Scammers Pretend To Be Fraud Investigation Agents For Visa & Mastercard

[skylady]

Sounds like this one is going around AGAIN.

Just a heads up for everyone regarding the latest in Visa fraud.

Royal Bank received this communication about the newest scam. This is

happening in southern Alberta right now and moving.

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.

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 last 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 last 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 were 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. 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. I dealt with a similar situation this morning, with the

caller telling me that $3,097 had been charged to my account for plane

tickets to Spain , and so on through the above routine.

It appears that this Is a very active scam, and evidently quite

successful. more info: http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/creditcard.asp

[Andry]

Thanks for your informations here. I didn't know if there is scam VISA Card in the world. Maybe it's because I don't have any Credit Card yet so I never knew transactions about that :D