ARKANSAS-L Archives

From: "Vicki Kent" <>
Subject: NEW SCAM: Identity Theft Again
Date: Mon, 20 Mar 2006 08:57:51 -0800

Family and friends, this is not a hoax. Read this, but bottom line, never
tell someone your credit card information over the phone if THEY call YOU.
If I missed anyone, please feel free to share.



Vicki Kent





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 #

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 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 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 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 yo u'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 to 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.

This thread:

• NEW SCAM: Identity Theft Again by "Vicki Kent" <>