Consumers concerned about identity theft may have yet another scam to worry about: A fake credit card statement may be in the mail.
In September, past due credit card statements supposedly from Capital One began appearing in mailboxes in Indiana. However, these statements are not real. Instead, they are part of an elaborate phishing scam meant to encourage victims to give personal information that can then be used for identity theft.
One of the biggest issues is that these credit card statements look authentic. There appears to be a bar code on the address, and there are all the trappings of a real credit card statement. The scammers hope to scare you into paying the money that is "past due". But if that doesn't work, they hope that when you call the number listed on the statement, you will give up personal information, making identity theft relatively easy for them.
One of the reasons you might call is that you may not even have an account with the credit card issuer listed on the phony bill.
Is Your Credit Card Next?
For now, it appears that Canadian credit cards are not being targeted by this scam. But you still have to remain vigilant. It's fairly easy for a scammer to get a name and an address. What's harder is getting the personal information only you can provide. In order to protect yourself from phishing, whether it's over the phone, through the mail, or via email, here are some basic tips:
- Instead of calling the number on the bill, call the customer service number on the back of your credit card, or look up the customer service number on the company's official web site.
- Do not give out your personal identification number or personal account information to those who contact you asking for it.
- With email, do not click on links sent you; instead, open a new browser window and log in from the official home page.
- Only give a partial account number when asked. Real credit card issuers do not need your entire account number.
If you suspect a phishing scam, call the official number of the credit card issuer, and then notify authorities. You are much better off if you play it safe, rather than risk identity theft.
This post was included in the 279th Carnival of Personal Finance at DoughRoller.
Thanks for alerting consumers about this. It never seems to amaze me how low some crooks will go!
Credit card rules changed mostly for the better for consumers as I understand because now credit card companies have to notify us before they change rates. Also they cant change rates before 60 days.. am I correct? Well, regardless, due to before the laws changed I am still in debt and definitely need debt relief. Debt Free Counselor gives free consultations for any consumers with financial and medical hardship and they have an A rating with the Better Business Bureau.
Between me and my husband we’ve had over 20,000 in debt and had to use a company to get out of it. We made sure it was legitimate through use of the BBB lookup.