on
http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/creditcard.asp

and shown to be true.
_________________

WeAreSTFC

best not to use credit cards then

Local lass

WeAreSTFC

Local lass

cash is a safe bet for fraud but you have more chance to over spend with cash

Bear

Also I think you would probably be surprised at the amount of fake currency circulating in this country.