[Vision2020] Fwd: Fw: New Credit Card Scam

[Tom Trail]

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>Visionaries--this new credit card scam was sent to me by a constituent.


>Rep. Tom Trail
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>Subject: FW: New Credit Card Scam
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>This one is pretty slick since they provide YOU with all the 
>information, except the one piece they want.
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>WARNING...New Credit Card Scam.
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>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.
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>One of our employees was called on Wednesday from "VISA", and I was 
>called on Thursday from "MasterCard".
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>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 Marketi ng company 
>based in Arizona?"
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>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?"
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>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.
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>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?"
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>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.
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>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.
>I checked this out on snopes.com
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>Long story made short - we made a real fraud report and closed the 
>VISA account. VISA is reissuing us a new number.
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>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.
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>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.
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>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.
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>Please pass this on to all your family and friends. By informing 
>each other, we protect each other.
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-- 
Dr. Tom Trail
International Trails
1375 Mt. View Rd.
Moscow, Id. 83843
Tel:  (208) 882-6077
Fax:  (208) 882-0896
e mail ttrail at moscow.com
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