Clever new credit card scam warning

[newshound]

Passed on from work:

WILTSHIRE POLICE Keeping you informed.

Swindon Police Station Gablecross Shrivenham Road South Marston Swindon Wiltshire SN3 4RB Telephone: [phone]

Hi all,

This has been passed on via another Force area through our own Fraud Department In Wiltshire Constabulary, and it is a very convincing SCAM. We have been asked to disseminate the information as widely and as quickly as we can through Neighbourhood Watch, School Safe and others.

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 "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..

Regards GP

[Toby]

Bit slow, this was reported in 2006

would they already have your name, address, phone number, card numbers, but not the CVV code?

[S Viemeister]

Sorting through rubbish, if you haven't shredded old statements, or getting to your post before you do.

[Nightjar]

From any shop sale where you use the card to buy something that needs your personal information, such as an extended warrantee.

Colin Bignell

[Mike Barnes]

newshound :

"I'll call you back at the number on the card."

End of problem.

[Mathew Newton]

This is the dead giveaway. Really, if it says that it's almost certainly not true.

Now, please pass this on to all your family and friends.. ;-)

Mathew

[Man at B&Q]

Why not pass on all your work e-mails? We could do with a laugh.

Nothing new, nothing clever.

MBQ

[Bob Eager]

Bins.

[chris French]

Though this one is a genuine scam, a friend of mine almost got caught by it.

[Huge]

Definitely a UL, then.

[John Stumbles]

---8

[JTM]

NO If I dial your number, we can talk. Then you hang up but I don't. Then you pick your 'phone up and dial a number (many people don't wait for a dial tone, they just dial) You will still be connected BY MY CALL TO YOU

John

[JTM]

It's one of the regular warning with a grain of truth that seems to do the rounds.

[Andrew Gabriel]

I've had Visa call me a number of times about suspicious activity (which was sometimes fraud, sometimes not). I never enter in to a conversation, other than to say I'll call them back immediately, and of course that's using a number I already have, and not anything they might tell you over the phone. They've always understood why and it's never been a problem.

[chris French]

In message , Andrew Gabriel writes

Yup, I've done that a couple of times.

Though I have on occasion entertained myself by asking them to prove they are from the bank (when I was sure they were,). It didn't occur to them to suggest I just phone them back.

[chris French]

In message , JTM writes

Indeed, as I said a friend almost got caught by one of these scams. I don't know if it was exactly the same, but it sounded very similar to what they described.

[Andy Burns]

Press recall, hang up, wait for ringback to stop ringing, pick up phone and dial required number ...

[The Natural Philosopher]

very easily, but I am not saying how.

[Lobster]

The cc companies certainly don't help this sort of scenario and the educating of their customers; I've certainly been in situations where I've been phoned by them and then asked to prove who I am by giving them my DOB or whatever.

Naturally enough I refuse, for all the reasons discussed in this thread; but clearly it's part of their protocol to ask these questions, which is pretty damned stupid...

David

[Mike Barnes]

JTM :

So? Even if a person was dim enough not to notice the absence of a dial tone, they'd know something was wrong when they got straight through to the person they were just talking to. If you dial the number on the back of the card, you get through to an automated call centre. Everyone knows that.

It's really not difficult.