KANSAS CITY, Mo. - First it was calls about your car warranty. Now many of us are receiving calls about our debit and credit cards.
If you have a credit card, debit card, or ATM card, then you need to be alert to the latest scam targeting your account.
It’s called a "vishing" scam - - automated voice mail phishing calls. And they are so scary; many people are falling for them.
Frank Adams said he was awakened at 11:30 at night by a call alerting him to some sort of fraud on his ATM card.
"Due to the large number of e-mail scam attempts targeting our members, we have placed suspension alerts to all credit union accounts."
"It was an automated call. It said my ATM card had been locked out,” Adams said.
Bleary, since he just woke up, Adams said he punched one, as instructed, and waited to hear what he should do next.
"You are required to run a brief verification process where you must specify the information exactly as we have it on file."
"The automated voice told me I would need to enter my 16 digital number to activate the account,” Adams recalled.
At that point, Adams said he woke up enough to realize the call was fishy...as it never even named his financial institution!
It was a good thing he woke up and caught on to the scam. Millions of Americans are now receiving automated calls similar to Adam’s call, telling you your account has been locked or offering to lower the interest rate on your credit card.
In each case, scammers are "vishing" - - voice fishing for your card number.
So do what Adams did - - hang up. Don’t let this happen to you.
If you get a call that appears to be from your bank, credit union, or credit card issuer, hang up; do not give any information.
If you're concerned, call or visit your bank. Chances are there’s no problem with your card.
