Sheriff’s office warns about another scam

Another new scam is pretty slick, according to Island County Sheriff’s Office. The callers don’t ask for your card numbers, because they already have ’em.

By understanding how this VISA & Mastercard telephone credit card scam works, you’ll be better prepared to protect yourself.

Two people at the sheriff’s office received these calls last week, one from VISA and another from Mastercard.

The caller says, “This is (name), and I’m calling from the security and fraud department at VISA. Your card has been flagged for an unusual purchase pattern and I’m calling to verify. Did you purchase an anti-telemarketing device for $497.99 from a marketing company?

When you say no, the caller continues with, “then we will be issuing a credit to your account.” The caller continues with, “I will be starting a fraud investigation. If you have any questions, you should call the 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 six-digit number. 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 the three security numbers.

After you tell the caller the numbers, he’ll say, “That is correct, I just needed to verify that the card has not been lost or stolen.”

The caller then thanks you and says, “Don’t hesitate to call if you have questions, and hangs up.

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 three-digit PIN number on the back of the card.

Don’t give it to them.