Cyprus-Forum.com

[Shipwreck]

This may be an old one but if it stops one more person from being ripped off, it was worth posting.

This one is pretty slick since they provide Y O U 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 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 London?" 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 0800 number listed on the back of your card (0800-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 - 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 MasterCard 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 .

[Bill]

This warning has been doing the rounds for about 4 years .

I'm not sure if it's correct or not BUT the warning is there ~
DON'T GIVE OUT ANY DETAILS OVER THE PHONE OR IN REPLY TO A EMAIL REQUEST .

It's quite simple really but every year lots of people get caught out .

The scammers favourite way of making you divulge your details is telling you your account will be stopped ~ this is something most don't want just before xmas as it's a time of increased spending ~ sadly those that do respond end up with nothing to spend at xmas due to their accounts being emptied by the scammers .

If you do get a phone call just say thank you for your concern ~ I'll contact My local bank / card supplier and then hang up.

With an email request ~ don't reply to it ~ but if you are really concerned contact your bank or card supplier ~ they may ask you to forward the email to their fraud department .

It's Christmas and the scammers know they have you at a very vulnerable time so be careful out there

Bill

[Sega]

What can I say, these people are proffesional scammers. Just remember these people have no soul, the most precious thing a human has and they don't have one.

Thanks for the tip though, I will be more alert in future.

[DT.]

What can I say, these people are proffesional scammers. Just remember these people have no soul, the most precious thing a human has and they don't have one.

Thanks for the tip though, I will be more alert in future.

thats very racist of you....are you anti-fraudite?

[Sega]

I am not quite sure what you mean by 'anti-fraudite', I put it in google but nothing game up, which leads me to believe such a term does not exist. I searched 'fraudite' on it's own and it came up with many french sites. After trying to translate the term it eventually returned with nothing.

With respects to the terms 'racist' I got the following definition:

Racist: discriminatory especially on the basis of race or religion
Ref: wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

As you can note in order to be racist you need to target an individuals race or religion and subsequently treat them worse than what you would class a normal person on the grounds of race. Taking this into consideration I am not being racist, let alone very racist.

[Eliko]

Sega, I think DT deserves a little praise for conjuring up a new (if that be the case) word for general use.

By using 'ite' as a suffix to the word 'fraud', he has opened the door to a multitude of other possibilities which may be applied in the same manner.

As a member of this forum, I am therefore a 'forumite', this expression immediately fraternizes us all and may be worth remembering when a conflict of opinion occurs.

Who knows, one day we 'forumites' might even resolve some disputed issue.

Best Wishes (Brother) or (Sister) whichever the case may be.

[Bill]

Bloody hell it's a good job nobody put the word ~Nigerian ~ in front of fraud otherwise we would all be in trouble Bill

[Sega]

Sega, I think DT deserves a little praise for conjuring up a new (if that be the case) word for general use.

By using 'ite' as a suffix to the word 'fraud', he has opened the door to a multitude of other possibilities which may be applied in the same manner.

As a member of this forum, I am therefore a 'forumite', this expression immediately fraternizes us all and may be worth remembering when a conflict of opinion occurs.

Who knows, one day we 'forumites' might even resolve some disputed issue.

Best Wishes (Brother) or (Sister) whichever the case may be.

What are your thoughts on the 'very racist' remark he made at me?

[Niki]

What can I say, these people are proffesional scammers. Just remember these people have no soul, the most precious thing a human has and they don't have one.

Thanks for the tip though, I will be more alert in future.

thats very racist of you....are you anti-fraudite?

Sega, this is simply a joke! He is not insulting you, just making an ill-timed bit of humour.

[BC Numismatics]

Bloody hell it's a good job nobody put the word ~Nigerian ~ in front of fraud otherwise we would all be in trouble Bill

Bill,the biggest fraudsters aren't from Nigeria,but from the Vatican City in Rome.They expect their extremely gullible followers to hand over some of their hard-earned cash.That money is put into buying more idols for the worship of His Hellness,the Pope of Rome!

Here's a link; www.chick.com/information/religions/catholicism .

Aidan.