Visa / Mastercard Phone Scam – Be Vigilant

Visa / Mastercard Phone Scam

We received a scam phone call today from a person claiming to represent Visa / Mastercard.

We were immediately suspicious, and hung up after we got some information.

1. The call came to our Dublin landline number, and the incoming call displayed as a Dublin number 01 869 3622
2. The person knew our surname (possibly from a phone book) and claimed to represent Visa / Mastercard
3. They claimed there were two fraudulent transaction on our debit card, an Ebay purchase and another larger transaction from Nepal

We hung up before the scam caller could go any further, and called Visa to report it. They said they had received a similar report last week, with one digit difference in the incoming number.

How the Scam Works

For the scam to be successful, the scammer will promise to cancel the bigger fraudulent transaction on your account for a fee. In a recent case, this was €200.

If you have just been informed by someone who sounds authoritative that your account has been compromised, panic may lead to an impulse decision. This is how they succeed.

Protect Yourself and Be Vigilant

If there has been a genuine fraudulent transaction in your account, you will receive a text from your bank or credit card company.

To be safe, call your bank / credit card company on the number on the back of your debit or credit card, and go through the verification steps required with them.

The scam caller did not attempt to verify that they were speaking to the account holder. This is a red flag.

Please share this information with anyone who may benefit!

Read more about common scams aimed at older people.

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