tributehub

Just picked this info up from another forum.


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.  By understanding how the VISA & MasterCard Telephone Credit Card Scam works, you'll be better prepared to protect yourself.

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.

If it happens to you, make a real fraud report and close the account. Your Bank will reissue a new account/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.

The police say they are taking several of these reports daily! They also urged us to tell everybody we know that this scam is happening .

Another reason why one should NEVER have a credit card.

Thanks for the great tip off Lea.

I've been getting a lot of scam email from what looks like (but is not) my bank lately. "Click on the link and make sure all your current account information is up to date" bla bla bla....I printed off the email the other day and took it to the bank, and their security people are innundated with this sort of thing a lot.

Sounds like a good reason for not answering the phone to me.

This post has been in wide circulation for a while, and it does give good advice. Emails that warn of scams and viruses, urging you to forward them to everyone you know are, however, invariably hoaxes and some hoax experts think that this could be one. The perpitrators get their kicks by becoming famous for successfully getting loads of unwitting people to forward a totally untrue piece of "advice", and clogging up peoples' mailboxes in the process.

The difference with this one is that the advice given about not giving out your details is sound, even though the message is thought to have significantly exaggerated the actual frequency of such scam incidents

From hoax-slayer.com:

"A key factor regarding this scheme is that it can only work if the scammer already has your credit card number and contact details. In other words, regardless of the success or failure of the scheme, your financial security has already been compromised. Thus, if you do receive a security code scam call like the one described, recognizing it as a scam and terminating the call is only part of the solution. Naturally, you should also immediately inform your credit card issuer that the security of your card may have been compromised and take any other steps necessary to protect yourself from credit card fraud and identity theft."

So if we all cut up our credit cards and never answer the phone again we'll beat the scammers!

The info I posted was not circulated, it was written by someone on another forum who had been scammed in this manner, I copied and pasted it on here.

Fraudsters will try anything to get hold of your hard earned cash, I know I have been a victim(and that was a debit card NOT a credit card).