Lynette Veit Greene Publishing, Inc.
The scammers never sleep. A local woman has reported numerous daily phone calls telling her there is “trouble with your current credit card.” Not Visa, Discover, AMEX, or any other named card – just “your current credit card.” She has always hung up on the caller, but the calls continue. Furthermore, the number on her Caller ID always shows up as a local number, with the 997 exchange; in one case, it was the phone number of a local restaurant, but when she spoke to the management, of course they were not the ones who had called. In a few other instances, her Caller ID showed men's names with the numbers. One name she recognized, but knew that wasn't his number. One or two others she called back because she had an item for sale and wanted to check in case they were potential buyers. The numbers had been disconnected or were no longer in service. The numbers on her Caller ID were the result of “spoofing.” Using digital technology, scammers can mask the number they are calling from and make a completely different number of their choosing appear on your phone. The scammer in the above instance was “phishing” for personal financial information. If you get a call like this, the scammer on the other end of the line is waiting for you to say something like, “What's wrong with my VISA card?” or, if you have multiple cards, “Is this Discover, or AMEX or (any other card you may have)?” Now they have gotten you to bite, the scammer will most likely ask you to “confirm” your credit card number, expiration date, security code, and perhaps your mailing address as well, and voila, the “problem” will be taken care of – for the scammer. He now has the means to make charges or cash advances on your card. Even if you become suspicious before you give out those numbers, you have already told him or her what type of card you have, which may or may not pan out for the scammer, but it means he/she has one more piece needed to complete the puzzle in order to steal your identity and charge goods and services to your account. For this same reason, numerous consumer credit websites also advise that people do not put their correct date of birth on social media sites – your DOB is another important piece of the puzzle that can lead scammers to the next one. If anyone calls you about “trouble” or “a problem” with your credit card, or if they claim to be calling from a credit card company with whom you do have a card, hang up, or use any excuse to get off the line. If you think there might indeed be a problem, or if you just want to check, find your credit card and call the toll-free number on the back. A legitimate credit card representative should not be put off by a request to call back later, and will direct you to use the toll-free number on the back of the card. There may be times when a legitimate representative will call you about a suspicious charge on your card, and want to check it out with you; in that instance as well, they should be willing to let you call back on the official line in five minutes just to be on the safe side. Remember, there is no reason for a legitimate credit card representative to call and ask you to “confirm” your card number, expiration date, security code, mailing address, etc., just as there is no reason for anyone from a bank to call and ask you to “confirm” your bank account number or other personal identifying information with them. They already have this information. As for banks, if there really is a problem with your bank account, a real bank employee will be willing to let you call back on the number you have for that bank so you know with whom you are speaking, or they may want you to come in and speak to someone in person. Should you receive a call like the one described, the Creditcards.com website recommends reporting the call to the local police. One reasons is that if you do have your identity compromised down the road, and if you need a credit freeze, that will be free of charge if you have a police report on file. Whatever information you can provide adds to the data law enforcement already have, and could conceivably help make an arrest further down the road. If a local police department starts getting numerous reports of a particular type of scam in their area, they may be able to spot a trend. Even if there aren't any such results, every little bit of information eventually adds up. If you are actually scammed and end up with fraudulent charges on your card, be sure to have all the relevant documentation with you when you file a report. Consumer education about the kinds of scams that are out there is the best defense. Learn what's out there and share information about scams with your family, friends and neighbors so they won't be caught off guard if it happens to them. Make sure your family, especially children, know that they are to never give out personal information to callers. Check your credit card statements every month for fraudulent charges, and check your credit report quarterly. For more details on credit card scams, and why reporting them is important even if it may not yield immediate results (or sometimes, none at all), see www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/why-file-police-report-card-fraud-1282.php. In addition, when you answer the phone, be ready in case it's a scammer.