Credit Card Tutorial by GenX @ http://www.GenXGenYGenZ.com

Update August 2016 – RFID Blocking Wallet for PayWave and PayPass cards.

INTRODUCTION

I am sure you have received many SMSes from your bank(s) to warn you about Phishing and not to click on any links requesting you to update your personal information or password.

Nowadays, whenever we visit our Bank’s website, we are sure to be welcome by a warning “Protect Yourself” against all types of scams. And one of the most common scams is called Phishing.

I thought it might be worthwhile that I copy part of Maybank’s Scam Alert Notice and repost them below:

• Phishing is a word stemmed from password + fishing.
• Phishing scams are a form of identity theft, where spam emails are sent out to entice the victims to update their banking credentials.
• The victims are tricked to click on a bogus hyperlink provided by the fraudster as long as they maintain an email account.
• The victims will then be redirected to a fake login site that is identical to the Maybank2u website.
• Phishing websites and emails often look like the real website. Because of that, unsuspecting victims may reply to them and provide confidential personal information that can result in financial losses and identity theft.

Never respond to emails that:

• Requires you to submit your personal information directly into the e-mail or online.
• Requires you to reregister your security image, caption and challenge questions.
• Threatens to close or suspend your accounts if you do not respond.
• Claims there are unauthorized transactions on your account and requires your account information.
• Claims that your account has been compromised and requests you to enter, validate or verify your account information.
• Requires you to enter your card number, password, user ID or account numbers into an email, pop-up window or non-secure webpage.
• Requires you to confirm, validate, verify and/or update your account or credit card information.
• Requires you to confirm your IP address.
  

I guess you may be asking, what the heck has Online Phishing got to do with credit card fraud? Well, they are related in a way and I am going to tell you how fraudsters/syndicates can call you up and even know your name.

If you are a regular reader of mine, you will know that I am an ultra kiasu person. I have  many email accounts for this and that. However, I have only one specific email account which I will only  disclose to the banks and nobody else.

I also have an email set up to receive junk mail. For example, when signing up for a discount/reward card with a specific merchant or when entering contests or when redeeming for free stuff at the malls.

I, myself have received Phishing emails but the odd thing is that they were sent to my email set up to receive junk emails only!!! As such, the only way the scammers obtain my junk email account was because I somehow “intentionally gave it to them” as mentioned in the paragraph above.

As for phone scams relating to credit cards, I tell you, I receive them very often and they know my name! They will call me and say they are from RHB Bank, MasterCard, Credit Card Agency (or something like that),  and once even AKPK (Agensi Kaunseling & Pengurusan Kredit)! How these syndicates obtain my mobile number and name is via the same method as in email scams – they purchase them!

Most of these unscrupulous syndicates that tricked you into releasing your personal information, obtain your contact number by purchasing them from unethical people who sell them for some cash. For example, you are at the mall where they are offering freebies with the use of your credit card. So in order to redeem the gift, you have to write down your name, credit card number, contact number and sometimes even your NRIC number. The person who has access to the list of names then sells it for some cash. Be extra careful of people who claim to be doing surveys or promoting products in public places. Sometimes I feel that bank employees may also be involved as it was reported in LYN forum that someone called a member where they correctly stated his name and the 16 digit card numbers to enquire if he activated the card. Once again banks have no time for social calls.

However, like I said, I’m ultra kiasu. I have 4 active sim cards (1 Dual Sim Phone and 2 other phones where one of them is not a smartphone). One of the mobile numbers (let’s call it number X) is disclosed only to my family members and the banks at the time of opening an account (to receive SMS Alert on my credit card usages). Another number that is in my non-smartphone (let’s call it number Y) is disclosed to everybody else who need to contact me plus it’s given out to whomever request for it (e.g. merchants, when redeeming for gifts, behind my cheque, filling up bank forms to purchase bank drafts, etc). The other two numbers, one is in another smartphone (to play games, hahaha) and the other is my Australian number in my Dual Sim Phone.

If you noted in the above paragraph, I mentioned cheque. You see, once I paid my HSBC credit card bill using my RHB Premier Banking cheque and deposited the cheque into a Cheque Deposit Machine at a HSBC Branch. I don’t have any banking accounts with HSBC. A few days after depositing the cheque, I got a call from a Relationship Manager from the HSBC branch  (that I deposited the cheque) asking if I was interested in their Term Deposit Promo. What this shows is that our personal details is not secured even though we are dealing with a reputable company because their staff may misuse confidential information/data for personal gain.

So far, I have not received any scam phone calls on my number X. As for number Y, I tell you, the number of scam calls I received is unbelievable and sometimes from overseas too!

 With the above, unless you have two or more phones like me, the probability of you getting a scam call is very very high.

I shall now present to you the various types of credit card scams.

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