New Credit Card Scam

Snopes.Com says this is true. See this site - http ://WWW.snopes.Com/crime/warnings/creditcard.asp

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 I was called on Thursday from 'Master Card'. The scam works like this: Caller: '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 calli ng 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 y our 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 7 numbers; the first 4 are part of your card number, the next 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 3 numbers to him. After you tell the caller the 3 numbers, he'll say, 'That i s 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 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.

Long story - short - 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 Master Card' 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.

Local chapter of unindicted co-conspirator in jihad terror funding case gives "diversity training" to Columbus, Ohio police

(COLUMBUS, OH, 11/24/08) – Representatives of the Columbus chapter of CAIR-Ohio, along with a Muslim law enforcement officer, recently conducted diversity training on “Islam and Muslims: What Law Enforcement Personnel Should Know” at the Columbus Police Training Academy.

Lawyers call for international court for the environment

A former chairman of the Bar Council is calling for an international court for the environment to punish states that fail to protect wildlife and prevent climate change.

Mumbai Terrorists Tortured Israelis Before They Were Murdered

British Couple at Taj Hotel: "We Thought We Were Safe, Then CNN Stepped In"

by Gateway Pundit

A British couple trapped at the Taj Mahal Hotel during the terror attack claims CNN put their lives in danger.
Wales Online reported, via Free Republic:

A SOUTH Wales couple caught in the Mumbai terror attacks claimed last night that CNN put their lives at risk by broadcasting where they were.

Lynne and Kenneth Shaw, of Penarth, warned that terrorists were listening in to the media to pinpoint Western victims.

Mrs Shaw claimed the American cable TV channel had broadcast details of where they were at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel.

She has appealed to the media to be careful with the information it broadcasts because safety could be compromised and lives lost.

The couple flew back into Heathrow yesterday morning on a flight arranged by the British Consulate.

Mrs Shaw had been forced to hide under a table as terrorists stormed the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel.

She and her husband were later rescued by Gurkhas and taken straight to the Australian Embassy for safety.

The couple were at the end of a month-long visit to India and were staying in Mumbai for a few days before heading back to the UK.

From her home in Penarth yesterday, Mrs Shaw said: “We have been asked by the British terror police not to talk to the press.

“But the reason I would not want to talk to anyone is because our safety was actually compromised by CNN, which broadcast where we were.

“The terrorists were watching CNN and they came down from where they were in a lift after hearing about us on television. For that reason I would appeal to the media to be very careful about what they broadcast.

Lynne and Kenneth Shaw, of Penarth, South Wales, were in a restaurant at the Taj when the terrorists attacked.

The couple hid under a marble table until they were rescued:

The couple then hid under a marble table "cuddling each other" until help came, but she was terrified the men who tried to help them were terrorists.

"I thought we were going to be executed," she said, adding that she only felt safe when she recognised the uniforms of Gurkhas as they were led down the stairs. There was blood, guts, bullet cases. There was even the odd body," she said. "It was awful,"

Previously:
Mumbai Under Terror Attack!... At least 80 Dead-- Hostages Taken! (Live Firing Video!)
TERRORISTS HOLD MORE THAN 100 HOSTAGE IN MUMBAI! ...Update: 125 Dead
Deepak Chopra Blames Washington For Mumbai Terrorist Attacks
Video Captures Mumbai Terrorist Killing
MUMBAI MASSACRE-- Up To 7 Terrorists Were Brits!... Over 160 Dead
British Hate Preacher Choudary Gloats Over Mumbai Terror Attacks
Insanity Alert-- Mumbai Muslim Terrorists Tell Media: "Stop Hating Us"
Mumbai Terrorists Had Dinner, Drinks, Paid Their Bill... Then Shot the Place Up
Mumbai Terrorists Tortured Israelis Before They Were Murdered

Terrorists trained by renegade Westerners?

from WorldNetDaily

Mumbai killers' tactics raise chilling prospect

LONDON – Agents for Britain's MI5 intelligence service have concluded tactics used by the Mumbai terrorists have raised the chilling prospect that they were trained by someone who had acquired his skills in Western special forces – or had obtained its secret manuals on how to launch a full-scale surprise attack against one of the world’s largest cities, according to a report from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.

"We cannot rule out that the training of the killers could have been done by Muslims who had served in the Army, U.S. Special Forces or the Russian Spesnaz," said an intelligence source.

While MI5 agents try to pin down if Britons actually were involved in the attack, a specialist team is working with the Ministry of Defense to comb the records of all those who served in the army and underwent specialist training.

"There is a possibility we cannot discount that someone would have converted to radical Islamism and taken his military skills to one of the Islamist training camps in the north of Pakistan," added the intelligence source.

The link with Pakistan has been reinforced through satellite surveillance by the U.S. National Security Agency, which tracked the ships that brought the terrorists close to Mumbai. From the ships, the terrorists launched themselves in small high-speed craft – similar to vessels used by pirates in the Horn of Africa – to enter the busy waterway of Mumbai. As many as 100 came ashore undetected.

Keep in touch with the most important breaking news stories on global terrorism with Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin, the premium, online intelligence news source edited and published by the founder of WND.

All the intelligence points to the terrorist units having been given pre-determined targets.

Each unit worked in small numbers, and members were linked to each other by state-of-the-art cell phones.

Some of the units placed explosives in specific target locations. Others seized foreign hostages at key hotels. Their brief was to separate the British and American "infidels" from others.

Stress takes toll on Obama, develops chronic facial tic

from WorldNetDaily

Michelle said to be distraught over spasms under right eye

The strain of the long campaign and a frenetic transition period is beginning to wear on the face of President-elect Barack Obama, who has developed a facial tic under his right eye.

The tic on the lower part of his right orbital bone is clearly visible in his recent interview with ABC's Barbara Walters. Campaign insiders say it first emerged during the primary season and has now become chronic.

A facial tic is a repetitive, spasmodic movement often involving the eyes and facial muscles. The cause of tics is unknown, but stress appears to increase their severity.

"The patients I've treated with tic disorders had one thing in common: They knew that the tics worsened when they were under stress," said Dr. Robert T. London, a psychiatrist with the New York University Medical Center.

Learn about what America can expect from an Obama presidency in Brad O'Leary's blockbuster, "The Audacity of Deceit: Barack Obama's War on American Values."

Besides the economic crisis, Obama is having to worry about his own security. The Secret Service reportedly is dealing with more threats against him than any other president-elect in history.

"There are a lot of things that keep me up at night," Obama, 47, confided in the ABC interview.

Michelle Obama, who closely monitors her husband's public appearances, is said to be distraught over the facial tic.

In all the stress of the transition, Obama told ABC he's trying to eat healthy food, work out regularly and refrain from smoking, although he has found it difficult to quit cigarettes entirely.

London says studies show that simple tics disappear during sleep, which suggests that a relaxation treatment, such as hypnotherapy, might work better than medication to calm the misfiring nerves during the day.

Politics is a stressful job, and other politicians have succumbed to the nervous twitches. For example, Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., developed a severe facial tic that became so chronic he began doing TV interviews with the afflicted side of his face angled away from the camera. Shays, who's served more than 20 years in Congress, was defeated in the November election.