WARNING - credit card users

Andy Hine MBE · WARNING - credit card users

> Just be careful this does not happen to you - FYI.
>
> 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 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 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 .
>

butler

Thanks for letting us all know.

Butler

coastergraham

Thanks for that Andy mate

Death

Hail Andy! Twisted Evil

Many thanks for the information...I use only debit cards as a matter of principle, but this kind of scam could work with just about all forms of payment cards with a CHV number (Cardholder Verification Number - The last three digits on the signature strip) Including debit, credit, cash-account, and pre-pay pards. Shocked

I have a tip for those who shop online at all:
Open an account with a seperate bank (I.E: One that ye do not hold an account with.) and use only the debit card (Never a credit card) provided with that account for transactions over the internet.
If ye only keep enough money in the account to cover your forthcoming transactions, and have it set to reject any transactions that would send it overdrawn (Most banks can advise on this) then ye should be safer than normal.

Example:
I have such an account with Natwest, which I normally only keep about £20.00 in at any given time to cover small impulse transactions (Usually .co.uk domain names in my case) and deposit more funds shortly in advance if I'm buying anything more expensive such as flights. My account has been set so that any transactions that would send it below £0.00 are rejected at point of sale. Cool

Having my account set up this way means that if my card details are ever captured by a malicious party (Remember that I use a lot of public PCs) then the only money that is at risk is whatever's in that account at the time - And I'd much rather be scammed for £20.00 than £200.00! Smile

The added bonus of this approach is that as I only use this account for funding transactions online, it means that the details for my main current account (Held with another bank) are never entered online.
Therefore the risk of fraud occurring on my main account is limited to:

My main banks systems being hacked,
Fairly unlikely - They're pretty secure.
My card details and PIN being captured by a bugged cash machine or PIN-pad, or
This can be thwarted by learning a little bit about cashpoint technology, keeping a sharp eye out for anything unusual about the device, and always covering the PIN-pad with your free hand to prevent hidden cameras seeing your PIN.
Careless disposal of printed records & other hard-copy,
I shred anything with just my name or anything more personal upon it and split the shreddings between my dustbin, public litter-bins and the toilet. I also check the bins behind bank branches at random to ensure that all customer information is being destroyed properly, and advise them of the consequences if it isn't.

Farewell...And hope that my advice above is of use to ye all! Cool

>> Death <<

bluea61

I'd actually think it's wise to use a Credit Card as I'm sure this ffers you greater protection. If you card is cloned and used, you are insured against purchases yu didn't make. 'm sure this is the case which is not the same as a debit card.