This information has been passed to me for onward transmission to all our readers. It is for your guidance and if you know somebody who has no contact with the internet, please pass it to them as well. As is said at the end of the e-mail:-
Please pass this on to all your family and friends.. By informing each
other, we protect each other.
Sandwell Trading Standards have received the following scam alert, which is being circulated on behalf of Wiltshire Police.
Credit Card scams are not new and there are a number of ways in which
scammers will attempt to obtain the necessary information from credit cards
in order to obtain goods falsely and at your expense. The following example
is current and the source of the alert has been verified.
If anyone is, or has been, contacted in the way identified in the alert,
please report it to: Consumer Direct (08454 04 05 06) or Lincolnshire
Police (03001110300).
Credit Card Scam Alert (Issued by Wiltshire Police - February 2010):
This has been passed on via another Force area through our own Fraud
Department in Wiltshire Constabulary, and it is a very convincing SCAM. We
have been asked to disseminate the information as widely and as quickly as
we can through Neighbourhood Watch, School Safe and others.
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.. 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 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.
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.
