Caution: Quite A Sophisticated Scam

Brothers of Briar

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RSteve

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This morning I received a phone call: Good morning, I'm calling from Capital One services. Late yesterday a charge in the amount of $1678.00 was placed on your Capital One Visa at Best Buy in Madison, Wisconsin. Capital One has no past history of your charges emanating from Madison, Wisconsin. We need to know if this was a legitimate charge or to clear your account of the charge and forward it to our fraud services. (I don't have a Capital One account and never had one, but played along)
"No, I did not make that charge and want it cancelled immediately."
"I'll need some information from you before we can proceed. If you are apprehensive about giving sensitive information to me, please call our toll free line" He gave me a 1-800 number.
I dialed the 1-800 number and it answered, "Capital One Visa Services, please hold until the next available customer service representative can help you." Some music and a Capital One ad played.
Line answer: "This is Capital One Services, how may I help you."
I referenced the earlier phone call and then the scam was exposed. "May I have your name with middle initial and zip code." Of course, I gave a bogus name and zip. "What is the 12 digit number on the face of your Visa card." (I made one up) "I'll need the expiration date on your card." (I made up a date) "Now this is imperative. I'm going to record this. Tell me exactly what has occurred, detailing your allegation of a fraudulent charge and what you told our agent who phoned you previously. Be very specific."
I blabbered on and on that I was in St. Paul, MN and couldn't have made a charge in Madison, Wisconsin yesterday; that I'm an older person and the charge is something I couldn't afford, etc, etc. Then the closer: "To make certain that this is completely cleared on your account and we can send you a certified mail confirmation, I need to verify your on-file mailing address Capital One has on record. Please give it to me very clearly." (I gave a bogus address.) "Now, for security purposes, at the tone, please respond, yes or no, "Do you authorize Capitol One to investigate a charge made on your account that you allege you did not make?" Of course I answered, "Yes."
"To make certain that you are the account holder of the Capital One Visa card in question, I'll need to record the three digit number on the back of the card." I, of course, gave a number. "Thank you from Capital One Visa Services. We will proceed with our investigation immediately."
Needless to say, when I phoned the 1-800 number, it was prefixed with *67 which conceals my phone number.
It all sounded very official; good voices, no accents, dial back 1-800 number.
Ultimately, I Googled the 1-800 number and it doesn't "exist".

You've got to wonder how often they snag an unsuspecting "mark."
 
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I just hang up. If the call starts out with something about my SS account, after I hang up I log on to my SS account to verify that nothing is amiss. My actual checking account does occasionally text me with a fraud alert. It seems triggered by three strange looking charges on my debit card. I received one two days ago based on an order from P&C, a charge from Microsoft, and one from a local grocer. I confirmed the charges on my account from the web site and then responded to the text. I've never received a phone call with a fraud alert that was anything but bogus; but they keep trying. It is entertaining to listen to the call once in a blue moon, just to see what they are up to now. I guess they must have some success or they would give it up.
 
I don’t get phone calls (yet) but I do get emails...tons...daily...re purchased items, shipments, charges on my account(s) I need to cancel, passwords violated, firewalls bursting like a Chinese dam...whatever...all fakes. I actually got the one from the famous African prince who needed to send me $40K to put into my bank account. I had always felt left out so that one made my day. My wife and I both laughed our fool heads off. Lots of ‘em read like they were typed by a Serbian grade school kid or use crazy flowery language. Easy to spot. Gone immediately. The ones that look almost legit I just click the senders email address on the “from” thing and an urgent email from Google or eBay or Microsoft or whatever magically transforms into having really been sent by...frankott376xyzgotcha...or something. Again...erased immediately. NONE ARE EVER OPENED.

But I got one this am from “Google” about account passwords having been hacked (mine and thousands of others). Hmmmm. Clicked on the senders email designation...YUP google all right. Turned out that passwords to 3 accounts had been “compromised”.

TAKE NOTE: Interesting enough, one of them was “4U Motion” or whatever the outfit was that ran BoB’s former website. I went in and erased that sites password to the old BoB site thing and the other two as well. Suggest you guys check that out on your systems...if you can. Took me a half hour to figure out how to do it.
 
It seems triggered by three strange looking charges on my debit card.
Most financial advisors will tell you to only use your debit card at an ATM to get cash. Your credit card liability on any fraudulent charge, by federal law cannot exceed $50.00. There is no limit on a debit card. A few years ago, when I was using my debit card frequently, there was a fraudulent $1900 purchase made at a Walmart in Hudson, Wisconsin, which is half a bridge from the MN suburbs. It took three months before the money was restored. The overhead camera at the Hudson Walmart showed the purchase was made by a young female, who just happened to be a cashier at the Walmart where I'd shopped several days earlier in Eagan, MN, a St. Paul suburb.
 
Most financial advisors will tell you to only use your debit card at an ATM to get cash. Your credit card liability on any fraudulent charge, by federal law cannot exceed $50.00. There is no limit on a debit card. A few years ago, when I was using my debit card frequently, there was a fraudulent $1900 purchase made at a Walmart in Hudson, Wisconsin, which is half a bridge from the MN suburbs. It took three months before the money was restored. The overhead camera at the Hudson Walmart showed the purchase was made by a young female, who just happened to be a cashier at the Walmart where I'd shopped several days earlier in Eagan,
My card runs either as Credit or Debit and I usually choose Credit unless I personally know the vendor and it is cheaper for them. I’ve had one occasion of true fraud, a year ago last Christmas. The tip off was a charge for $600 worth of white carnations from a New Jersey flower shop plus a few more charges from around the country. It was all cleared up in a few days but a bad time to deal with getting a new card. I told the employees at my credit union they should all expect flowers for Christmas.
 
Don't do no stinkin' debit card/s. Except while traveling overseas to avoid those pesky interest fees charged on many credit cards when you use it to get cash from an ATM. These scam idiots can be sneaky. I seldom get a phone call; emails are dumped/blocked immediately. Thanx for the reminder about "*67." I had forgotten about that!! FTRPLT
 
About a year ago, I got several a call from a guy who sounded like Punjab in India saying he was from the treasury dept. and that I owed them several hundred dollars. I played along and listened to him for a bit, then I said, you know what, I don't owe the f###ing govt. a red cent and you can kiss my a##. He said that if I did not authorize payment immediately he would have to send authorities to my house to arrest me. I knew this was a scam, but by now I had had it. I said, look you little weasel, you want money from me you come and get it. I told him my address, and said I'll be waiting for you at the front door and I will be armed, so if your willing to give up your life to take my money as much as I'm willing to die to keep it, I'll see you when you get here. Then I hung up. He hasn't called back.
 
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