CREDIT CARD PHONE FRAUD ON INCREASE, OFFICIALS SAY

Credit card phone fraud is increasing in Southeast Missouri, a spokesman for the state's attorney general's office said.

In the past week, several callers saying they represent security or customer service departments for credit cards have been contacting residents in central and Southeast Missouri requesting card numbers, said Scott Holste of the attorney general's office.

Many elderly people have been targeted, he said.

"You have a person who comes on the phone with an authoritative voice, and he's easy to believe," Holste said.

Norma Fox of Cape Gir-ardeau said she was called Friday by a woman who claimed to represent Visa's security department. The woman said irregularities were being reported with the use of Fox's card, and she needed her card number and expiration date.

After Fox gave the expiration date, the caller said she knew that her card began with a "4," but she needed the rest of the digits.

When Fox refused, the woman persisted. Fox hung up.

Then another woman called back, saying that she was the head of Visa security.

"She told me I could call the attorney general's office for a reference, and when I asked her more questions she said I wasn't in a very Christmas attitude," Fox said.

Fox later called the Missouri attorney general's office and Visa. Both confirmed that no calls would ever be made requesting a credit card number, she said.

This was the first time Fox had dealt with telephone fraud. "They sounded so sincere," she said.

No calls to the Cape Gir-ardeau County Sheriff's Department reporting phone scams have been made, Lt. David James said. But that doesn't mean other residents haven't been victims.

"People typically don't report these crimes," James said.

The calls are generally made from out-of-state locations to make detection more difficult, he said.

Along with fictitious reports of odd charges, callers have alleged that a person's card does not have sufficient liability coverage.

"They'll offer them something like 10 years coverage for $369," Holste said. "But with federal law limiting liability, their claim is completely false."

Credit card scams often occur during the Christmas season because criminals think consumers won't notice a few additional charges slipped in with legitimate holiday purchases, Holste said.