Thread: Scam Alert

  1. #1
    Jolie Rouge's Avatar
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    Scam Alert

    Just when you thought you'd heard it all.

    This scam is actually very clever. Be very careful out there!

    This one could easily slip by most anyone - beware of people bearing gifts.

    The following is a recounting of the incident from the victim:

    Wednesday a week ago, I had a phone call from someone saying that he was from some outfit called: "Express Couriers,"(The name could have been anything) he asked if I was going to be home because there was a package delivery for me that required a signature.

    The caller said that the delivery would arrive at my home in roughly an hour, and sure enough, about an hour later, a uniformed delivery man turned up with a beautiful basket of flowers and wine. I was very surprised since it did not involve any special occasion or holiday, and I certainly didn't expect anything like it.

    Intrigued about who had sent me such a gift, I inquired as to who the sender was. The deliveryman's reply was, he was only delivering the gift package, but allegedly a card was being sent separately... (the card has never arrived!) There was also a consignment note with the gift.

    He then went on to explain that because the gift contained alcohol, there was a $3.50 "delivery/ verification charge," providing proof that he had actually delivered the package to an adult of legal drinking age, and not just left it on the doorstep where it could be stolen or taken by anyone, especially a minor.

    This sounded logical and I offered to pay him cash. He then said that the delivery company required payment to be by credit or debit card only, so that everything is properly accounted for, and this would keep help in keeping a legal record of the transaction. He added couriers not needing to carry a bunch of cash, would make them less likely targets for robbery.

    My husband, who by this time was standing beside me, pulled his wallet out of his pocket with the credit/debit card, and 'John,' the "delivery man," asked my husband to swipe his card on a small mobile card machine. It had a small screen and keypad where Frank was also asked to enter the card's PIN and security number.

    A receipt was printed out and given to us as our copy of the transaction. He then said everything was in order, and wished us good day.

    To our horrible surprise, between Thursday and the following Monday, $4,000 had been charged/withdrawn from our credit/debit account at various ATM machines. It appeared that somehow the "mobile credit card machine," which the deliveryman carried now had all the info necessary to create a "dummy" card with all our card details after my husband swiped our card and entered the requested PIN and security number.

    Upon finding out about the illegal transactions on our card, we immediately notified the bank which issued us a new card, and our credit/debit account was closed.

    We also personally went to the Police, where it was confirmed that it is definitely a scam because several households had been similarly hit.
    WARNING: Be wary of accepting any "surprise gift or package," which you neither expected nor personally ordered, especially if it involves any kind of payment as a condition of receiving the gift or package.

    Also, never accept anything if you do not personally know or there is no proper identification of who the sender is. Above all, the only time you should give out any personal credit/debit card information is when you yourself initiated the purchase or transaction!
    Laissez les bon temps rouler! Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.** a 4 day work week & sex slaves ~ I say Tyt for PRESIDENT! Not to be taken internally, literally or seriously ....Suki ebaynni IS THAT BETTER ?

  2. The Following User Says Thank You to Jolie Rouge For This Useful Post:

    BeanieLuvR (12-17-2013)

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    BeanieLuvR's Avatar
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    Thanks Jolie!! I can see elderly people easily falling for this as well as others. Great advice about not giving out any personal credit/debit card information unless you called them.

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    I've never had a debit card - can't think of a good reason for one, and lots of bad reasons not to have one. I don't have to remember a PIN number, and if I can't get it with a credit card or cash, there must be a problem...
    Be Happy Now.

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    Quote Originally Posted by magickay View Post
    I've never had a debit card - can't think of a good reason for one, and lots of bad reasons not to have one. I don't have to remember a PIN number, and if I can't get it with a credit card or cash, there must be a problem...
    I don't understand what the big fuss is about debit cards??(In general.....not directed at you Magickay). I use mine all the time if I don't have cash on me. It keeps me out of debt because I don't have to ''charge'' anything. The money comes right out of my checking account as soon as I make a purchase, and I can't be overdrawn. I also belong to a credit union and I get paid to use mine. And they don't charge me a fee to use it.


    If someone steals your credit card, they can go ''charge happy''.
    If they steal your debit card, they have to know your pin to use it.
    A thief can get your credit card number just as easy as getting your PIN.
    If either happens, you call your bank or credit card company and tell them to close the account.

    It had a small screen and keypad where Frank was also asked to enter the card's PIN and security number.
    This should have set off a warning. Why would you need to enter your pin AND the security number?? I've never had to do that. It's either one or the other.
    Last edited by 3lilpigs; 12-19-2013 at 06:40 AM.

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    baragabrat's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 3lilpigs View Post
    I don't understand what the big fuss is about debit cards??(In general.....not directed at you Magickay). I use mine all the time if I don't have cash on me. It keeps me out of debt because I don't have to ''charge'' anything. The money comes right out of my checking account as soon as I make a purchase, and I can't be overdrawn. I also belong to a credit union and I get paid to use mine. And they don't charge me a fee to use it.


    If someone steals your credit card, they can go ''charge happy''.
    If they steal your debit card, they have to know your pin to use it.
    A thief can get your credit card number just as easy as getting your PIN.
    If either happens, you call your bank or credit card company and tell them to close the account.



    This should have set off a warning. Why would you need to enter your pin AND the security number?? I've never had to do that. It's either one or the other.
    Not necessarily. I use my debit card for nearly everything. I rarely, if ever, carry cash. When I make purchases I use the credit option, which doesn't require using a PIN. Depending on the store and the amount spent I may have to sign it. Of course if someone wants cash from your account (whether from a store or bank) a PIN IS required.
    What Goes Around, Comes Around

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