I am sitting in my bed, reading the Bible. The phone rings. It is an automated call. The voice asks for me using my full name. I am to push any button to continue. I am again told my full name and the last four digits of my credit card number. The computer tells me there’s fraud on my account. It then tells me it will connect me to the fraud department.
This is all very familiar to me. I have gone through this process several times. My bank or credit card contacts me. It is always an automated voice call. At the end of the message, it connects me to the fraud department.
When the woman at the fraud department answers, she immediately wants to know my credit card number. I am a little taken aback. How do I know this woman is really with my credit card company? I am tempted to hang up the call and call my credit card company using the number on the back of my card. Instead, I tell the woman I do not have my credit card number. She then asks for my telephone number and last four digits of my credit card number. I figure this is a safe to give since the company (or scammer) had already given me this information in the automated call.
The woman looks up my account. She tells me there is a $1 charge from a business I have never heard of. I tell her I have not used my card lately. It must be fraud. The woman then goes through a fraud report asking me if I am traveling, if I have the card in my possession, etc. The employee goes on a very long monologue which sounds as though she is reading from a sheet about the steps which will be taken to monitor my account and to investigate the fraud.
The representative says she will send out a new card to me, but she needs to verify my identity. She asks for my birth year, last four of my social security number and address. She also asks for the date the last time the card was used and where it was used.
I am VERY hesitant to give out this information. But again, it is only part of my information. If you have my phone number, you can easily find my address online. Can anyone do much with just four digits of my social security number or my birth year? I decide since the woman has an American accent, and has gone to great lengths to assist me in filing a fraud report, this is probably the fraud department at the credit card company. I give her the information. She tells me my new card will be sent out express mail, etc., etc.
When the phone call ends, I am overcome with panic. Maybe this woman was a scammer. I look up my account information to login in to my credit card account online. When I enter the site, I cannot find my credit card! I know the last four digits, but the card listed on the site has a different last four digits. I browse through the credit card information. I am able to discern from when the last credit card payment was that this was my old account. The number has already been changed. I feel a little bit better. I do not think a scammer would hack into my credit card account and change my account number.
When I logout of the account, I receive an email from my credit card company thanking me for contacting the fraud department. It gives details about the claim, all of which match what I discussed with the representative on the phone.
After the whole ordeal, I was a little shaken up. I decide if this ever happens again, I will hang up the phone and call my credit card company using the number on the back of my card. I do not want to be scammed by the ‘fraud’ department.
