Residents warned to be on guard against calls from Visa fraudsters

Over the phone, he said a card belonging to someone in her family was being used illegally in hardware stores across Berkshire.
The shocked woman told him that it belonged to her husband who died 10 years ago.”
However, the fraudster refused to back off, and claimed that more than £500 had already been spent on the card at B&Q and Wickes stores in Newbury and Reading.
He said that he represented Visa Verification, and insisted that if the card owner had died, then his wife was now liable, and that she would have to pay whatever was owed.
‘Anne’, who wishes to remain anonymous, lives in Paddock Road, Newbury, and is keen to alert other Visa cardholders about the fraudster.
She said: “He telephoned me out of the blue, and when I told him that the person named on the card was my husband, and that he died 10 years ago, he quickly turned his attention on me, and wanted to know if I also held a card.
“I said ‘Yes, thank you very much,’ and he told me to bring it to the phone and tried to bully me into giving him its confidential details.
“He said that I was now personally liable for what was owed on my husband’s card, and I told him that he was talking complete nonsense.
“He then offered to handle the so-called problem, but I said I was quite capable of doing it myself, and I put the phone down.
“I realised that he was desperate for me to give him enough information so that he could acquire my account details.
“It was terribly spooky and upsetting, and I’d like to warn everyone about him so that they can be on their guard.”
Anne immediately contacted Action Fraud and Angela Money, chairwoman of the Newbury and Thatcham Neighbourhood Watch.
Mrs Money said: “This fraudster was determined to get Anne’s card and bank details which he would then have used to make purchases online.
“If he had succeeded in getting the PIN number, and the three-digit security number on the back of her card, he would have gained direct access to her account.
“Several variations of this scam are being reported locally and nationally, and I urge everyone to be calm and cautious should they receive a similar telephone call.”
Action Fraud can be contacted on 0300-1232040