New Credit Card Fraud Scam

FYI

This current credit card scam explanation was sent to one of
our bank officers @ Country Club Bank so I wanted to send it out
to all of you FYI. Take heed!


WARNING...New Credit Card Scam.

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 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 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 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 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.
By informing each other, we protect each other.