Paphos People

The Paphos and District Information Site

It is currently Fri Nov 01, 2024 2:53 am


Mr-Woo Chinese and Thai Restaurant

The Haris Bar Restaurant

Buy Home in Cyprus banner

Simon the FLYman banner

Paphos Will Writers



All times are UTC + 2 hours [ DST ]


 



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 3 posts ] 
Author Message
PostPosted: Fri Dec 12, 2008 2:16 pm 
Offline
Regular
User avatar

Joined: Fri Feb 01, 2008 1:59 am
Posts: 257
Location: Cheshire
Folks

Firstly, apologies if this is in the wrong section. Maybe it should go into the 'Money Matters' but I believe that more PP's will see this in here, and perhaps help more folk.

Attached is the context of an e-mail warning that has been circulated locally. Please read and pass on to all your contacts.

Please be aware of the latest credit card scam :-



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 .



Please pass this on to all your family and friends. By informing each other, we protect each other.

_________________
Graham

The best mind-altering drug is truth.


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Fri Dec 12, 2008 2:56 pm 
Offline
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Sat Feb 16, 2008 12:57 am
Posts: 1075
Location: Stockport/Chlorakas
Thanks Graham for the warning. Have passed it on.

_________________
Lyn

Tough times dont last long but tough people do


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Fri Dec 12, 2008 3:01 pm 
Offline
Top of the pops
User avatar

Joined: Mon Dec 17, 2007 10:23 am
Posts: 2137
Location: Kissonerga
This sounded familiar ... its a valid warning but is not a new 'threat' ... http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_credit_card_fraud.htm

urbanlegends wrote:
Description: Email flier
Status: Worth heeding
Circulating since: Nov 2003
There's no way to verify whether this anonymous, first-person account is authentic, but the type of fraud it warns against is real enough, so the message is worth heeding even if it is slightly misleading.

_________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My opinion; worth price charged.


Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 3 posts ] 
Paphos people botton - viewtopic_body


All times are UTC + 2 hours [ DST ]


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot] and 12 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  

Kapnos Airport Shuttle



Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group