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New Credit Card Phone Scam Being Reported

Sep 01, 2006

NJ CAR has been informed that scammers are calling individuals and businesses and stating they are from either VISA or MasterCard. The person calling says they are calling from the credit card company’s Security and Fraud Department. They provide a badge number and state that your credit card has been flagged for an unusual purchase pattern. This is where the scam gets creative, because they already have the majority of your information. They will verify what bank your card was issued on and then ask if you made a purchase for some sort of device.

When the cardholder says they haven’t made the purchase the caller states that “VISA” will be issuing a credit to your account. They then verify your address. When the cardholder says yes, the caller states that a Fraud investigation will be started, providing the cardholder with a fictitious “control number,” and encouraging them to call the 800 number on the back of their card if they have any questions.

The caller then states that they need to verify that the card is still in the cardholder’s possession and asks for the 3-digit security code on the back of the card. At this point, you’ve said very little and the caller has provided you with several pieces of personal information. If the cardholder provides those numbers, the caller simply agrees and says that is correct and they just needed to verify that the card was not lost or stolen.

The scam is looking for the 3-digit security code on the back of the card so purchases can be made on the card, without having the card in their possession. VISA has stated that they will never ask for any information on the card. VISA encourages anyone who receives a call like this to file a police report.