Credit card phone scammers are becoming bolder and bolder. While the lower credit card rates scam and credit card charges scam are quite common there is another scam which attempts to steal your actual credit card and not just the information.
The courier pick-up scam aims to convince victims to give over their credit card to couriers. The caller will claim that the card has been compromised and that it needs to be handed over to a courier to be disposed of before a new one can be issued.
How Does the Courier Pick-up Phone Scam Work?
Scammers will cold call victims from a spoofed number. They pretend to be a representative from the fraud department at the victim's bank or credit card company and claim that there is suspicious activity on the victim's card.
The scammer will ask the victim to confirm some recent purchases. They'll read a list of suspicious sounding transactions. The victim will dispute the transactions and the scammer will tell them that it seems their card has been compromised.
The victim will usually ask what to do next. The scammer will reassure them that they won't be responsible for the fraudulent charges if they give their card to the company's courier.
The scam artist will explain that the card needs to be disposed of to prevent further fraud. The scammer probably won't collect the card up themselves. They'll probably hire a freelance courier that may not even know they're complicit to a scam.
How to Protect Yourself From This Scam
Alarm bells should go off in your head if anyone asks you to handover your credit card. There are several red flags to look out for.
You don't need to return your card.
Banks and credit card companies can deactivate your card immediately, so there is no reason for them to ask you to return it. You should always be suspicious if they want to send a courier to collect it.
They don't have your personal information.
If your bank is able to verify suspicious activity, then they clearly know who you are. They should already have your address on file and other information on file If they ask for an address to send a courier to, then something is clearly wrong.
How to Report the Scam
If the scammer actually knows your bank or credit card company and claims to be associated with them, then you should contact their fraud department directly. It could be that your account has actually been compromised by a scammer and your information could be at risk. You should also report the phone call to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
In addition, CallerSmart helps give you the tools to identify scam phone numbers and to report phone numbers that are breaking laws. You can download our reverse phone lookup app from the iTunes App Store to trace a phone number at any time and report suspicious activity from anywhere. If you don't have an iPhone, you can still search phone numbers on our website.