Scam Alert

[babylonsister]

FYI: rec'd in an e-mail, but doesn't hurt to be aware.


This one is pretty slick since they provide YOU 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 'Master Card'. The scam works like this: Caller: '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 - short - we made a real fraud report and closed the VISA account. VISA is reissuing us a new number. W hat 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 that on Thursday, I got a call from a 'Jason Richardson of Master Card' 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.


Sorry it is so long...but its pretty crazy.

[Maddy McCall]

1. Thanks for this info.

Sadly, it's the elderly who fall for scams like this. :(

K/R

[slackmaster]

2. Thanks for posting this, it is indeed a very slick one!

Obviously the scammer has more information than most do.

...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....

We who have worked in the business know that VISA or MasterCard International would never call a cardholder (they aren't even supposed to have your information); only the issuing bank would do that. And an issuing bank would never ask for the three-digit security code. They would ask a typical security question like the name of your childhood pet, the last four digits of your Social Security number, or your mother's bra size. ;-)

Very interesting indeed.

[napi21]

3. I've gotten very paranoid about stuff like this. I'm sure my policies

have penalized some ligitimate orgs. but I don't give to ANY charities who call the house (most are police, fire depts, local fund drives...or at least claim to be), and I don't give ANYONE on the phone any info. I try to be nice every time and simply explain that I can't be sure who is callling so I've stopped donating or giving out any info, but if I happen to get more than one or two on the same day, my patience runs out!

[Leftist Agitator]

15. "...most are police, fire depts, local fund drives...or at least claim to be..."

Take it from a former telemarketer, most of these are legitimate, but there's a catch (naturally)...

The actual charitable organization only receives about 15% of your donation. The telemarketing firm gets the other 85%.

Better off to give money directly to whichever cause you fancy than to deal with a rapacious intermediary.

:hi:

[ZombieHorde]

4. Thanks for the heads up1

[bbgrunt]

5. too smooth. Thanks for the warning. k and r

[sellitman]

6. What would we do without our "Sis"?

Thanks! ;)

[hisownpetard]

43. Isn't she the best?!! Thanks, b-sis. We'd be lost without you!!

:headbang: :yourock: :headbang:

Susan/h.o.p.

[elehhhhna]

7. fyi -- It's never too late to file a fraud report.

[elehhhhna]

8. and, how do they get your visa # in the first place? Any idea?

[canetoad]

13. I know how

Friends recently travelled to Ecuador where Ralph was taken seriously ill and moved to Jackson Memorial in Florida. MAJ his wife was there for about four weeks, using credit card. Back in Melbourne last week she checked the statement - there were about $2,000 in charges, mostly small amounts but a couple for $500, that had happened after she had flown back to Melbourne.

We have deduced that card details were copied in a restaurant she used, where the card was taken out of her sight. After a few days the details were sold on - the fraudulent transactions happened across three or four states.

Whoever had these details only had to Google to find a telephone number, postal address etc.

I've been accused of paranoia in shops, but I try to never let my card out of my hands, much less my sight. If the merchant needs to scan it, I make sure I get it back immediately - no hanging on to it while the transaction processes.

[CreekDog]

23. this is why i never pay with a debit if my card leaves my sight

like at restaurants.

with a debit card, the money would be gone while i try to get it back. at least with a credit card, if they try to rip me off, i keep my money while they deal with a dispute.

[Tigress DEM]

41. So THAT's what happened to all those laptops that went missing..

There was a huge rash of laptops with sensitive info like ssn and credit info being "lost" by government people. Either taken out of offices or literally lost somewhere.

Trying to remember how long ago that was. Not sure. But it seemed I kept hearing about it for months some new incident popping up, but it seems to me about a year ago or more maybe. Around the same time there was a big stink here in Minnesota about the auto ticket cameras by the freeways, I think.

[spanone]

thanks

[spanone]

9. thanks

[hobbit709]

10. I never give out info to someone that calls me

Ijust say I don't have my wallet handy and can I have their number and I'll call them back. If there's any hemming and hawing at that point I know what's going on. I also compare the phone number to the one on the back of the card.

[Tigress DEM]

42. Still as a scam, this is pretty slick. The 800 number matches.

They are giving you your information. And VISA fraud DOES call sometimes, but I don't think they would ask for any information. They had me make a police report to verify that I *didn't* have my card when I made a report, but did not ask me info over the phone.

The slickness of this is it SOUNDS reasonable.



Good post!

[samsingh]

11. thanks

[JanusAscending]

12. Thanks Sis!

I guess the scammers are making the rounds today! I got one of those "South African" emails today! I guess they think we were all born yesterday??? All I did was click it to spam, so I can get to it if I knew where to forward it! I want to get it into the right hands, but don't know whose hands they are?????? DC:shrug:

[TexasObserver]

14. "Give me your name, and I will call back on the number provided on my bill."

The above statement is the one all cardholders should use any time anyone calls and says they are from your credit card company. Require them to give you their name, their department, and their extension.

THEN, get out your acccount statement and call the number provided on it. If it's a real person with the real company, you'll be able to reach them and you'll know it is THE credit card company.

NEVER give your pin number to anyone who calls you, no matter what they tell you.

[Voice for Peace]

16. Thanks, K&R! There are some very convincing PayPal scams out there as well.

[spanone]

17. visibility kick

[begin_within]

18. In general you should never, ever give any information to anyone - unless YOU placed the call

[file83]

19. Even better, give the scammer the WRONG 3 DIGITS!!!

Before you do that, pretend to be saying the number but always make yourself sound like you are cutting out,

Scammer: "What's your 3 digit code on the back of the credit card?"
You: "Okay, the number says 4...sst...9".
Scammer: "Excuse me, could you repeat that?"
You: "Sure, it's ffp...mee...6"
Scammer: "You keep breaking up, was that 4 6 9?"
You: "Oh my dear, no, it's 6...ffapt...9"
Scammer: "!?!?!?"

