Science2 mins ago
IMPORTANT - please read and be aware
Hope this is the right section for this, thought that i had to make people aware - I've just recieved an e-mail about a credit card scam that is happening at the moment. Caller rings & says they are from the Security & Fraud depatment at VISA, and they give you a fake I.D number They ask you to verify if you have made an 'unusual purchase' for a large amount of money. When you say 'no' , they say that they have been watching a company for a certain amout of time, this has happened to other people, e.t.c, and that your account has been debited for x amount of money. In order to start a fraud investigation and re-credit your account(!) they will want your card number, MORE IMPORTANTLY, the 3 digit security number. Once they have this, they can basically keep debiting your account.This is cutting a long story short, but you get the jist. VISA stress that they will NEVER ask you for details of card numbers over the phone because they already have the details! Please be aware, and just hang up - these people can be so convincing that it is easy to get taken in xx
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For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.I have also received a spoof email on this, which is different to the normal ones I get about confirming account details.
It supposedly comes from Ebay stating that they have suspended your account as they have spotted dodgy dealings on your account and that they need to check your details.
TIP:- The give away that it is a spoof is that it is addressed to 'Dear Ebay member' whereas Ebay always address you by your name when emailing you
A credit card company will NEVER ask for any card numbers, security numbers etc., for the simple reason that they already know them! Any call that purports to be from a company, and asks for any details on the card itself, is fraudulent. The 3-digit code on the back of the card cannot be obtained otherwise, and as this is now required for many online transactions, this method has become common.
If in doubt about any call from a financial institution, hang up and call them yourself. They can confirm in seconds whether the call was legitimate.
The email you mention is a hoax. Most scares of this type are hoaxes. The idea is to create huge chain letters. These chain letters clog up the internet and that is bad. Fortunately, we have folk like Trend Micro who list all these hoaxes for us.
http://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/hoaxes/hoax5.asp?HName=V isa+%26+MasterCard+Fraud+Hoax