New Credit Card Scam

 New Credit Card Scam. This one is pretty slick since they

provide YOU with all the information, except The one piece they want.

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.