And so on...but then give them some bogus number.

And tell them how thankful you are that they are protecting your $20,000 credit limit with a zero balance.

Bastards!

[cascadiance]

40. Give them the local police number to call to get "this information"...

And maybe they'll hang themselves calling the cops or the FBI, etc. that you gave them. Perhaps give some excuse like, "Oh, my wife has my card now, she could help you with this! Here's her number", and then give the number of some FBI, police or other authority that will be able to trace their phone call and nail the bastards!

[1]

20. for the longest time i received no telemarketer/scammer calls...

lately my phone rings at least once a day. so i switched to a new answer...

caller: "mr. x?"
me: "mr. x is dead."

almost without exception they just apologize and end the call.


except one time. you know those "police" calls for widows and orphans of cops?

this dude actually tried to engage in conversation.

caller: "mr. x?"
me: "mr. x is dead."
caller: "so who am i talking with?"
me: "i'm just here to settle his affairs."
caller: "so, where do you live?"
me: "fuck you, asshole." *click*


i love those those "police" calls...

[CreekDog]

24. the "deputy sheriffs" call here for fundraising a lot

they told me they give 20% to the actual charity. :rant:

[Quantess]

21. late night kick

for those who missed it the first time.

[CreekDog]

22. Never give any personally indentifiable information in response to an incoming call

period. that's a start.

[ooglymoogly]

25. Thanx for the excellent info. nt kr

[hisownpetard]

26. Sounds like one I might fall for, even though I'm always skeptical. Thanks!

[Q3JR4]

32. Me too.

Even though it's quite obviously a scam when you think about it.

Q3JR4.

[Danascot]

27. This isn't new

http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/creditcard.asp

... been around since the credit card companies started adding security codes, but still good to be aware.

[jumptheshadow]

28. Most on-line vendors ask for that number

I've had to give that number out to many reputable on-line merchants.

I wonder if they are going to have to change their forms?

[proud2BlibKansan]

29. Oh wow my bank just called me last night

They left a voice mail. When I called back, no one answered. I figured they were closed for the day and I would just call back on Mon.

But I thought it was odd since my bank has never called me before and I have had that account for a long time now.

Thanks for the warning! Oh I checked Snopes and this is definitely legit.

[WyldRogue]

30. Well...

... anyone with BASIC common sense SHOULD know that your Credit Card Provider ALREADY has your banking info concerning your Credit Card. You know, the standard fare info: Account #, VAT #, pin #, DOB, and other info to verify their card holding member and relevant accounts.

Why would someone need to divulge information about their account to their CC provider?? If people are THAT gullible, then they don't need to have a credit card as they appear to NOT have any lick of common sense at all.

I do have pity for ELDERLY victims but if the victim is between the age group 25 - 59, no sympathy from me.

RULE OF THUMB: YOUR CREDIT CARD PROVIDER ALREADY KNOWS YOUR CARD INFO AS THEY ARE THE ONES THAT ISSUED THE CARD!! eom

[quakerboy]

37. To be fair

they use that info to verify that you are who YOU say you are. When you call a bank you virtually always have to provide some of that info for verification purposes.

Of course, when they call you that is a little different. You should hang up and call them back at a number you have verified.

[undeterred]

31. I only use a debit card and I check my account online

every day. If someone else was using my card I would know it immediately.

[WyldRogue]

33. Here's a true story...

... a good friend of mine had her CC info stolen by.... get this... a gas station attendant in New Jersey. NJ has it so that you can't pump your own gas so you have to hand whatever you are going to use to pay for your purchase (CC, check, cash) to the attendant.

Long story short, an attendant copied down the CC #, exp. date and the VAT # off the back of the card and charged up to $2000 on her account. How she found out was a courtesy call from Circuit City concerning a purchase of a $700 laptop made online and they wanted verification. Needless to say, she was shocked and called me right away. The scammer was a Russian immigrant that worked at a gas station in NJ who thought it would go undiscovered if it had NOT been for that courtesy call. Since then, I have had her manage her account online so she can check it every day. She now watches attendants very closely and monitors the activity on that card in case one of them decides to rip her off.

Mr. CC Ripoff was arrested but has since skipped out on appearing in court and the gas station claims they no longer knows where he is (protecting one of their own). Sad state of affairs when you have ripoff artists coming to the country and swindle honest, hard working, tax-paying, law abiding citizens to fill the coffers of the politicians.

[undeterred]

35. A former co-worker who was an immigrant

did that at a store where I worked. He used credit card information to steal from somebody elses account. But the person whose number was used didn't notice it or report it for two months. By then the thief was long gone. Ultimately it cost the store.

[stlsaxman]

34. Pretty good rule of thumb i've always used... Never give important information unless YOU call THEM.

if they tell you the card has been alerted- tell 'em thanks and i'll notify my bank/ card.

and thanks for the heads-up!

[Uncle Joe]

36. Thanks for the heads up babylonsister.

Kicked and recommended.

[lyonn]

38. Thanks BabSis, this follows how Visa and MC will notify

you if some unusual transactions occur on our card that seems suspicious. How sneaky. We must protect ourselves as we are our own last resort.

Edit: Don't give info during a call. Tell them you will call them back, get their info and then call the number on your card or acct. to verify. This has happen to me. Husband was out of town and I took their info and said I'd call back. Then called my husband for further advice. My card was being used by someone, the charges were for an Astrology internet site from France! It was properly taken care of but did have to wait for new card. Weird how they get your credit card number??

[a kennedy]

39. Snopes....

it's true... http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/creditcard.asp thanks for the info.