A series of paintings from a Carol Marine workshop.
Opus Art has a video of how they make reproductions. I am going to try their service one of these days.
And to check out an innovative painter, go see Myrna Wackov at:
http://myrnawacknov.blogspot.ca/
Dear Chamber Members,
Information received from Victoria Police Department regarding the
latest Fraud Alert Visa & MasterCard Scam. Please read this important
information.
“Just a heads up for everyone regarding the
latest in Visa fraud. Royal Bank received this communication
about the newest scam. This is happening in the Midwest right now
and moving this way.
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 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 Arizona ?' 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 1- 800 number listed on
the back of your card (1-800-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
numbers; the first 4 are part of your card number, the last 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 last
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 were 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. 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
Master Card 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. I dealt with a
similar situation this morning, with the caller telling me that $3,097
had been charged to my account for plane tickets to Spain , and so
on through the above routine...
It appears that this Is a very active scam, and evidently quite
successful.
Pass this on to all your family and friends
Bev Stewart
Program Coordinator
Neighbourhood Block Watch
Victoria Police Department
850 Caledonia Ave
Victoria, BC V8T 5J8