Southborough Police issued a safety reminder to residents on their Facebook page this week.
They warn us that scammers may already have enough personal information to convince you that they are calling from your credit card company.
They also ask residents not to be embarrassesed to report any scams.
With the amount of credit card purchases happening around this time of year, credit card scams historically rise and cause nothing but problems for customers. Here are some quick credit card safety reminders for our residents and friends:
If a credit card company CALLS YOU and asks you for any type of information- always insist on calling the company back on their customer service line. Hang up; then find the customer service number yourself.
Some Scammers may already have some of your personal information, and may be looking for other security information that would help them to gain access to your credit card. Many people have been tricked because a Scammer disguised as a “representative” was able to provide this personal information first.
In a previous scam, a “very official” sounding caller provided personal information first, and then asked for the 3-digit PIN number in order “verify that the customer was in possession of the card at that time.” NEVER give out the 3-digit PIN number on the back of your credit card over the phone. ALWAYS call your credit card company directly for verification. If you give the Scammer your 3 Digit PIN Number, they now have the ability to purchase items in most online stores. By the time you get your statement, you will see charges for purchases you didn’t make. If enough time passes, it will be more difficult to investigate the initial fraud and the Scammer has moved on to scam more victims.
NEVER be too embarrassed to report any type of scam to the police. The only way to stop these types of crimes from happening, is for the victims to come forward and provide law enforcement with this information. Thank you.
