IMPORTANT - please read and be aware

[kaz35]

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

[Greedyfly]

Thanx kaz

[andy hughes]

Thanks for the advice kaz - I'll tell everyone I know to be aware.

[Beswad]

Appreciate your warning kaz35. Thanks.

[AB Editor]

While this is not a question, it is helpful advice from kaz35.

However, we urge users not to post anything  - names, accusations, etc - that would likely be libellous and lead to legal action against you and/or this website.

Thanks!

[Kos]

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

[Famous5]

To be fair to CC companies, they do have a fraud office which is very vigilant. 3 years ago they rang to talk to my daughter about an unusually high transaction on her card which had been taken off a suspected thief in a camera shop in Wales. (As the thief was a bloke and my daughters card clearly said Miss.... he can't have been too bright) Point was that my daughter had been in Ghana for about 4 months, so there was no way she could have been in Wales. What the CC company didn't  do was ask for card number or security number, so that's what everyone needs to watch out for

[Greedyfly]

I had an Ebay one just recently - same as other poster but It was asking me  to confirm details - just ignore them

[lookslikemik]

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.

[enigma]

I've had two e-mails from 'Ebay' within the last two days citing a suspended account as the reason for contacting me and asking me to confirm my credit card details - which of course I would never do. It was a generic message , addressed to ebay customer and what I found interesting about it was that I have received similar e-mails and although the sender's details are different , they follow a common theme - the other recipients' e-mail addresses listed are the exact same , indicating that it is the same sender hiding behind various guises , sending them to the same e-mail addresses time and time again. I don't know how they got my details or how to stop it. My brother has had scam e-mails from various banks asking him to confirm his bank details because their system has crashed and they need to update their records. I would never consider giving my financial details out to anyone online and would expect my bank to contact me in writing , quoting my details if they wished to discuss my account. If they have to ask you for your details , then they are obviously fraudulent.

[incuriam]

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

[incuriam]

(Sorry, for some reason the above hyperlink doesn't work. You can find that, and many others hoaxes, on the parent page.)

 

http://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/hoaxes/hoax.asp

[Kos]

Sorry Incuriam, but the purpose of these letters is not to clog up the internet- it is to defraud people of their money!

[incuriam]

Well, Kos, that's fine. If you want to spend your time diligently forwarding another person's pranks to your friends than that's just cool by me.