Scam Warning

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Scam Warning
Emails in bad english offering to buy your item and paying by Cashiers Cheque, building society or Bankers draft for an amount greater than you are asking, then to send the balance on once the cheque has cleared. This is a scam using stolen/forged bank drafts/cheques which can clear in 3 days and bounce in two months. You may then have no car, and have paid the scammer the surplus cash and your bank pulls the total amount back. DO NOT REPLY. The NCIS (UK National Criminal Intelligence Service) are aware of this variation on the West African Fraud.
If in doubt ring Nigel on 0871 2777160 (Line open most days including holidays 0830 - 2100, Note 0871 National call numbers are charged at 10p per minute all times)
 
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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 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 had a call from my bank (o/seas) asked me if I had bought anything in Brazil, told them never been there. Someone had done a fifty dollar purchase then when didnt flag upped it to $3000 in a electrical store.
It turned out my card had been skimmed in UK , where they slipped up I had only used it in one place , so it led police straight to the skimmer. now sitting inside awaiting deportation.
I now use a card with a very low limit for everyday things esp fuel , even though I didnt lose out kind of shakes your faith in humanity;)
 
tacr2man said:
though I didnt lose out kind of shakes your faith in humanity;)
Click to expand...
It can come from anywhere - has happened to me twice. First time was when I used a card I don't usually use to pay my union dues. They reckoned it was probably a temp office worker there. Bank discovered it because they had got away with a couple of purchases and started to use their own name instead o mine! Recent one was when I bought a camera mail-order from France. Next day someone bought an air ticket in Chenai (Madras as was). You don't lose out, but it's WELL worth checking every statement. Twice.

The other warning is: NEVER put a direct debit on a credit card. You are not covered by the DDebit guarantee. If the company you are paying won't cancel the payment, your card company will go on paying out and charging you. For ever. You can't stop the payment from your end
 
WARNING:

A ‘Heads Up’ for those of us men who may be regular B&Q customers. Over the last month I became a victim of a clever scam while out shopping. Simply going out to get supplies has turned out to be quite traumatic. Don’t be naive enough to think it couldn’t happen to you or your friends.


Here’s how the scam works.


Two seriously good-looking 20-21 year-old girls come over to your car as you are packing your shopping into the boot. They both start wiping your windshield with a rag and Windex, with their breasts almost falling out of their skimpy T-shirts. It is impossible not to look. When you thank them and offer them a tip, they say ‘No’ and instead ask you for a ride to another B&Q or Homebase. You agree and they get in the back seat. On the way, they start undressing. Then one of them climbs over into the front seat and starts crawling all over you, while the other one steals your wallet.


I had my wallet stolen November 4th, 9th, 10th, twice on the 15th, 17th, 20th & 24th. Also December 1st, 4th, twice on the 6th, three times just yesterday, and very likely this coming weekend.
 
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