Genealogy Chat

Marjorie..........Ive done that........Hee Hee annoying isnt it? Bob

Thankyou for that warning. However, it is unlikely to happen to me - I received a new card a few days ago and a new pin number. I carefully activated the card and cut up the old one. Today I went shopping, only to discover that I had, in fact, cut up the NEW one!!!!! Marjorie

Thanks for telling us, what a scam. Susan

Hoax or not, if you don't shred communications from banks(account numbers on the letters!!) then your identity can be and IS stolen. Whatever you think, just take reasonable precautions to safeguard your hard earned cash. Jane

if they are ringing you then they shouldn't need to ask questions to verify who you are. I got phoned few months ago from someone who said they were from Peugeot finance and were ringing to see if i was happy with my new car (had just got a new car) then asked for my DOB for security and i asked why they needed to know that. Then the man said 'ok we'll send you the questions through the post'. Never got anything and boyfriend works for peugeot and he said that the finance company wouldn't ring to see if you were happy with car. Shows how easy it could be to give out info

Jane would you mind posting this on the general boards aswell please as there are others on there who do not use this board Thank you Susie xx

THIS IS NO HOAX This happened to my collegue at work about 6 months ago!!!! She didn't worry at first when her statement came through with the transaction for £495 showing, as she assumed the 'credit' would appear the following month. She only discovered she had been conned when the next statement did not show the expected credit. Luckily when she reported it her card issuers were aware of the scam and were sympathetic, she received a full refund.

Hoax I'm afraid . The only time this number is any good is if the other person already knows your credit card number and expiry date, as traders we can take credit card payments and we need that number to process the transaction when people pay by credit card over the phone. All that number does is to prove you have the card in your possession. It's not part of your credit card number and it's not encrypted on the magnetic strip. It's an urban myth I'm afraid. See http://www.snopes(.)com/crime/warnings/creditcard.asp Regards Carol www.genealogyprinters(.)com

Always be extremely dubious and sceptical about any communication allegedly from banks or credit card companies by phone or e-mail. The bank always writes to you and they don't need info about your card because they know it already. nell

Worth knowing Jane. Thanks,, kay.

This could happen in any country to anyone of us! Heads up folks! Let's beat these people at their own games! Fraud Alert, not humor My husband 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 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 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, 'he needs 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 nex t 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 him the 3 numbers. 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 stole n, 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 made 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 the conversation. The real VISA told us that they would 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 to 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Get the NEW version of MSN Messenger with Video Conversation - it's FREE!

This is from my Daughter in U.S. so although it is not Genealoy,I think itis worth passing on. See Below