There are hundreds of variations of credit card scams. As soon as people catch onto one scam, the con artists are usually a few steps ahead with another more sophisticated scam.
The compromised credit card scam is another form of phone fraud that targets your credit card information. Much like the fraud protection agency phone scam, this call involves the caller impersonating someone they aren't.
How Does the Credit Card Compromised Phone Scam Work?
This particular form of credit card fraud starts with a call from someone claiming to be a local police officer or an FBI agent. They state that they are calling to inform you that your information was recently found in a gang bust. The caller will tell you that your credit card information has been compromised and you will need to call the fraud department to report it.
The caller will often give you a number to call and report the stolen information. This number will often be very similar to the number that appears on the back of your card.
Many times scammers will buy blocks of 800 numbers that are similar to the numbers of actual credit card customer service. The scammers will wait for their victims to accidentally dial the wrong number and they’ll start collecting information.
How to Protect Yourself From This Scam
If you get a call from someone claiming that your credit card information has been compromised, keep your cool. There’s no need to panic. To avoid the scam keep these three things in mind:
- Don’t give out personal information. Even if someone claims to be calling from your local police department or the FBI, don’t share sensitive information with the caller. Many times scammers are using caller ID spoofing to make it appear as if they are really calling from the.
- Only call the number that appears on the back of your credit card. Don’t call a number that the caller gives you to report the information, instead call back the number that appears on the back of your credit card directly.
- Do your research. Check your credit card bill to see if you spot anything that seems suspicious. You can also lookup the number that called you using a reverse lookup phone book app to check for scam behavior.
How to Report the Scam
If the caller claimed to be from your local police department call the office line to ask if there is any truth behind what you were just told. By reporting the issue to the police you’ll help them send a warning out to others in the community to beware of anyone calling and claiming that credit card information has been compromised.
You can also file a report with the FTC. Make sure to provide your local police department and the FTC with as much information as possible. Include the number that called you and any other pertinent details, like the name of the caller and time of the call.
If you’d like to warn even more people about this scam you can use our free phone tracer app for iPhone to let others know about the scam. If you don’t have an iPhone you can still use search by phone number online service to find out who is behind mystery phone calls.