Cons, Frauds and Scams

 

Visa Payment Scam

A con artist called a senior resident six times and told them they owed a large sum of money on their VISA card and that it was overdue. The caller tried to intimidate the senior into paying the bill. The caller asked for the senior's credit card number to verify the information.

Please do not give out this information or any other personal information over the telephone if you don't know who is on the line.

 
Credit Cards

Identify thieves are still trying to get personal information by calling credit card holders and posing as fraud investigators. They tell the victim that they are investigating a fraudulent charge on their credit card and they offer to help the victim reverse the change and obtain a credit. All they ask the victim to do is "verify" their credit card information and address. NEVER give out personal information over the telephone. Besides, if they really were from your credit card company, they would already have your information!

Unusual Purchase Patterns - Consumers are receiving calls from someone who identifies himself or herself as calling from the Security and Fraud Department at VISA or MasterCard. They tell the consumer what type of card they have and which financial institution issued the card. So they have some information about the consumer to start with. They then tell the consumer that their credit account has been flagged because of unusual purchase patterns and they are calling to verify a purchase. When you tell them that you did not make a purchase, the caller states that they will issue a credit to your account for the amount of the alleged purchase. Then they tell you that a fraud investigation will be started and they need to verify that you are in possession of your credit card. They ask you to read aloud the last three numbers of the seven-digit number on the back of your credit card. These last 3 numbers are in fact special security numbers and once released they allow the caller to send charges through to your account. If it were your credit card company who was calling they would already have the information they need. Please DO NOT release any personal information over the phone unless you're absolutely certain who the caller is.

Computer Malfunction  - We received information about a scam that has hit Arizona. The victims were contacted by telephone and told that the computers at their credit card company had malfunctioned. The caller then asks the victim to verify their credit card number, date of birth, Social Security Number, and mother's maiden name. In some instances the information obtained has been used for fraudulent activity. They are targeting the senior community.  

Please do not release personal information over the telephone; you cannot be certain that the call is legitimate.

 

 

Mesa Police Department
PO Box 1466
Mesa, AZ 85211
480-644-2030