I wish to warn all my constituents of a new and disturbing credit card scam. Late this past Sunday evening I received a call on my cell phone. The number that showed up on the caller id was 1001. Curious as to who was calling me at such a late hour, I answered the phone. On the other end was an automated voice that proceeded to tell me that they were calling from my credit card company and that fraudulent activity had been suspected on my credit card account. I was prompted to reactivate my card by typing in my 16 digit credit card number. The call did not give any details of what the charges were or when they happened.
Suspicious of the call, I hung up and proceeded to contact my credit card company. I advised the customer service representative of the call that I received and ask for them to check to see if any such suspicious activity had occurred on my account. The representative advised that no such activity existed and that there were no records of the call being made to me on my account. I asked if they had heard of this type of scam and unfortunately mine was not the first call that they had received.
I also called my wireless phone company to see if there was any way to trace the call that came in and to ask why only 1001 showed up on my caller ID. An attempt to return the call only resulted in a signal that signified the call could not go through. Unfortunately, the resources that the customer service representative at the phone company had at her disposal did not allow her to be able to track the call.
With new technology, a number of credit card scams have surfaced recently. If you receive a text message, email, and now phone call, asking you to enter or speak your credit card number, please DO NOT respond. The message or phone call you receive may sound convincing at first. What was disturbing in my case is that the automated voice had the correct bank that issued my credit card.
If you get any one of these messages or calls, please contact your credit card company right away. The number for customer service is on the back of your card. Please report the message to them and all details of the message you received. Technology is a wonderful tool. However in this age of technology you can be robbed by someone you have never seen and who may not even live in the United States. The best way we can help one another is to share our experiences and to report any suspicious messages to our banks and credit card companies.
Protect yourselves and your neighbors!
State Rep. Quinn Johnson,
8th District
