The Expired Credit Card Scam
The expired credit card scam is another scam in the email type scam database. It is still relatively new, so not many people are aware of it at the time being. Now let's look at how the expired credit card scam works.
First, those scammers will send you an email claiming to be from VISA. They will claim that your credit card is about to expire shortly, and that you will need to take action to ensure that it will stay active.
The email will provide a link which they claim will help you renew your credit card. Once you click on it, it will bring you to a website. In that website, there will be a few VISA logos, and a simple form.
In the form, they will ask for your credit card number, expiration date, the CCV number and also your ATM pin code. If you do fill out all those information and then click on the "verify" button at the bottom, it will send all the information you just entered to the scammers.
The email itself will be very short and to the point. The email will contain a VISA logo to try to make it look legit. One unique aspect of this scam is that the email itself is very short, and they do not use any excuses or stories to claim to be from a legit VISA company.
By keeping it short and avoiding any stories and such, it actually makes the email look that much more believable. In fact, most people who did receive this email did end up clicking on the link. Even many seasoned Internet users also clicked on the link.
The one point where we are given clues that this is a scam, is the website itself. While the website might use quite a number of VISA logos and pictures, asking us for our CCV number and the ATM pin code would have rung alarm bells all over, as these information is not needed when we renew our credit card.
So far, the scammers have only used VISA in this scam, but it is safe to say that it is only a matter of time before the scammers use MasterCard's name and logo as well. So far, VISA has announced that this scam has nothing to do with them, and they do not send any such emails to their customers.
Please spread the word about this scam, so that you can help ensure that everyone you know does not fall victim to the expired credit card scam.
Expired Credit Card Scam: Return to the Online Dangers main page
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