• Planet Antares Scam | How to Avoid Credit Card Scams

    Date: 2010.08.06 | Category: How to | Tags: ,,,,,,

    planet antares scamConsumers are being warned about several new credit card telephone scams that are making the rounds.  The scams are designed to steal credit card information and make fraudulent charges against the victim’s account.  Here are a few tips to help you avoid falling victim to these tricks.

    Banks and credit card issuers use finely tuned software to analyze credit card purchases. They’re attempting to detect credit card fraud early and stop it before too many fraudulent charges are made.  Planet Antares Scam Solutions has heard these scammers can take advantage of this by posing as a bank employee. The scammer calls the potential victim to report that phony charges have hit the victim’s account.  The scammer then requests the credit card number and the three-digit security code.

    A variation of this scam involves a caller posing as a bank employee. The caller states that the potential victim’s bank account has been overdrafted and requests a credit card number and security code to cover the shortfall.  If the victim cooperates with either approach, the scammer adds a substantial charge to the victim’s credit balance.

    Planet antares scam solutions has some tips to avoid credit card fraud, do not give out your credit card number to someone claiming to be from your bank.  Your bank (or the credit card issuer) has your credit card number already. If they’re reporting suspicious charges to you, they should be able to tell you what charges they’re concerned about and should be able to provide a list of your recent legitimate transactions.  If they can’t, do not provide them with any information.

    Do not give your credit card information to anyone over the phone, unless you’ve initiated the transaction.  This includes callers who tell you that you’ve won a prize, a free trip or other valuable item, as well as callers who solicit “charitable” donations via credit card.

    If you’re not sure that a call from your bank is the real deal, hang up and contact the bank or financial institution directly to confirm the caller’s identity.