Slick Credit Card Scam

Greetings. A friend sent me a notice about a slick credit card scam, involving Visa or Master Card holders. This has been verified as a "for real" scam, so watch out! Here it is.

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
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 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 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..