New VISA/Mastercard Phone Scam

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Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2007 11:04 pm

This is copy and pasted from an email I received from a listserv I'm on. I figure it would be beneficial to all here, as well.

Quote:

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 "Master Card".

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-Telemarke ting 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 acco u nt. This is a company we have
been w atching and the charges range from $297 to $497, just under the $500
purchase pattern that flags most cards. Before your next statement, the cr
edit 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 ar e 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 ha ve 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 S ecurity
Department told us it was a scam and in the last 15 minutes a new pur chase 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, tel l them
you'll call VISA or Mas ter 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 Master Card" 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.

Baiting Guru Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Posts: 3193

It's not new - the copy of that on our noticeboard is around a year old. But I checked at the time and Snopes said it was correct. It's certainly a slick way to get the one piece of data they can't get by dumpster diving.

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