dave.gsi
20-02-04, 11:14 AM
copied from an email ........
FOR THE ATTENTION OF ALL BUSINESSES AND ALL STAFF
Reports have recently been received regarding a very clever and believable scam involving credit cards.
The scam takes form of a phone call allegedly from a member of staff from Visa or MasterCard (this could quite easily change to the card issuer) giving their name, badge number and informing you that they are calling from the Security and Fraud Department to check a recent purchase. The caller may explain that your card has been flagged for an unusual purchase pattern, and is calling to verify the purchase. They will provide details of the item, price and company the item was allegedly purchased from.
You of course will inform them that you have not made that purchase. The caller may continue with something along the lines of issuing a credit to your account, and go on to explain that it is a company they have been watching, and the charges range from ?297 to ?497, just under the ?500 purchase pattern that flags most cards.
The caller will then inform you that before your next statement, the credit will be sent to (they read out your address), and ask if that is correct. You are then informed that they will be starting a fraud investigation, and that if you have any questions, you should call the 0800 number listed on your card and ask for Security. You are told that you will need to refer to this Control #" and you are given a 6 digit number.
The caller may offer to read this to you again before allegedly needing to verify you are in possession of your card (this is where the scam takes place - up until now they have requested nothing) You are asked to turn your card over and look at the 7 numbers on the signature strip of your card, they may well read the first four digits to you (these are generally the last four digits of your card number which they already have).
The next 3 are the security numbers that verify you are in possession of the card. These are the numbers you need in order to make internet purchases to prove you have the card. You are asked to read the final three digits on the reverse of the card, which they then confirm this is correct. They will reaffirm that this only needed this to ensure the card is still in your possession.
You will be asked if you have any questions and reassured that if you think of anything at a later date you may call back. You actually say very little, and they never ask for or tell you the card number.
Advice on this matter has been taken from Barclaycard UK Police Liaison Office. They are aware of a small number of cases and are happy for this information to be circulated in the hope that it will prevent further occurrences.
Barclaycard also wish to confirm that although on occasions they may make calls concerning questionable transactions, you will not be asked for your card details, or security numbers. All this information is held with them and the caller will not require you to divulge this information. They have also asked that we remind customers they will never be asked for complete passwords or PIN numbers, and that these should never be divulged to anyone.
Samantha Hancock
Business Crime Co-ordinator
Derbyshire Constabulary
C/o Derbyshire Chamber & Business Link
Innovation House
Riverside Park
Raynesway
Derby
DE21 7BF
Tel : 07736 083895
Fax : 01332 548088
FOR THE ATTENTION OF ALL BUSINESSES AND ALL STAFF
Reports have recently been received regarding a very clever and believable scam involving credit cards.
The scam takes form of a phone call allegedly from a member of staff from Visa or MasterCard (this could quite easily change to the card issuer) giving their name, badge number and informing you that they are calling from the Security and Fraud Department to check a recent purchase. The caller may explain that your card has been flagged for an unusual purchase pattern, and is calling to verify the purchase. They will provide details of the item, price and company the item was allegedly purchased from.
You of course will inform them that you have not made that purchase. The caller may continue with something along the lines of issuing a credit to your account, and go on to explain that it is a company they have been watching, and the charges range from ?297 to ?497, just under the ?500 purchase pattern that flags most cards.
The caller will then inform you that before your next statement, the credit will be sent to (they read out your address), and ask if that is correct. You are then informed that they will be starting a fraud investigation, and that if you have any questions, you should call the 0800 number listed on your card and ask for Security. You are told that you will need to refer to this Control #" and you are given a 6 digit number.
The caller may offer to read this to you again before allegedly needing to verify you are in possession of your card (this is where the scam takes place - up until now they have requested nothing) You are asked to turn your card over and look at the 7 numbers on the signature strip of your card, they may well read the first four digits to you (these are generally the last four digits of your card number which they already have).
The next 3 are the security numbers that verify you are in possession of the card. These are the numbers you need in order to make internet purchases to prove you have the card. You are asked to read the final three digits on the reverse of the card, which they then confirm this is correct. They will reaffirm that this only needed this to ensure the card is still in your possession.
You will be asked if you have any questions and reassured that if you think of anything at a later date you may call back. You actually say very little, and they never ask for or tell you the card number.
Advice on this matter has been taken from Barclaycard UK Police Liaison Office. They are aware of a small number of cases and are happy for this information to be circulated in the hope that it will prevent further occurrences.
Barclaycard also wish to confirm that although on occasions they may make calls concerning questionable transactions, you will not be asked for your card details, or security numbers. All this information is held with them and the caller will not require you to divulge this information. They have also asked that we remind customers they will never be asked for complete passwords or PIN numbers, and that these should never be divulged to anyone.
Samantha Hancock
Business Crime Co-ordinator
Derbyshire Constabulary
C/o Derbyshire Chamber & Business Link
Innovation House
Riverside Park
Raynesway
Derby
DE21 7BF
Tel : 07736 083895
Fax : 01332 548088