JimV8

Please pass along.


Visa / MasterCard FRAUD

Just a heads up to 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. 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 say - '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.

TrackdayRSA.

Wow, thanks for the heads up Jim.

Bob Rouleau

Good info, thanks!

Zookie

NICE!!! sooooooooooooo Group Buy?

StanThePorscheFan

Thanks Jim. I'll be sure to pass this on.

Imo000

Thanks!

I was expecting to read the "two hot girls stole my wallet in the Sears parking lot" joke.

carguy88

Jim, did that actually happen to you, or was that a cut & paste?

JimV8

It was a cut and paste. It was forwarded to me.

ibeaudoin

That's a nasty one. Thanks for sharing.

It's pretty close to what VISA is really doing.
Few weeks ago I did a big purchase over the phone in the states and shortly after VISA called me to confirm everything. What VISA told me is very close to what's written in this story, except that the purchase was real for me.

Ian

carguy88

Solution is simple..never give any info out to anyone unless you called them!

bavorak

Thanks for the good info, It's getting frustrating keeping up with all the scams going on and how to protect yourself, sharing this kind of info help build a quicker arsenal for dealing with such situations. Thankfully Visa/MC has policies in place to protect the card holder in a case of deception, other wise I would have cut up my card years ago.

atr911

Did you ever get your anti telemarketing device? You got a good deal, I paid $600 for mine. It still hasn't shown yet, but it is coming from nigeria so I understand.

Mike_UCR

It's amazing how sophisticated these scams are getting. These people are really good at their "jobs". Pity they don't apply their talent for good purposes. Thanks for the heads up & I will pass it along.

Turbodan

thanks Jim,
I wonder how they get your phone number or do they just look it up in the phonebook. unlisted here. I think just having unlisted number protects me from a lot of scams, also don't give out my home phone very often.

JimV8

Whats interesting about this scam is the perps already have the VISA/MASTERCARD numbers. There are number of ways they can get that. Somebody sold somebody a list or they dove into a dumpster.