The message is out there, loud and clear. Do not provide your credit card information over the phone or through your computer unless you are the one initiating the transaction.
Yet it seems no matter how often consumers are warned, they can still be sucked in by a glib con artist, and may not realize they've been had until the bogus charges to their account begin to appear.
And, it seems even the Better Business Bureau isn't exempt from being used to back up a fraudulent bid to lure some poor fish onto an expensive hook.
A press release from the BBB Executive Director Pat Heffernan describes how a caller, identifying himself as being with the bureau, tricked a victim into giving him her credit card number. Fortunately the woman was disturbed enough about the caller's high pressure tactics to call the BBB, where she learned she had been had.
She quickly followed the advice of the bureau to contact her bank and credit card company, but within only 45 minutes, $70 had already been charged using the number she had provided.
It is ironic the bureau, which has "developing, encouraging and promoting ethical business practices in the marketplace," would have been used as a front for this scam, but they are not alone.
An e-mail recently appeared in News-Optimist newsroom inbox that appeared to come from SaskTel. It advised that if no action was taken to provide user information with 48 hours a disruption in service would result. After enduring SaskTel's recent "painless" upgrade it certainly looked as if the request should be attended to. Closer examination revealed that, although it appeared to come from SaskTel, it did not. Providing the information requested would have allowed the "phisher" to use that data for nefarious purposes.
The good name of Microsoft has also been used in vain recently, and the RCMP have issued repeated warnings about a scheme to lure people into giving up sensitive computer information over the phone. These fraudsters have been sniffed out by two local residents recently, who have phoned the paper, wanting to warn others about the scam.
Which brings us to the mindset of a con man. It is amazing these people will put so much time, effort and creativity into bilking their fellow citizens. It seems as much energy put into doing an honest day's work in an honest effort to make the world a better place would be a more profitable for everyone. The con man included.
