January 8,2009
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January 8, 2009
Don't Get Trapped in the Phish Net, Pt.1 –
– See them coming by what they're after.There are many different angles that credit card con artists take. Here are a few of the more common credit card scams to watch out for and what to do about them:
What they want:
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Credit card Account numbers: Sometimes they already have and just ask for the last four digits just to sound authentic. They'll say: "Give me the last four digits of your card that begins with 5412...". Obviously they already have the card number but need more information on that card.
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CVV2 number: They don't usually have this information or else they wouldn't be phishing. Having this information enhances the value of the stolen credit card greatly.
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PIN: They don't usually have this information either or else they wouldn't be phishing. Having this information allows immediate cash withdrawals. Not every credit card holders even has this service in place but, obviously, if they do the PIN is worth it's weight in gold. Cash is immediate and nearly untraceable from most ATM's.
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Expiration Date: This is very helpful supplemental information that is required for nearly all credit card transactions.
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Billing Zipcode: These work great at most gas stations. With the cost of fuel anymore, thieves are even gravitating toward new innovative ways to resell fuel (after all, how many pirates go around seizing cargo ships carrying fuel ?). Of course, there are many uses for billing information to used for authentification purposes.
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Date of birth: This is one of the more trusted forms of ID authentication. It has many valuable uses pertaining to credit card fraud.
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Social Security number: This is one of the most trusted forms of ID authentication. It gets past some of the most trusted security checks when it comes to credit card fraud.
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Personal Family Information: Things like; your mother's maiden name, father's middle name, etc. These are some of the most frequently used challenges, which allow access to on-line access and the ability to access banking assets.
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