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New Scam Aimed at Credit Card Holders

January 3, 2006
In an effort to foil thieves who steal credit card numbers, banks have begun putting a three-digit security number on the back of each credit card as an extra line of defense. The tactic has proved effective – so much so that thieves have formulated scams to trick consumers into voluntarily revealing that code, according to the New York State Banking Department.

The Department issued a warning to consumers, outlining details of the scam. It says the scam is effective because the scammers don't need to elicit the consumer's credit card number — they already have that information, which not only gives them a leg up but also boosts their credibility.

"As credit card use has continued to skyrocket, there are more and more people – online merchants, store clerks, waiters – who have access to your credit card number," said Diana L. Taylor, Superintendent of the New York State Banking Department.

"This scam works so well because, prior to making the call, the scammer has already illegally obtained the consumer's credit card number. By asking only for the three-digit security number during the phone conversation and providing phony badge and control numbers, the scammer sounds legitimate to the unsuspecting consumer."

It starts when the consumer receives a call from someone claiming to represent the security and fraud department of a major credit card company. In order to sound official, the call is conducted in a professional manner.

The caller claims the consumer's card was flagged by the security and fraud department for demonstrating an "unusual purchase pattern" for a recent purchase of an amount under $500.

When the consumer denies having made the purchase, the scammer reassures the cardholder that a credit will appear on the consumer's next credit card statement. After providing the consumer with a phony control number to "document" the fraud claim, the scammer asks the consumer to provide the three-digit security number from the back of the credit card in order to prove that the consumer is currently in possession of the card.

Once the consumer divulges this number, the scammer has everything needed to make a fraudulent purchase using the credit card number.

Department officials say that usually within fifteen minutes of the call, the scammer uses the information to make a purchase for the amount the scammer told the consumer had been 'flagged' as suspicious. The consumer will not find this immediately unusual, as the scammer had warned that this unusual charge had been made.

Officials advise consumers who receive a call purporting to be from a bank or credit card company's security or fraud department to hang up and call the credit card's toll-free number in order to determine the validity of the call. Most companies list that number on the back of the credit card.

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