COURT HOUSE — In a July 13 release, Middle Township Police Department warns of a recent scam regarding credit cards and the telephone.
Perpetrators call and state that they are calling from a major credit card company, such as Visa or MasterCard.
They will provide a badge number and tell the victim that their card has been flagged for an unusual purchase pattern.
The perpetrator will then ask the victim if they have recently purchased an anti telemarketing device for $497.99 from a marketing company based in Arizona.
They will then engage in a series of questions in order for the victim to disclose their address, account number, etc.
The call will end with the perpetrator asking for the three-digit number on the reverse of the credit card.
It has been learned by police that those callers already have the victim’s credit card account, and they only need those three digits on the back of the card to use the card.
Once they have those numbers, they will be free to use the victim’s credit card account fraudulently, in most cases without the victim having any knowledge of its use, until they receive their next credit card statement.
Police are warning the public never to give any personal information over the telephone, especially to a caller with whom they are not familiar.
