Friday 19 March 2010

I have just received this Credit Card Scam Alert

- look out everyone this sounds clever, don't be caught out!!

Credit Card Scam Alert (Issued by Wiltshire Police - February 2010):

This has been passed on via another Force area through our own Fraud Department in Wiltshire Constabulary, and it is a very convincing SCAM. We have been asked to disseminate the information as widely and as quickly as we can through Neighbourhood Watch, School Safe and others.

This one is pretty slick since they provide YOU with all the information, except the one piece they want. Note, the callers do not ask for your card number; they already have it. This information is worth reading. By understanding how the VISA & MasterCard Telephone Credit Card Scam works, you'll be better prepared to protect yourself.. One of our employees was called on Wednesday from "VISA", and I was called on Thursday from "MasterCard".

The scam works like this: Person calling says, "This is (name), and I'm calling from the Security and Fraud Department at VISA. My badge number is 12460. Your card has been flagged for an unusual purchase pattern, and I'm calling to verify. This would be on your VISA card which was issued by (name of bank) did you purchase an Anti-Telemarketing Device for £497.99 from a Marketing company based in London ?" When you say "No", the caller continues with, "Then we will be issuing a credit to your account. This is a company we have been watching and the charges range from £297 to £497, just under the £500 purchase pattern that flags most cards.

Before your next statement, the credit will be sent to (gives you your address), is that correct?" You say "yes". The caller continues - "I will be starting a fraud investigation. If you have any questions, you should call the 0800 number listed on the back of your card (0800-VISA) and ask for Security. You will need to refer to this Control Number. The caller then gives you a 6 digit number. "Do you need me to read it again?"

Here's the IMPORTANT part on how the scam works the caller then says, "I need to verify you are in possession of your card." He'll ask you to "turn your card over and look for some numbers." There are 7 numbers; the first 4 are part of your card number, the next 3 are the security numbers that verify you are the possessor of the card. These are the numbers you sometimes use to make Internet purchases to prove you have the card. The caller will ask you to read the 3 numbers to him. After you tell the caller the 3 numbers, he'll say, "That is correct, I just needed to verify that the card has not been lost or stolen, and that you still have your card. Do you have any other questions?" After you say, "No," the caller then thanks you and states, "Don't hesitate to call back if you do", and hangs up. You actually say very little, and they never ask for or tell you the Card number .

But after we were called on Wednesday, we called back within 20 minutes to ask a question. Are we glad we did! The REAL VISA Security Department told us it was a scam and in the last 15 minutes a new purchase of £497.99 was charged to our card. Long story - short - we made a real fraud report and closed the VISA account. VISA is reissuing us a new number. What the scammers want is the 3-digit PIN number on the back of the card. Don't give it to them. Instead, tell them you'll call VISA or MasterCard directly for verification of their conversation. The real VISA told us that they will never ask for anything on the card as they already know the information since they issued the card! If you give the scammers your 3 Digit PIN Number, you think you're receiving a credit. However, by the time you get your statement you'll see charges for purchases you didn't make, and by then it's almost too late and/or more difficult to actually file a fraud report.

What makes this more remarkable is that on Thursday, I got a call from a "Jason Richardson of MasterCard" with a word-for-word repeat of the VISA scam. This time I didn't let him finish. I hung up! We filed a police report, as instructed by VISA. The police said they are taking several of these reports daily! They also urged us to tell everybody we know that this scam is happening .

Arnold Road Pond/ Wetland

For sometime now we have been working with the Borough Council to trying to improve the wetland area at the bottom of Arnold Road. With little success.

Surveys have been carried out and plans drawn up. We have also spent some considerable time with officers from the Town Hall working to progress this matter.

It is now apparent that the cost of improving this area cannot be met solely through council resources and it is unlikely that we can afford to undertake this work without some external funding support.

It is with this in mind that we would like to enlist your help; we would like to find a group of local residents who would be prepared to meet to discuss this with a view to putting a bid into a suitable funding body to produce an improvement scheme for the pond/wetland.

The Flora and resident Fauna make this a potential area for conservation. We feel it meets quite a few targets relating to biodiversity and protected species, recreation and community use.

Through the process of obtaining external funding we should be able to fence the area and provide the paths and the suitable furniture that the feature requires to make it useable as a community recourse as well as conservation area.

To achieve this we need your support and input, Grants are available but need to be community lead. There will be no financial implication for members of the group or residents. Your time and assistance as part of a working group tasked with making the bids would make a difference.

We asking that you help us to help you improve your area.

If you would like to be involved please contact your ward councillors Ian & Lynne Haszeldine

Proposed Redevelopment Heathfield Primary School

Heathfield Primary School would like to invite Lingfield residents to a public information event where you can find out about the proposed new works at the school. The evening will be an informal meeting where you can drop in to view plans, make comments and ask for further information.

This session is to be held on the 23rd of March. You are welcome to drop in between 3.00 and 6.00 p.m.

The proposed project is an exciting opportunity for the school and the local community. The main new area is a large, purpose built co-location centre that will act as a head quarters for new services to schools in your area. There will be new nurturing facilities to enable small groups of young children to access emotional well-being services when they are needed.

A low carbon classroom will also be built, slightly away from the school, which will drive forward the schools sustainability agenda. Featuring strong links to the citizenship curriculum, this facility will educate all users about the need to reduce and manage energy better, as well as provide a class with a fantastic classroom to learn in.

The school will also benefit from £500,000 investment in the condition of the fabric of the building. There are other, smaller pieces of work planned to improve the condition and suitability to teach around the school, examples of such work will also be on display. Central to this work is the need to improve energy efficiency and sustainability to save both money and carbon emissions.