Credit Card Scam - 18th Apr 2007 7:55pm
Possible Credit Card Scam.
I was sent this buy an overseas friend.
The attached is details of a credit card scam that is currently
circulating in Australia and may already be in NZ. Please read.
Subject: FW: Visa & MasterCard - won't take long for this Aussie scam to
hit NZ FYI... 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 Sydney?" 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. I checked
this
out on snopes.com. 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 would 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 takingseveral 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.
Mark Butcher
Security Manager
DHL Express (NZ) Ltd
I was sent this buy an overseas friend.
The attached is details of a credit card scam that is currently
circulating in Australia and may already be in NZ. Please read.
Subject: FW: Visa & MasterCard - won't take long for this Aussie scam to
hit NZ FYI... 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 Sydney?" 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. I checked
this
out on snopes.com. 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 would 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 takingseveral 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.
Mark Butcher
Security Manager
DHL Express (NZ) Ltd