Wow
...This one
seems easy to
fall for so
please let
people know.
There
is no location
noted, but
still be
aware...
One
of the most
clever credit
card scams
yet!
This
is very
clever.
Give this wide
distribution.
This scam is
actually very
clever.
Just when you
thought you'd
heard it
all. Be
very careful
out
there!
Beware of
people bearing
gifts.The
following is a
recounting of
the incident
from the
victim:
Wednesday
a week ago, I
had a phone
call from
someone saying
that he was
from some
outfit called:
"Express
Couriers,"
(The name
could be any
courier
company).
He asked if I
was going to
be home
because there
was a package
for me that
required a
signature.
The
caller said
that the
delivery would
arrive at my
home in
roughly an
hour. Sure
enough, about
an hour later,
a uniformed
delivery man
turned up with
a beautiful
basket of
flowers and a
bottle of
wine. I was
very surprised
since there
was no special
occasion or
holiday, and I
certainly
didn't expect
anything like
it. Intrigued,
I inquired as
to who the
sender was.
The
courier
replied, "I
don't know,
I'm only
delivering the
package."
Apparently,
a greeting
card was being
sent
separately.
(The card has
never
arrived!)
There was also
a consignment
note with the
gift.He then
went on to
explain that
because the
gift contained
alcohol, there
was a $3.50
"delivery/
verification
charge,"
providing
proof that he
had actually
delivered the
package to an
adult (of
legal drinking
age), and not
just left it
on the
doorstep where
it could be
stolen or
taken by
anyone,
especially a
minor.
This
sounded
logical and I
offered to pay
him cash. He
then said that
the delivery
company
required
payment to be
by credit or
debit card
only, so that
everything is
properly
accounted for,
and this would
help in
keeping a
legal record
of the
transaction.
He
added,
"Couriers
don't carry
cash to avoid
loss or likely
targets for
robbery."
My
husband, who
by this time
was standing
beside me,
pulled out his
credit card,
and 'John,'
the "delivery
man," asked
him to swipe
the card on a
small mobile
card machine
with a small
screen and
keypad.
Frank,my
husband, was
asked to enter
his PIN number
and a receipt
was printed
out. He was
given a copy
of the
transaction.
The
guy said
everything was
in order, and
wished us good
day.
To
our horrible
surprise,
between
Thursday and
the following
Monday, $4,000
had been
charged/withdrawn
from our
credit/debit
account at
various ATM
machines.
Apparently
the "mobile
credit card
machine,"
which the
deliveryman
carried now
had all the
info necessary
to create a
"dummy" card
with all our
card details
including the
PIN
number.Upon
finding out
about the
illegal
transactions
on our card,
we immediately
notified the
bank which
issued us a
new card, and
our
credit/debit
account was
closed.
We
also
personally
went to the
Police, where
it was
confirmed that
it is
definitely a
scam because
several
households had
been similarly
hit.
WARNING:
Be wary of
accepting any
"surprise gift
or package,"
which you
neither
expected nor
personally
ordered,
especially if
it involves
any kind of
payment as a
condition of
receiving the
gift or
package.Also,
never accept
anything If
you do not
personally
know or there
is no proper
identification
of who the
sender is.
Above
all, the only
time you
should give
out any
personal
credit/debit
card
information is
when you
yourself
initiated the
purchase or
transaction!