Fraud Alert - protect your security code from this new scam
Natalee Roan
March 4th, 2009This scam was sent in by a Vjournal subscriber - It's pretty slick because they provide YOU with all the information, except the one piece they want. Note that the caller already has your credit card number, but is looking for you to give them the 3-digit security code on the back that is not part of the number. DO NOT GIVE ANYONE THIS CODE UNLESS YOU YOURSELF ARE MAKING A PURCHASE.
By understanding how the VISA & Master Card Telephone Credit Card Scam works, you'll be better prepared to protect yourself. Here's what we've been told:
"One of our employees was called on Wednesday from 'VISA', and I was called on Thursday from 'Master Card'. The scam works like this: Caller: '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 Arizona?'
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 1- 800 number listed on the back of your card (1-800 -VISA) and ask for Security.'
You will need to refer to th is Control Number. The caller then gives you a 6 digit 20 number. 'Do you need me to read it again?'
Sounds so legitimate, doesn't it? But 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."
Thanks to Vjournal subscriber Janet D. for this alert. You can email this fraud alert to others by clicking the "email this page" button beneath this article. Also take measures to protect anyone you know who doesn't have email by letting them know never to give out this 3-digit code on their card to anyone who calls them. Seniors are especially vulnerable.
Only a handful of chief
Only a handful of chief executives appear in their own ads. Even fewer appear in them without any pants on. But Dov Charney, the 36-year-old in charge of hip clothing maker American Apparel Inc., is not your typical corporate chieftain. His sense of style -- evoking the seedy side of the disco era -- permeates the company's in-store experience and advertising, including one ad picturing his bare backside. It also carries through to the workplace: Charney feels free to engage in consensual sexual relationships with his staff.redhat certification "I've had relationships, loving relationships, that I'm proud of," he says. "I think it's a First Amendment right to pursue one's affection for another human being."Chances are you've never met an executive quite like Charney. The muttonchops-wearing entrepreneur has built American Apparel into a $250 million-a-year rising star of the rag trade, selling T-shirts, swimsuits, and underwear, all made at his downtown Los Angeles plant. Since November, 2003, when American Apparel opened its first store, 53 retail outlets in five countries have opened.70-236 exam questions Charney claims to have stores, such as one in Manhattan's Soho, that produce $1,800 a square foot in sales, seven times the apparel industry average. He talks of building a $1 billion-a-year business in a few years, with 1,000 locations. He even wants to open stores in Hong Kong, exporting -- of all things -- American-made T-shirts to China.But the freewheeling culture that Charney has cultivated at American Apparel is being put to the test. Charney is a self-described "hustler," who as a teen used to hawk T-shirts on the streets of his native Montreal. But now, he and his 4,500 employees are bumping up against the constrictions of the modern workplace. In a world in which the CEO of Boeing Co. (BA ) was forced to step down over an affair with an underling, Charney has made himself an easy target. In May, he was sued by three women -- all former American Apparel employees -- who claim they were sexually harassed by him at work. He denies that he has harassed anyone. He attributes the lawsuits to disgruntled former employees.70-291 questions In addition, he denies that he has ever pressured employees into a sexual relationship.Under Charney's watchful eyes, American Apparel has become the epitome of hipster cool, with its slim-fitting, logo-free clothes; a savvy, sexy ad campaign; and a pro-labor philosophy. Charney promotes his business as "sweatshop-free," and to back that up he pays his mostly Latino factory workers nearly twice the minimum wage, throwing in health insurance, subsidized lunches, and paid time off to take English classes on the premises. Such jobs -- let alone ones with perks -- are rare in the U.S. apparel industry, where 97% of the goods are imported. As a result, Charney has been the subject of positive profiles in such places as Time, The New Yorker, and CNN.Charney has tried to incorporate some of that pro-labor message into the retail experience. Typically located in edgy neighborhoods such as Los Angeles' Los Feliz or Chicago's Wicker Park, his sparsely furnished stores feature concrete floors and stacks of American Apparel's reasonably priced merchandise, such as $15 fitted T-shirts and $45 hooded sweatshirts. In the windows you'll often find a TV, replaying one of Charney's many appearances in which he talks about manufacturing in the good, old U.S. of A. "I have the highest-paid apparel workers in the world," he boasts.
There are dozens of these
There are dozens of these scams going round. Some will say "Your credit card has been debited $xxx.zz for webhosting or a DVD player or something. Click here to view receipt". Some may say your bank account has been debited, but same ruse.Idea is to alarm the recipient so that they click the magic link.
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