Visa Card Status Notification Scam

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Visa Card Status Notification Scam

The message invites the card owner to click on a link to resolve the issue and restore access.

The message is not from Visa and the claim that the account has been limited is not true. The email is a typical phishing scam designed to extract financial information from card owners.

The email's links open a fake website created to closely look like a genuine Visa webpage. The fake page will include a 'verification form' that requests users to supply their credit card number and other account details. After supplying the requested information, users will be taken to a second fake page that informs them that the problem has been resolved and restrictions have been removed.

Then victims may go about their business in the mistaken belief that they have rectified the problem with their card and all is well, however there was never any problem with the card to begin with. The criminals who have the card holders details can now commit fraudulent transactions via the Visa accounts of their victims.

These phishing scams are very common and continually target customers of major credit card providers and financial institutions all around the world. A well-worn phishing tactic is to claim that the recipient's account has been blocked or suspended and will claim that users can resolve this block by clicking a link - or in some cases opening an attached file - and filling in a verification form.

If you receive such an email, do not click any links or open any attachments that it contains.

If you believe you have been a victim of this type of scam you should promptly report it to the IC3's website at www.IC3.gov. The IC3's complaint database links complaints together to refer them to the appropriate law enforcement agency for case consideration.

Remember - always watch for scams!

Steve