The classic way phone scammers get your information is to tell you that you have already been a fraud victim even though you haven’t. Since you’re worried that you’ll be charged for a purchase you never made, you’re ready and willing to help. Instead, you’re helping a fraudster scam you!

It’s easy to fall for this scam because credit card companies often do call card holders when suspicious activity is detected. Scammers work even harder over the holidays when shoppers are distracted

What can you do?

DON'T ASSUME the caller is actually from the credit card issuer. Even if your phone’s Caller ID gives the name of the card or the bank, criminals can easily make the caller ID say whatever they want.

STAY IN CONTROL Listen to what the caller has to say. Tell them that you’ll call the customer service number on the back of your card or on your card statement. Legitimate customer service representatives should encourage you to do so. Fraudsters may tell you that regular customer service can’t help. They may even provide a special “Fraud Department” number to call. Ignore their advice and DO NOT call the number they give you. It will only route back to the fraudsters.

DON'T BE BULLIED into providing your personal information. They may threaten that the charges cannot be removed if they don’t get the information they need right away. Keep in mind, if there are fraudulent charges on your account, you have 60 days from the first statement that contained the mistake to dispute it.

GET AUTOMATIC NOTIFICATION Sign up to receive transaction notifications on all your accounts. Set the threshold at one cent ($0.01) so that you always receive alerts. Card thieves often make a couple of small charges – perhaps a dollar or less – to verify that the card is valid. If you receive alerts for such transactions, you can call customer service immediately and have them invalidate your card and send you a new one.

Our Advice

Be your own watchdog, especially around the holidays!!! Always call the card issuer's member/customer service number directly yourself from the number on the back of your card or on your statement. Inquire if there is a recent fraud alert. If you are uncomfortable with the situation, block the card and ask for a new card to be issued.