Any truth to this (from an email I recv'd)

[Gentle Ben]

Any truth to this? , got in an email


22 DIVISION CRIME PREVENTION OFFICER: FRAUD SCAM ALERT
Message No.
92-2007
Occurrence No.None
Type of Occurrence
Fraud Scam Alert
Neighbourhood
To All 22 Division Email Recipients


This is a new Visa/Matercard scam that is presently being used in Albert but will take no time all before it find its way to the G.T.A..
How Does It Work: A person calls and states they are from the Security & Fraud Department at Visa or MasterCard. They provide an ID number. They inform you that your card has been flagged as a result of a pattern of unusual purchases and they are calling to verify these purchases. The caller tells you the purchase was made on a Visa or MasterCard issued by, and the caller names the bank. The caller asks you, "Did you purchase an Anti-Telemarketing Device for $497.00 from a marketing company based in Arizona?" When you say, "No.", the caller states, "Then we will issue a credit to your account. This is a company we have been watching and the charges range from $297.00 to $497.00, which is just under the $500.00 purchase pattern that flags most cards. Before your next statement the credit will be sent to (caller gives you your address), is that correct?" You say, "Yes." The called then states, "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 and ask for security. You will need to refer to this control number (caller gives you a 6 digit number). Do you need me to repeat that number again?" At this point you are feeling comfortable, and this is where the scam comes in. The caller then states, "I need to verify you are in possession of your card. Turn your card over, there are 7 numbers on the back. The first four are part of your card number, the last 3 are the security numbers and will verify you are in possession of your card. Please read the last 3 numbers." You read the numbers and the caller of course confirms the information. "That is correct. I just needed you to verify that the card had not been lost or stolen and that it is in fact in your possession. Do you have any other questions?" After you say no, the caller thanks you and states, "Don't hesitate to call if you have any further questions." During the call you actually say very little and they never ask for or tell you your actual credit card number. You are still feeling pretty good about the call, so what was the scam? The scam, is obtaining the 3 digit pin number on the back of your card which is often used during internet purchases to confirm you have that particular credit card. Criminals have technology on their side when it comes to obtaining your credit card number but for internet purchases the 3 digit pin number is usually required.


Remember: Security services for all the major credit card companies will never ask you for any information printed on your credit cards, they already have it. If you receive a call similar to this, do not provide any information and report it to your credit card company immediately.



Allan Benson


Crime Prevention Officer
No.22 Division, Toronto Police Service


B 416-808-2208

 

[stang]

Hard to believe that people still fall for that stuff.
I'd love them to call me and try it.

But thanks for passing it along and helping educate people.

 

[Aardvark154]

Any truth to this? ,The caller then states, "I need to verify you are in possession of your card. Turn your card over, there are 7 numbers on the back. The first four are part of your card number, the last 3 are the security numbers and will verify you are in possession of your card. Please read the last 3 numbers." You read the numbers and the caller of course confirms the information. . .The scam, is obtaining the 3 digit pin number on the back of your card which is often used during internet purchases to confirm you have that particular credit card. Criminals have technology on their side when it comes to obtaining your credit card number but for internet purchases the 3 digit pin number is usually required.


Remember: Security services for all the major credit card companies will never ask you for any information printed on your credit cards, they already have it. If you receive a call similar to this, do not provide any information and report it to your credit card company immediately.

Simple answer yes once you've provided them with that information let the good times roll. That is if you’re the credit information thieves

 

[glaeken]

Confirmed

http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/creditcard.asp

This particular scam has been going on for a few years now.

 

[Moraff]

Yup, this popped into my wife's email box and she called our CC company to ask them about it. They said it's been around for awhile and told her that they would never have to ask for that information as they already have it on their computers.

 

[cypherpunk]

Phone-based scams are supposed to be on the rise.

 

[timid_toronto]

A few years ago BMO Mastercard had some issue with possible hacking of their darabase, when that happened they sent me a letter telling me that my card number was one of the numbers that could be under potential risk. Two weeks later I received another letter with a credit card in it, the letter told me to call a number and verify that I had received the card. I duly obliged and called BMO, where they switched my credit card number to the new one and told me to cut the old one in half.
The only reason for this long winded story was that in case of credit card fraud and or hacking of database they usually (as stated in my experience at least) send you an official letter stating the problem and don't randomly call you to verify information. More over even if I had called the bank and they asked me to verify the 3 numbers at the back I would rather make an appointment and go to the bank in person to complete the process rather then give out such information on the phone.

 

[Jade4u]

When my credit card was really stolen the bank did not ask for any card information. They only confirmed that it was me that they were talking to and my D.O.B and a security question that only they were aware of that was arranged at the bank when I first got the card. That way I knew it was really them who was calling as nobody else would know the question that was supposed to be asked. After that all they did was ask me to check to see if I had the card still and that was it. They stopped use on my card and sent me a new one.