Last week in the Listowel Banner, I wrote an article about the rise in scams and frauds across Ontario.
The same day I wrote that piece, I nearly became a victim myself.
I was sitting at my desk when my cell phone rang. The caller ID on the phone showed the number as “Visa” from an Elmira phone number.
Usually, I don’t answer the phone when I do not know the number or the caller. I tend to play it on the safe side because, sadly, we live in a society where most of the phone calls we get now are from telemarketers or scammers.
With that said, if it really is the bank or Canada Revenue Agency calling, chances are they will leave a message or call back.
For whatever reason, I decided I would answer the phone.
After saying “hello” a couple of times, a recorded message began to play.
That should have been my first clue.
The message, which sounded official, told me that a couple of unusual charges had been made to my credit card that morning. And the amounts were large – $400 and $1,300 – and that they were for the purchase of gift cards.
“Since these are charges you typically do not make, we wanted to make sure these are not fraudulent charges,” said the recorded voice.
“To confirm that you made these purchases, press 1. To hear this recording again, press 0.”
This should have been my second clue.
Having family members who’ve been the victim of bank fraud before, I hit 0 to hear the message again. I wanted to get all of the details so I could compare them to my online banking.
About halfway through the message, a live voice came on the phone.
“Hello? Hello?”
“Hello,” I replied.
Rather unprofessionally, the voice on the other end explained that my credit card had two unusual charges on it – $500 and $1,400. The “Visa” lady asked me to confirm if I made those purchases or not.
This should have been clue No. 3 for me. However, it was my first clue something smelled fishy about this call.
“No, I did not make those charges,” I said.
The voice on the other end – now remember, they called me – said they needed to ask me a few more questions to confirm my identity.
This was my second clue (it should have been my fourth) that something was fishy.
At the same time, I had pulled my online banking up on my web browser and noticed no new charges on my credit card.
“If you could just give us the last 12 digits of the credit card number, we will reverse those charges for you,” said the “Visa” lady.
It was at this point that alarm bells started going off in my head.
“I’m sorry, but I am looking at my banking information right now and do not see what you see,” I said. “I think you’re trying to scam me.”
Then I hung up the phone.
I recalled a recent conversation I had with Perth County OPP Provincial Constable Jillian Johnson – “when in doubt, call your bank to verify.” I called my bank.
After a few minutes, I was on the phone with a very professional, courteous live person. I explained the phone call I had moments earlier.
“Did you tell this person anything? Name, phone number, address…anything?” she asked.
I told her that I gave them no information, didn’t like what I heard and hung up the phone.
“Sir, you did the right thing,” she said.
The bank representative told me there were no new charges to my account. She also gave me the details of the five most recent transactions, all of which lined up with my online banking information.
“You can rest assured that those charges were not made to your card,” she said. “Everything is good. Again, you made the right decision by hanging up the phone and checking with us.”
For years, I’ve wondered who falls for these fraudsters when they call. Now I understand it.
Panic sets in when you hear that voice telling you that your credit card has been compromised. You panic because it’s a large amount of money. I was wide awake in the middle of my workday when I received this call. I can’t imagine how someone who was woken up in the middle of the night would act in a similar situation.
If I can offer a few words of advice about unsolicited phone calls: if you don’t know the number or name, don’t answer it. If it is legitimate, they will leave a message or call back.
And if you do answer and get an uneasy feeling, hang up the phone and call your bank. If it really was them calling, they’ll understand why you hung up.
If you think you’ve been a victim of fraud, call your local police service (for OPP, 1-888-310-1122).
For more information and statistics about fraud in Canada, visit www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca.
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Mike Wilson is the editor of Midwestern Newspapers. Feedback and comments can be sent to mwilson@midwesternnewspapers.com.
