johnpaulca
12,036 posts
msg #58967
- Ignore johnpaulca |
1/14/2008 12:42:30 PM
I received this from a friend today.
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 called on Wednesday from "VISA", and I was
called on Thursday 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 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 - 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 MasterCard 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 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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