Kenosha police warning of Visa/MasterCard phone scam

FORT ATKINSON -- Kenosha Police Department officials are issuing a warning regarding a scam that some residents in Fort Atkinson have reported. They're calling it the "Visa and MasterCard Telephone Credit Card Scam."

Those who have been targeted report receiving a phone call from someone claiming to be a Visa or MasterCard representative. The representative provides a badge number, and indicates the person's credit card has been flagged for an unusual purchase pattern. The caller provides the name of the bank issuing the card and asks whether the person purchased an Anti-Telemarketing Device for $497.99 from a marketing company based in Arizona. When the person says "no," the caller indicates a credit will be applied to the card, and asks to verify the person's address.

The caller then says: "I will be starting a fraud investigation," advising the person to call the 1-800 number listed on the back of the card and ask for security - listing a six digit number to refer to when calling.

Then, the caller asks to verify the person's card, asking the person to turn it over and look for seven numbers. The first four numbers are part of the card number, and the last three are security numbers.

After the call, a new purchase of $497.99 is charged to the card.

Police officials say the real VISA Security Department says this is a scam, and say not to provide callers with the three digit security code on the back of the card. Officials advise calling Visa or MasterCard directly for verification. VISA says they will never ask for anything on the card, as they have all of the information already, because they issued the card!