monkimagic
20th February 2006, 10:01 PM
CREDIT CARD FRAUD: IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ
The following was given to me by a colleague at work, whose
husband works
for Barclays and has dealings with Barclaycard.
Quote: 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". Note, the callers do not ask for
your card
number; they already have it.
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
that was issued by (name of bank). Did you purchase an
Anti-Telemarketing Device for £249.99 from a Marketing company
based
in (name of any town or city)?" 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 £150 to
£249,
just under the £250 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 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 £249.99 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 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.
------------------------------------------------
May come in useful if
The following was given to me by a colleague at work, whose
husband works
for Barclays and has dealings with Barclaycard.
Quote: 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". Note, the callers do not ask for
your card
number; they already have it.
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
that was issued by (name of bank). Did you purchase an
Anti-Telemarketing Device for £249.99 from a Marketing company
based
in (name of any town or city)?" 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 £150 to
£249,
just under the £250 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 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 £249.99 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 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.
------------------------------------------------
May come in useful if