Don't Fall For This!

Don't fall for this!

This morning I received a call from an individual who identified herself as a credit card company/bank employee. She stated that at 4 AM an on line purchase in the amount of $300 was made using my card. Because this represented an unusual activity it had been blocked. Several other charges had also been blocked. She asked if I had my credit card and customer service card in my possession. To be sure that they had not been stolen I was asked to provide the 3rd digit in the account numbers to verify that I had them. Throughout the call she created a sense of urgency and of course on my part fear of having been victimized. The fact that she spoke with a "call centre accent" raised my anxiety.

I spent 40 years in the financial services industry and she had me buying in. It was not until she asked me to provide her access to my computer that I started to get suspicious. She tried to aleviate my suspecions by saying "You'll recognise our logo when you get my request." When she said something like "click on this series of links" I responded by saying "I am getting uncomfortable about this. Give me your number and I will call you from a bank branch in the presence of a bank employee" She protested and when I persisted she hung up.

I immediately phoned my credit card company. It was confirmed that I was the target of a fraud, and fortunately everything was in order.