"Refinement of an older scam" Topic

Important read this

According to snopes the following is possible and has happened – contingent on the scammer having a lot of information – best advice is to hang up and call your credit card company to inquire about erroneous charges.

This is innocent information on the phone and we get into trouble for it without realizing what has happened. Might be worth passing on to relatives and friends.
link

Credit Card Scam.

The Holiday Season is just a little bit down the road and the bad guys are already trying to get free stuff by using your credit.
New Credit Card Scam Snopes.com says this is true.
Click on link above.
This one is pretty slick since they provide YOU with all the information, except the one piece they want.
Note, the callers do not ask for your card number; they already have it. This information is worth reading. By understanding how the VISA & MasterCard Telephone Credit Card Scam works, you'll be better prepared to protect yourself.
One of our employees was called on Wednesday from "VISA", and I was called on Thursday from "Master Card".
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 USD 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 USD to $497, just under the $500 USD 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, "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 you rcard. 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 USD 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.
What makes this more remarkable is that on Thursday, I got a call from a "Jason Richardson of Master Card" 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.

I remember a probably scam about 10 years ago. I get a phone call from a company that said that we won a trip on a cruise ship so I said cool, not really believing it. I asked how we won and I was told that we entered a draw in one of those mall draw thingies. My wife entered thinking she was entering for a gift certificate. Next I find out that I had to pay my own way from Edmonton to Florida and that I had to give them a credit card number to hold the trip. Right then the flags went up and I said thanks but I am really not interested. He started to make me feel that I am missing out on a great opportunity and that if I don't take the offer now that it will be passed on to the next person on the list. So I said I will call the number he gave me to confirm everything is on the up and up. Well at this point he starts to get mad at me calling me crazy etc etc. I just hung up and never heard from him again but I did hear on the news about a scam involving a Florida trip.

I never ever give out personal info on the phone unless I start the call or know who I am talking to.

Thanks for the heads up

I got a fail safe method to them RIGHT off.

I got rid of the phone.

Thanks for the info.